Mechanical Engineering
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Set your career in motion
The design of technology that moves
Wherever there is advanced technology and physical motion, a mechanical engineer has been involved in its design. Technology and motion are essential to changing our society for the better.
Electricity is produced from turbines set into motion by steam, wind or water pouring from dams. Mechanical Engineers design these turbines and are leading the development of future energy systems.
Mechanical Engineers design the heating and cooling systems in buildings by calculating how the air and water and the fans and pumps must move.
In transport, Mechanical Engineers have designed every moving party of today’s cars, trains and trams. Mechanical Engineers are the driving force behind future transport systems. They design the shape of cars, aeroplanes and ships to make them streamlined and design their structure so they are safer in the event of an accident.
In hospitals, Mechanical Engineers design the machines that keep people alive by pumping air and blood. They also design the movable devices that are implanted into the human body, like joints and heart valves.
In every manufacturing industry, Mechanical Engineers are needed to design production lines and processes.
Career Opportunities
Mechanical engineering is the most versatile of engineering disciplines.
You can get a job in almost any engineering business from mining to medicine. You can become a manager or start your own company.
The breadth of mechanical engineering training means that Swinburne graduates can transition to careers in finance or scientific research where an engineering training is an advantage.
The versatility of Mechanical Engineering means you can work in teams with many other professionals, ranging from law to medicine. Mechanical Engineering is one of the classical engineering degrees understood all over the world and the Institution of Engineers accreditation means so you can work in any country.
The average salary of a Mechanical Engineer is $93,000 (May 2011; mycareer.com.au)
Mechanical Engineers are educated in science and engineering and in the use of advanced computer based software for design, research and management activities.