Mechanical engineering is the discipline that applies engineering, physics, engineering mathematics, and materials science principles to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. It is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering disciplines.
Because mechanical engineering is a broad topic, there are many engineering specialties that can fit within its scope. Some of the most common mechanical engineering branches where graduating students could find careers include:
Acoustical engineering: the manipulation and control of vibration in order to reduce unwanted noise
Manufacturing engineering: optimizing manufacturing techniques, developing processes as well as machines, tools, and equipment for the manufacture of goods
Thermal engineering: creating and maintaining comfortable and safe environments through the control of heating and cooling systems
Vehicle engineering: the design and manufacture of all manner of vehicles
Aerospace engineering: vehicle engineering as specific to air and space travel
In some instances, other specialities fall within the purview of mechanical engineering as well. For example, the Stanford graduate program in mechanical engineering features specialties in:
# Biomedicine: the application of engineering theory to medicine
# Computational Engineering: the intersection of sciences, engineering, mathematics and computer science
# Design: the use of mechanical engineering theories to design better machines that promote efficiency as well as sustainability
# Energy: the use of engineering to create, harness, and conserve energy
# Multi-Scale Engineering: the use of engineering principles to solve problems that have important features at multiple scales of time and/or space
Undergraduate students are largely not expected to choose a specialty but those who decide to go on to a graduate program should be prepared to focus on a very specific area of mechanical engineering.
source: onlineengineeringprograms.com