Mechanical engineering is a broad engineering discipline.

Mechanical engineers research, design, develop, build and test mechanical devices, including tools, engines and machines.

They work on projects in such industries as aerospace, oil and gas, automotive, manufacturing and wind energy.

"We use the fundamentals to develop concepts creating the recipe for the project," said Andrew Chen, M.E., a senior pipeline engineer for Technip.

Mechanical engineers' versatility means they are in high demand.

"Mechanical engineering students are the most requested discipline," said Vita Como, senior director of professional development for the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Career Center.

"In a city where oil and gas dominate, our mechanical engineering graduates and students have more opportunities and more choices."

She said when the oil and gas industry slows down, mechanical engineers "may suffer, but not as much as other disciplines."

Their versatility is essential because they often work on the newest industrial pursuits creating workable concepts.

"We use lots of creativity in what we devise," said Karthik Datta, senior structural engineer for Technip. "You can't just come up with something, you have to follow procedures, calculations and codes of the industry, and test the concept to make it work."

Mechanical engineers contribute in a variety of ways to projects including analyzing problems to see how a mechanical device might help solve the problem by designing or redesigning; creating blueprints so the device can be built; developing a prototype of the device; and testing the prototype.

They analyze test results, change the design as needed and oversee the manufacturing process for the device.

Like other engineers, mechanical engineers use computers extensively to produce and analyze designs, simulate and test how a machine is likely to work, generate specifications for parts, monitor the quality of products or control manufacturing and production.

Mechanical engineers need a bachelor's degree and will have gained work experience before graduation though internships and co-ops.

However, an aspiring mechanical engineer should be creative, be an effective listener; and have outstanding math skills, mechanical abilities and problem-solving skills.

Following graduation and gaining employment, a mechanical engineer must obtain licensure if they intend to offer their services directly to the public.The result of four years experience and passing the state exam is designation as a professional engineer.