What is the Toughest Engineering Branch in the World?

Engineering is the blended application of science and maths to design and build machines and structures. Engineering is considered one of the most prestigious fields in the world, especially in India. But with its popularity, comes the potential of being extremely difficult. It is considered one of the toughest fields in education and when you dive deep into the multiple engineering branches, the difficulty only increases. However, it is tough, but not impossible! If you have the passion to put in your best efforts, you can reap the best rewards! This blog shines some light on the toughest Engineering branches in the world.

Must Read: Best Engineering Courses For Future

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5 Main Types of Engineering

To engineer anything implies making, constructing, or designing it. As a result, engineering encompasses any scientific or technological field concerned with the design and development of machines, engines, and other products or structures.

Some engineering fields are subfields of other engineering subjects. Environmental engineering, for example, is sometimes described as a subset of civil engineering. Some fields, such as industrial engineering, are regarded as interdisciplinary since they mix elements from various disciplines.

Other sorts of engineering may not cleanly fall into a single category. Nuclear engineering, biological engineering, and rehabilitative engineering are examples of these.

Most sources classify engineering into the five categories listed below:

• Civil Engineering: Civil engineering, widely regarded as the oldest engineering profession, focuses on the construction, design, and maintenance of physical structures used by the public, such as dams, bridges, tunnels, roads, airports, underground networks, and water supply systems. Many modern engineers specialise in creating environmentally friendly construction to prevent climate change.
• Chemical Engineering: Chemical engineering, in its broadest meaning, deals with chemicals. These engineers create materials and products by applying scientific ideas from chemistry, biology, arithmetic, and physics. They may also devise novel methods of utilising and transforming energy.
• Mechanical Engineering: Mechanical engineering is the design and manufacture of mechanical systems and other moving equipment. These specialists use problem-solving, critical thinking, and math and physics principles to turn concepts into working items such as ships, weapons, household appliances, turbines, and cars.
• Electrical Engineering: Electrical engineering, a younger area of engineering founded in the nineteenth century, focuses on electrical equipment and electronics. These engineers create, test, and maintain electrical gadgets ranging from microchips and computers to large-scale projects like satellites and power station generators.
• Industrial Engineering: Industrial engineering is the final engineering branch, and it mixes engineering with normal business practices to cut costs, enhance quality, and boost efficiency. These professionals are frequently employed in fields such as service, entertainment, and healthcare.

Engineering as a Career 

Considered one of the toughest courses in the world, engineering students are required to have tactical skills, analytical skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. Engineering continues to be one of the most preferred choices of students after pursuing Science PCM in class 12th. It has its roots in a wide variety of specialisations that result in many job opportunities and favourable career prospects. But with more and more students enrolling in the field, the competition, both in terms of securing admission and getting a job is bound to be high. Following is the wide array of course specialisations offered under the umbrella of Engineering:

• Computer Science Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Solar Engineering
• Wind Energy Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Environmental Engineering
• Marine Engineering
• Information Security
• Software Development
• Biomedical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering
• Petroleum Engineering
• Telecommunication Engineering
• Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
• Robotics Engineering
• Biochemical Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering

Also Read: Career Options after 12th Science PCM Other than Engineering

Toughest Engineering Branches in the World

Although all the courses in the above-mentioned list are highly competitive and require the utmost hard work and dedication, there are a few of these that require going the extra mile in terms of hard work. To get lucrative grades and succeed in their career, students have to go through a rigorous and challenging curriculum, teamed up with due diligence. Below mentioned are the toughest Engineering branches in the world:

Top 3 Hardest Engineering Majors	Top 3 Easiest Engineering Majors
1. Chemical engineering (19.66 hours)	1. Industrial engineering (15.68 hours)
2. Aero and astronautical engineering (19.24 hours)	2. Computer engineering and technology (16.46 hours)
3. Biomedical Engineering (18.82 hours)	3. Civil engineering (17.40 hours)

Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the technology of electricity, which includes working on a wide range of components, devices and systems. This varies from small-scale projects like GPS systems to large-scale machines like huge power generators.

The general duties of an electrical engineer include designing, and building electronics, manufacturing and installing electronic equipment and networks, and meeting with clients to see how they can improve complex problems.

• Electrical engineering is considered to be one of the toughest Engineering courses by students, mostly because of the abstract thinking involved. An electrical engineer’s job involves a lot of creative and abstract thinking because the elements of the machine or system they are working on are not visible to their eyes.
• Furthermore, electrical engineering involves heavy use of some abstract mathematical concepts like calculus, trigonometry and other notoriously difficult math equations. So if you sweat at the thought of complex mathematics, electrical engineering concepts may not be the best option for you.
• In order to build anything, students must have abstract knowledge regarding the fundamental concepts of circuits and other variables. Since they cannot see currents move through circuits they need to master the skills of patience and abstract thinking in order to solve problems that they might not even be able to see.

Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering is a multidisciplinary course combining Chemistry, Physics and Maths, subjects whose even names are enough to make a student worry. The difficult thing about chemical engineering is that it combines complex engineering fundamentals and applies them with chemistry concepts, a completely different field. Chemical engineers are responsible for transforming raw materials into the goods that we use in our everyday lives.

