Aerospace/Chemical/ Industrial/Mechanical Engineering

Chemical engineers work in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, design and construction, pulp and paper, petrochemicals, food processing, specialty chemicals, polymers, biotechnology, and environmental health and safety industries, among others.

Chemical engineers rely on their knowledge of mathematics and science, particularly chemistry, to overcome technical problems. Their expertise is also applied in the area of law, education, publishing, finance, and medicine.

Sources: Sloan Career Cornerstone Center

Industrial engineers determine the most effective ways to use the basic factors of production -- people, machines, materials, information, and energy -- to make a product or to provide a service. They are the bridge between management goals and operational performance.

Although most industrial engineers work in manufacturing industries, they may also work in consulting services, healthcare, and communications.

Sources: Sloan Career Cornerstone Center

Mechanical engineers research, develop, design, manufacture, and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices.

They work on 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 equipment, machine tools, material handling systems, elevators and escalators, industrial production equipment, and robots used in manufacturing.

Sources: Sloan Career Cornerstone Center