The Student Room Group

GOOD Arguments for Choosing Chemical over Mechanical Engineering?

Well basically it's generally known that both courses are broad in spectrum, and that both of them are (to put it in a way) interdisciplinary. In certain universities both courses offer specialisation into nanotechnology, and in certain cases both final-year projects involve environment-saving knowledge like pollution management etc. A chemical engineer certainly couldn't live without a mechanical engineer in work, but when you're being grilled by the interviewers -- be it scholarship panels or admissions tutors -- you've gotta really substantiate the reasons for your choice.

Common specialisations for Mechanical Engineering are: Combustion, Fluid Mechanics, Vehicle Systems, Thermal/Energy Process, Materials/Products Design.

Chemical Engineering: Biotech, nanotech, Sustainable Processing, Biochem.

So... Anyone out there care to share their arguments (factually-backed ones)?

Thank you!
Why not read up on the topics that interest you and see which you like best? It might be easier to read the uni textbooks if you've done further maths or have learned maths through linear algebra and differential equations.

There are also general engineering degrees where one spends a year or two doing a bit of everything. If you have enough/too little money (certain colleges offer financial aid; look for the relevant section on TSR if you're interested) if you, you could go to the USA and get a feel for both majors!
can't think of any lol
Reply 3
Well a lot of people think think bio tech will continue to be an exciting growth area for the future... But that's not a fact because the future hasn't happened yet.

You're given a pretty free hand to pick your own fy project at most places afaik...They cherry pick ones for the prospectus depending on what they think applicants want to hear about, environment friendliness practically justifies its self at the moment.
If you're genuinely passionate about saving the environment do some research about fermenting bio fuel or wind turbine design so you can impress interview panels with your enthusiasm.
Reply 4
Chemical Engineering is for those who preferred chemistry to physics throughout school.

Mechanical Engineering is more maths intensive than chemical although they both share particular maths modules.

Mechanical Engineering is more time consuming overall than chemical if you include assignment with labs and lectures.

Chemical Engineering have more lab sessions which some prefer (yet i hate doing the reports for them).



Hope this is a good summary
(1st Year Mechanical Engineering Student Supposed To Be Revising)

:smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile:
Reply 5
Original post by johnconnor92
Well basically it's generally known that both courses are broad in spectrum, and that both of them are (to put it in a way) interdisciplinary. In certain universities both courses offer specialisation into nanotechnology, and in certain cases both final-year projects involve environment-saving knowledge like pollution management etc. A chemical engineer certainly couldn't live without a mechanical engineer in work, but when you're being grilled by the interviewers -- be it scholarship panels or admissions tutors -- you've gotta really substantiate the reasons for your choice.

Common specialisations for Mechanical Engineering are: Combustion, Fluid Mechanics, Vehicle Systems, Thermal/Energy Process, Materials/Products Design.

Chemical Engineering: Biotech, nanotech, Sustainable Processing, Biochem.

So... Anyone out there care to share their arguments (factually-backed ones)?

Thank you!


Fluid mechanics and combustion would be specialisms of chem eng rather than mech eng by the way. You're always dealing with liquids, gases and reactions in chem eng, not so much mech eng. Probably the same for the thermal/energy proceses too. Although the applicaitons of each for chem and mech will be very different, clearly.

Perhaps go with whatever applications you find interesting? Is an oil refinery more exiting than a Ferrari? I'm doing aero because planes and rockets **** over everything. :tongue:
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by Lilium
Why not read up on the topics that interest you and see which you like best?

Well I am certainly interested in heat/mass transfer, and I'm intending to specialise in Process Systems Engineering, but the admissions tutors (if I'm really that unlucky) may counter my point with something bull**** like "Mechanical engineering modules cover heat/mass transfer II; why not take Mechanical Engineering then?"
Maybe they won't ask bull**** questions like that. But we'll never know.

Original post by Joinedup
You're given a pretty free hand to pick your own fy project at most places afaik. (...) If you're genuinely passionate about saving the environment do some research about fermenting bio fuel or wind turbine design so you can impress interview panels with your enthusiasm.

Are you referring to Chemical or Mechanical Engineering? It's true if you're referring to the latter, but I'm looking for arguments to choose chemical over mechanical engineering.

