Engineering Degrees At A Glance

The Virginia Tech College of Engineering offers a wide variety of engineering disciplines. Below you can find a short description of what the discipline is and what they do.

Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

What is it?
Aerospace engineers student artifacts that fly – airplanes, rockets, satellites, missiles, etc. It is also about flow (think about how air flows around a car), about control systems, and about how strong things are (and how to make them strong). Ocean engineers study the effects of the ocean on ships, vehicles, and other structures. They design dams, levees, canals, and complex tide abatement systems. Essentially, ocean engineering is the marine-based branch of civil engineering. It merges classical courses in civil and mechanical engineering with oceanography and naval architecture.

What do they do?
Aerospace engineers develop new technologies for use in aviation, defense systems, and space exploration. They also may specialize in a particular type of aerospace product, such as commercial aircraft, military fighter jets, helicopters, spacecraft, or missiles and rockets. Ocean engineers design, build, operate and maintain ships, offshore structures, and a variety of ocean technologies including aircraft carriers, submarines, sailboats, tankers, tugboats, yachts, oil rigs, underwater robots, and acoustic sonar.

Biological Systems Engineering

What is it?
This engineering discipline applies concepts of biology, chemistry, and physics, along with engineering science and design principles, to solve problems in biological systems. The biological systems range broadly, from natural systems, such as watersheds with a focus on water resources, to built systems, such as bioreactors and bioprocessing facilities; all with a sustainable focus. 

What do they do?
As the name implies, BSEs work to solve problems using biological systems. These biological systems can be small, controlled microbial systems that produce a product, such as beer, biofuels, or pharmaceuticals. BSE graduates may work with large biological systems, including streams, wetlands, and watersheds, which provide environmental services to society, such as clean water. 

Biomedical Engineering

What is it?
This engineering discipline emphasizes fundamental engineering principles combined with technology, biology, chemistry, physics, and medicine to improve human health. It focuses on the development of new medical devices, therapies, and diagnostic tools to understand and revamp medical care and health care delivery. BME has a strong humanistic component coupled with advanced technology.

What do they do?
Biomedical engineers design instruments, devices, and software used in healthcare; develop new procedures using knowledge from many technical sources; or conduct research needed to solve clinical problems. Examples include such devices as implantable cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, joint replacement implants, biomedical imaging, novel drug delivery systems, and tissue-engineered skin used for grafting.

Building Construction

What is it?
This discipline involves the creation of vertical structures, spaces, and systems with a focus on business and construction management; innovation and emerging technologies; and the performance and sustainability of these structures.

What do they do?
Construction managers plan, direct, and coordinate construction projects, from the conceptual development stage through final construction to ensure the project is completed within time and budget constraints and is compliant with building and safety codes

Chemical Engineering

What is it?
This branch of engineering applies physical sciences (physics and chemistry), and life sciences (microbiology and biochemistry), together with applied mathematics and economics to produce, transform, transport, and properly use chemicals, materials, and energy.  

What do they do?
Chemical engineers deal with large-scale reactions with factory-scale equipment and scale up the processes to make them by the ton, and at a profit.  In the field, they may work in a variety of specialties: making plastics and resins; nanomaterials, or biological engineering; or developing specific products- the production of energy, electronics, food, clothing, or paper. Chemical engineers may also conduct research in the life sciences, biotechnology, and business services.

Civil Engineering

What is it?
This is the study of the design and construction of public works, such as dams, bridges, and other large infrastructure projects. It is one of the oldest branches of engineering, dating back to when people first started living in permanent settlements and began shaping their environments to suit their needs.

What do they do?
Civil engineers design and supervise the construction of major public work projects such as buildings, highways, airports, bridges, and dams. Since there are so many different types of projects a civil engineer can undertake, many of them specialize in a type of project or branch of the profession such as transportation engineering, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering.

Computer Engineering

What is it?
This discipline involves the design of computer systems (hardware and software) and related devices. It uses the techniques and principles of electrical engineering and computer science but also covers areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, chip development, computer architecture, cybersecurity, and operating systems. 

What do they do?
Computer engineers are concerned with the design, development, and implementation of computer technology into a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial, and military applications.  In automobile design, for example, computers are integrated into many systems, including air conditioning, navigation, audio, and video systems, and even tire pressure alert systems.

Computer Science

What is it?
This is the study of computers and computational systems; dealing mostly with software and software systems; this includes their theory, design, development, and application. Although knowing how to program is essential to this major-- it is only one element of the field. Computer scientists design and analyze algorithms to solve programs and study the performance of computer hardware and software. 

What do they do?
Computer scientists use technology to solve problems. They write software to make computers do new things or accomplish tasks more efficiently. They create applications for mobile devices, develop websites, and program software. And you can find them everywhere, from big tech firms and government agencies to startups and nonprofits.

Construction Engineering and Management

What is it?
This discipline deals with the designing, planning, construction, and management of infrastructures such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and utilities. These engineers are unique in that they are a cross between civil engineers and construction managers. 

What do they do?
Construction engineering managers are responsible for overseeing the construction of airports, malls, schools, manufacturing facilities, highways, high-rise structures, water treatment plants, and much more. These engineers will likely oversee and execute not only the technical aspects of construction projects, but also the planning and day-to-day operations that include: finances, working with subcontractors, and interacting with clients.

Electrical Engineering

What is it?
In this discipline, you will study and apply the physics and mathematics of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism to both large and small-scale systems to process information and transmit energy. 

What do they do?
Electrical Engineers design and build hardware and software for a variety of devices that use electricity, electromagnetics, photonics, and quantum phenomena, such as robots, smartphones, lasers, electric power, vehicle control, medical devices, and more. 

Industrial and Systems Engineering

What is it?
This discipline uses mathematical modeling and scientific tools to extract meaning from a sea of data to find the key to unlocking a system’s true potential. ISE combines mathematics, statistics, physical and social sciences, problem-solving, designing things, and working with people all in one. 

What do they do?
Industrial and systems engineers integrate people, materials, information, equipment, and energy to design, implement, and improve systems. They improve processes by making them more efficient, better, and safer. For example, they may design a clothing warehouse using computer simulation or prevent worker injuries with an ergonomic intervention program.

Materials Science and Engineering

What is it?
This is the study of all materials, from those we see and use every day such as a glass or a piece of sports equipment to those used in aerospace and medicine. MSE combines engineering, physics, and chemistry, and uses them to solve real-world problems in nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, energy, manufacturing, and other major engineering fields. 

What do they do?
Materials engineers work with metals, ceramics, and plastics to create new materials. Materials engineers develop, process, and test materials used to create a range of products, from computer chips and aircraft wings to golf clubs and biomedical devices.

Mechanical Engineering

What is it?
This is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for the analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. 

What do they do?
Mechanical engineers work with the generation, distribution, and use of energy; the processing of materials; the control and automation of manufacturing systems; the design and development of machines; and the solutions to environmental problems. They design power-producing machines, such as electric generators, internal combustion engines, and steam and gas turbines, as well as power-using machines, such as refrigeration and air-conditioning systems.

Mining Engineering

What is it?
This engineering discipline applies science and technology to the extraction of minerals from the earth. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as geology, mineral processing, metallurgy, geotechnical engineering, and surveying.

What do they do?
Mining and geological engineers design mines to safely and efficiently remove minerals such as coal and metals for use in manufacturing and utilities. Many mining and geological engineers work where mining operations are located, such as mineral mines or sand-and-gravel quarries, in remote areas or near cities and towns. Others work in offices or onsite for oil and gas extraction firms or engineering services firms.

Updated: July 2023