Engineering MBA

Related occupations
Urban Planner

Urban and regional planners determine the best uses of land and resources for homes, businesses, and recreation. They devise ways to renovate slums, expand cities, modernize transportation systems, and distribute public facilities such as schools and parks. They also find ways to attract industries... see more to communities to create jobs. Urban planners design new communities and develop programs to revitalize and expand existing cities. Regional planners work on a much larger scale, studying the problems of states, multistate regions, and sometimes entire countries. Planning generally begins with requests from city or state officials to develop new communities or renovate areas that are run down. Planners gather information about the economic and social climate, projected population growth or decline, and plans for industrial development. To get a cross section of public opinion, they meet with community groups, government agencies, and labor and business organizations. Future needs get as much attention as current problems. An expected increase in an area's population, for instance, will create a need for more electrical power. Planners determine how the necessary power can be generated without creating pollution or otherwise injuring the area.

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Industrial Designer

Industrial designers work to improve the appearance, safety, and usefulness of industrial products. They develop new styles and designs for a wide variety of products. The first steps in developing a new design, or altering an existing one, are to find and meet the requirements of the client. When... see more creating a new design, designers often begin by researching the product user and how the product will be used. Desired product characteristics, such as size, shape, weight, color, materials used, cost, ease of use, fit, and safety are considered. Designers gather this information by meeting with clients, conducting market research, reading design and consumer publications, attending trade shows, and visiting potential users, suppliers, and manufacturers. After a suitable design has been selected, industrial designers prepare detailed drawings that specify color, materials, and exact dimensions. They are often assisted by drafters. For many projects, the designer or a model maker prepares a scale model. Designers may also participate in usability and safety tests with prototypes to make further adjustments to the design before it goes to manufacturing.