Original post by Romeo Alpha
Chemical Engineering is for those who preferred chemistry to physics throughout school.


Not true. I disliked chemistry and LOVED physics in school, and I'm still going for chemical engineering. Contrary to popular impression, chem eng actually involves a whole lot more of physics than chemistry.

But thanks for your post anyway. Anyone else care to share? =)
Original post by Romeo Alpha
Chemical Engineering is for those who preferred chemistry to physics throughout school.

Mechanical Engineering is more maths intensive than chemical although they both share particular maths modules.

Mechanical Engineering is more time consuming overall than chemical if you include assignment with labs and lectures.

Chemical Engineering have more lab sessions which some prefer (yet i hate doing the reports for them).



Hope this is a good summary
(1st Year Mechanical Engineering Student Supposed To Be Revising)

:smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile:

Do you know how much chemistry there is in chemical engineering (in this country)?
Original post by johnconnor92
Well I am certainly interested in heat/mass transfer, and I'm intending to specialise in Process Systems Engineering, but the admissions tutors (if I'm really that unlucky) may counter my point with something bull**** like "Mechanical engineering modules cover heat/mass transfer II; why not take Mechanical Engineering then?"
Maybe they won't ask bull**** questions like that. But we'll never know.


I don't think admissions tutors will be that annoying. You're not interviewing for a PhD position. You aren't expected to know too many specific things.

Put yourself in their position. "I'm going to interview a kid who wants to do chemical engineering. Of all the things in the world, why that? Is there any thing about the way chemical engineers work, whether in research or industry, that attracts this applicant to the discpline? Does he like physical chemistry? More importantly, does he have an aptitude for it? Are there any applications he is particularly interested in? What got sparked his interest in the subject?" and so on.
What makes you think they're even going to ask a question like that? :confused:

If they do, then answer: "because I'm interested in it" or "because of the jobs it leads to". They could just as well ask why you're choosing engineering over physics, or maths, or anything really. But I'd imagine they'd be much more interested in your aptitude for the subject.
Reply 10
Original post by Smack
If they do, then answer: "because I'm interested in it" or "because of the jobs it leads to". They could just as well ask why you're choosing engineering over physics, or maths, or anything really.


I agree with you. But those are the "typical" reasons, so to speak. One of the reasons I would choose chem eng over mech eng is because of the opportunity to involve myself more in the energy development/research field (even Birmingham even has the Chemical and Energy Engineering degree). But then again, a mechanical engineering degree would probably lead me to the same field too. Specialisations in combustion and design technology would open the doors for energy development. Am I right to say so?

So how would you come up with points to tackle the mechanical engineering argument?
Reply 11
Hi there, I think I saw you in Recom before. Hehe :biggrin:

greetings aside, what actually drawn you into the field of engineering? Another way to put it is how you want to contribute to the society? What's your aspiration? For me I was once totally mesmerized by the Mechs in science fictions (i know it's unrealistic lol) and from then on I was totally drawn by subjects that is related to generation of movements or the ability to transfer a large amount of force: Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics... in shorts, the ability to create powerful machineries. Anything that involve a big machine that moves sounds appealing to me, so it's mechanical all the way for me.

Know nothing about the chemical side... can't comment on that.
Original post by johnconnor92
I agree with you. But those are the "typical" reasons, so to speak. One of the reasons I would choose chem eng over mech eng is because of the opportunity to involve myself more in the energy development/research field (even Birmingham even has the Chemical and Energy Engineering degree). But then again, a mechanical engineering degree would probably lead me to the same field too. Specialisations in combustion and design technology would open the doors for energy development. Am I right to say so?


You're looking too much into this. You can't possibly say what you want to specialise in before you're even at university. Complete your first few years of university, and do well, then you can decide. Chances are you won't specialise in anything anyway and will be just another projects engineer who talks on the phone, attends safety meetings and gets annoyed at vendors and suppliers; or a design engineer using CAD and plugging numbers into equations from books and running computer simulations.


So how would you come up with points to tackle the mechanical engineering argument?


I wouldn't because I don't believe anyone will ask. If they do then "because I'm interested in it" will suffice. I do mechanical and no-one has ever asked me why not, say, aeronautical, or civil, or structural.

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