Physics and engineering

Sceptics would have potential students believe that physics and engineering is a boring subject involving unending study and offering little at graduation by way of employment. If this is your belief you have yet to discover the University of Dundee.

Dundee1.gif (56411 bytes)As the turn of the millennium approaches, technology seems to move ever faster and the demand for engineers from all backgrounds grows ever stronger so what are the expectations of engineering?

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Mechanical Engineering is a well established mainstream engineering profession concerned with technology and design of machines, all kinds of vehicles, energy systems, and equipment in virtually every kind of industry and service. Design and Automation of machine systems are a particular strength in our Department. The option of Engineering in Medicine is opening up a new field of study as medics show enthusiasm for designing their own equipment.

In the world of medicine, scanners and ultrasound, electron microscopes and endoscopic (keyhole) surgery all benefit our lives. The expansion of medical technology alone ensures that the Electrical and Electronic Engineers also stand at the forefront of demand! In addition our everyday transport, the not-so-humble motorcar, is a mass of electronic sensors, displays and controls. Communication and Information Technology, from mobile phones to satellites, camcorders to digital video, computer chips to fly-by-wire aircraft, all come from the expertise and ingenuity of electrical and electronic engineers.

The civil engineer is a slightly different creature although no less in demand. Civil Engineering is about problem solving. The civil engineer is expected to provide practical and economical solutions to real-life problems. Solutions such as a new bypass road, a hospital building or the provision of a quality water supply are vital and important to the community. The solutions are also complex, often controversial and frequently very expensive and the men and women who deal with them need a fundamental understanding of engineering principles as well as specialist knowledge and skills in management and finance.

Degree courses in Civil Engineering contain a core of essential subjects which cover the main areas of structural design and construction, water supply and waste disposal, geo-technical engineering and material science. Many courses take on the flavour of the particular research interests within a department leading to optional courses covering environmental issues, offshore engineering and management studies to name but a few. The career prospects are therefore very diverse and offer graduates a wide variety of paths in employment. As a consulting engineer graduates will work in an office environment dealing with the requirements of the client and other professionals, from feasibility studies through to the final design stage. In contracting they will gain on-site experience in the management of a range of civil engineering projects. Opportunities also exist for working overseas. In short, civil engineering offers one of the most rewarding and varied careers available to prospective students.

Students of Physics at Dundee will meet the traditional physics subjects that will allow them to work as professional physicists. However, as the Department is part of a larger unit that contains engineering subjects, students benefit from the wide range of interdisciplinary activities available. In the final years, Physics students undertake a research project within one of the research groups and may find themselves working with advanced electron microscopes and spectroscopy, on advanced semiconductors, or on analysing satellite data. Many graduates find employment in the areas of their research expertise, but physicists are also employed in a range of work from finance right through to piloting aircraft.

At Dundee all our degree courses in physics and engineering are designed to equip students to face the challenges of the wider industry. As such, courses are accredited by the relevant Institutions such as the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE), Institute of Electrical Engineering (IEE), Institute of Civil and Structural Engineering (ICSE) and Institute of Physics (Iop) as a means of maintaining standards. The Department of Applied Physics and Electronic and Mechanical Engineering has students from more than 10 nationalities, including female students from as far afield as China, France, Malaysia, Finland, Singapore and Ireland who all foresee exciting careers, an opportunity to contribute to society’s development, and the building of global friendships.

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