According to U.S. News and World Report, the top engineering school in the U.S. is Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT offers many engineering degrees, including aeronautical engineering, chemical engineering and civil engineering. Other top engineering schools, according to U.S. News and World Report include Stanford, California-Berkeley and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Different types of engineering degrees require different educational backgrounds. For example, chemical engineering programs generally require students to complete organic chemistry, while civil engineering will place an emphasis on physics. Most engineer programs require students to have a strong background in math and science, particularly calculus, physics and chemistry. Almost all engineering programs will require students to take courses in advanced physics such as thermodynamics, kinetics and fluid mechanics.
Mechanical engineers design all types of machines, from light bulbs to race cars. Civil engineers work with features of the natural world to make them suitable for use in society. They design and construct bridges, dams and canals. Chemical engineers are involved in the creation of materials. They work to create materials at the experimental level, then develop methods to produce those materials at a full-scale factory level. Electrical engineers study the flow of energy and work with distributing that energy to public places that need it, such as houses and buildings.
Engineering jobs depend on the type of degree the engineer acquired. Work ranges from the construction of nanotechnology to the construction of major buildings. Civil engineers work on projects used by the general public, such as bridges, dams and highways. Nuclear engineers are technicians at nuclear power plants, and some work for the government on nuclear weapons. Mechanical engineers design engines, machines and tools by using physics and engineering principles.