Their goal is to solve problems in order to achieve better, more efficient, and more economically feasible outcomes, products, or means of production/processing of chemical compounds.

• The intersection between physics, chemistry, and math is the first and foremost reason that makes Chemical Engineering, one of the toughest Engineering branches in the world. It requires mastering all three extremely difficult subjects to succeed as a chemical engineer which might be hard for students who do not possess a flair for all three.
• Chemical engineering is very time-consuming and requires the utmost attention to detail. You might need to dedicate most of the time of your day to studying if you wish to have a lucrative career. This means spending time on practice problems to gain a deeper and practical understanding of the subject and resisting the urge to go out with your friends over the weekends or relax.

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering is one of the broadest and probably the most complicated branches of engineering. At the most basic level, mechanical engineers deal with the basic laws concerning physical nature (for example, the principles of force, motion, and energy). It involves learning concepts and laws such as thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, metallurgy, continuum mechanics, etc, and gaining deeper insight into their effects and application on machines.

It is an incredibly diverse degree involving developing, constructing, and improving machines: manufacturing equipment, engines and other equipment, with a goal to develop machines that reduce the load of work on its users.

• Mechanical engineering deals with concrete concepts that can be visualized or created physically. Therefore, it tends to be less abstract than electrical or computer engineering. However, it does not mean that it is not difficult, since it requires a lot of critical thinking and deep knowledge about the workings of the machines and the effect of the application of the laws.
• Mechanical Engineering deals with a lot of concepts and complex mathematics required to solve immediate real-life problems. This means that you must have these difficult equations and knowledge sets memorized. Therefore, Mechanical Engineering might not be the most viable option for students who have a difficult time memorizing complex concepts and laws.

Check Out: Career in Mechanical Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

As the name may already suggest, Aerospace engineering majorly focuses on designing and maintaining machines that fly. Students mostly aim for this major if they are aspiring to work in National Defense, ISRO or NASA. Aerospace Engineering is technically a specialized part of Mechanical Engineering, except that the focus is dedicated towards machines that can fly. They can also be employed in the Automotive industry. 

The technological advancement in the Aerospace industry is very rapid, thus the demand for Aerospace engineers is increasing which gives the students an advantage in pursuing specific, specialized jobs in the industry.

• Since it is a specialized part of Mechanical engineering, it of course includes high-level and complex mathematics concepts that require a sharp memory, dedicated learning and practice. Therefore, it may be more challenging for students who have a difficult time with complex maths and solving abstract equations.
• Aerospace engineers also need to learn the complex concept of fluid dynamics which involves a lot of formulas and calculations. Fluid dynamics is a branch of science that deals with the study of liquids and glasses and plays a very significant role in the aviation industry.

Computer Engineering

Nowadays, technology pervades every facet of our life. Computer science is a vast subject. If you want to be a part of that trend, a major in computer engineering is ideal. You’ll take computer-related classes and spend time mastering software. You’ll even be able to construct your own! Computer engineers employ a wide range of sciences in their work. That is why it is regarded as one of the most difficult engineering majors.

Computer engineering graduates work as system analysts, web developers, cyber security specialists, and software engineers. It’s a big deal in the tech sector. In 2021, the median income for a computer engineer was reportedly $12,870 (INR 10.65L).

Engineering may be an extremely rewarding major. In many industries, you can actually challenge yourself and break the glass ceiling. There is always something new to learn, and a degree in engineering is a great place to start. Engineering majors are highly sought after in the workforce, regardless of whether they obtain a bachelor’s degree or continue their studies. You can learn talents in school and then apply them in your line of work.

Toughest Engineering Exams in India

Engineering is one of the most sought-after and reputed fields in our country. Naturally, students have to undergo tough competitive exams to pursue an Engineering major. Since there are a large number of students applying, there is a cut-throat competition to ace these exams. Listed below are the toughest Engineering exams in India:

1. The GATE exam is India’s national entrance test for students pursuing engineering. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and seven Indian Institutes of Technology which include IITs at Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, and Roorkee conduct the GATE Exam. Only 15% of students out of millions of applicants are shortlisted.
2. Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Advanced) is an engineering college entrance examination conducted in India. It has to be cleared by the candidates who wish to be admitted to the most prestigious university, IIT. Out of every 5 lakh students appearing for the exam, approximately only 10,000 get selected every year.
3. Indian Engineering Services (IES) conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) to recruit candidates for various promising Engineering positions in the Indian Government. Every year, lakhs of engineering graduates compete in the IES exam for a few hundred seats which makes the competition ratio in terms of the number of vacancies available versus the number of candidates used to appear for the exam 1:300.

Questions to Ask Before Selecting a Major

Ask yourself the following questions about your interests, talents, and ambitions before deciding whether to major in engineering.

1. Are You Good at Math and Science?
2. Do You Enjoy Solving Problems?
3. Are You Prepared to Work Hard in School?
4. Do you have technical skills?
5. Do you have the patience to pursue engineering?

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FAQs

We hope that this blog has helped you gain an insight into the wide array of Engineering courses and the toughest ones among them. Many Indian students dream of pursuing education in foreign nations due to the exposure and career growth they offer. Consider joining a free counselling session with Leverage Edu if you plan to study abroad.