Mechanical Engineering is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines. It serves as a base for multiple modern interdisciplinary fields. The discipline overviews for B.E. (Hons.) Mechanical Engineering (A4) and B.E. (Hons.) Manufacturing Engineering (AB) have been clubbed together, since they closely resemble each other both in course structure and prospects.
What Mechanical Engineers Do
A mechanical engineering student’s course plan can be broadly divided into three subfields –Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Design and Manufacturing, and Material Sciences. The discipline also extends to Aerospace, Metallurgical, Civil, Petroleum, and even as far as Electrical Engineering. Consequently, mechanical engineers play a pivotal role in automobile, petroleum, and defence firms, as well as in emergent interdisciplinary branches like Robotics, Nanotechnology, and Biomechanics.
Manufacturing engineering lays greater emphasis on production and operations management principles, used by nearly all modern manufacturing companies. It overlaps with Computer Science, Material Sciences, Operations Management, and Industrial Engineering.
WHAT YOU STUDY AT BITS TO BECOME ONE
Mechanical Engineering encompasses a diverse spectrum of subjects, ranging from basic principles of Mechanics and Thermodynamics to the design, manufacturing, and operation of machines and tools. The compulsory disciplinary courses(CDCs) offered in the second year include Mechanics of Solids, Fluid Mechanics, Production Techniques, Manufacturing Processes, Applied Thermodynamics, Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines, and Machine Design and Drawing.
The curriculum for the third year comprises of courses like Computer Aided Design, Heat Transfer, and Mechanical Vibrations. A wide range of disciplinary electives like Solar Power Engineering, Mechatronics, and management-oriented courses like Supply Chain Management and Production Planning and Control are also available. Students in these disciplines must choose their electives shrewdly, keeping in mind the job profiles or post graduate degrees that they aim to pursue.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AFTER GRADUATING
After graduation, placement in core companies often leads to a rapid growth for the individual in the field, even if the initial package offered may not be cushy. Most core companies hiring from top-tier colleges such as BITS Pilani look for the profile of a ‘graduate engineering trainee’, and after a brief training period that varies from company to company, they assign roles and jobs with highly competitive packages.
While some companies exclusively hire core mechanical engineers to delve into simulation and so on, other companies (such as those implementing supply chain management) are open to students of both A4 and AB disciplines. Graduates have been placed in companies like Exxon Mobil, Bajaj Automobiles, Michelin, Nestle and more recently, Airbnb. Students can opt for a conventional post-graduation after GATE or even try their hand at research in fields such as Mechatronics or Nanotechnology.