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Want to study engineering but not sure exactly what?

Don’t worry, this list of popular engineering majors and branches will help you decide!

Engineering Majors 2- New Branches

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This special branch of engineering deals with the use of computer codes together with the systematic engineering approach to development and design, to create software. A highly popular modern discipline, software engineering will have you learning things like computer programming, design processes, languages from java to Ruby, systems analysis, and other exciting emerging areas of technology.

As a software engineer, you may find yourself working in one of these areas:

• Software product lines, creating families of reusable code as oppose of individual codes for specific programs.
• Experimental software engineering, which will help determine the limits and possibilities of software.
• Agile software development and extreme programing for programs in the business world.
• Aspects programing- developing tools to add control options in software.
• Model driven design, creating text and graphics used in design and software.

Nuclear Engineering

A very cool discipline, nuclear engineering involves everything within an atom. Looking at radiation, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, medicine and fuels will allow you to help the world form the tiniest basic components of life, the universe, and everything. You’ll be introduced to particle motion dynamics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, some computer programing, differential equations, and a variety of other topics. With so much knowledge, you’ll be getting into a great field.

With nuclear engineering you may deal with things like:

• Nuclear fission techniques, breaking up atoms to create energy in commercial reactors.
• Nuclear fusion and plasma physics- engineering materials that can resist radiation and high temperatures.
• Nuclear medicine, designing and perfecting new imaging and treatment techniques to combat diseases.
• Nuclear fuels, and improving materials to use in nuclear reactors to create energy.
• Radiation technology, designing tools to measure and image various forms of nuclear radiation.

Biotechnology and Biological Engineering

This is a branch of engineering that looks at biological systems. You will be involved in new technologies involving things like genetics, molecular biology, protein chemistry, immunology, ecology, and pharmacology. Using this knowledge you’ll design and develop systems and tools that use biological molecules and living organisms to solve life’s problems. You will study courses including molecular chemistry, life support systems, organic chemistry, kinetics, patent regulations and engineering theories.

Biological engineering may lead you to work at:

• Gene therapy, engineering ways to treat or cure genetic and acquired diseases like cancer and AIDS.
• Pharmaceuticals, developing and designing drugs and medicine.
• Cloning techniques
• Bioprocess engineering- applying biological processes to various situations
• Genetic engineering, looking at the gene levels of organisms and engineering better properties for plants and animals.
• Agricultural engineering, which uses biology and chemistry to enhance agriculture and food production.

Many other engineering disciplines and branches:

• Nanotechnology- engineering at the molecular, atomic and subatomic level. New researches concentrate on designing the tiniest particles to produce or improve the larger, useful product.
• Audio/visual engineering- dealing with sound and vision, these broad categories can bring you to such exciting industries from satellite imaging to entertainment.
• Mechatronics- combining mechanical, electrical and software engineering to develop really cool robots and machines.
• Aerospace engineering- become a rocket scientist and design aircrafts and spacecrafts.

The world of engineering is more diverse than you can imagine!

There are countless majors, concentrations and designations for you to choose from. Engineering deals with every tiny aspect of human life, and since modern life is so rich it’s no surprise engineering has so much to offer. Go after what interests you most, and remember that you can always change your mind down the road.

Good luck on your engineering quest!

Photo Credits:
- Dell with lenux, by Extra Ketchup
- Nuclear Fission Deutsch Museum, by brewbooks
- Biofuels, by jurvetson
- Escher’s Relativity in Lego, by Andrew Lipson