What qualifies a college grad as an Engineer ???

[Dave Hess]

BITOG community and professional engineers...
Very simple question, what qualifies a college grad to be an engineer ?

Is it a 4 year degree from an accredited college or university....(not DeVry degree mill) ?
Is it a professional state regulated Exam and license that 'officially' you become an engineer ?

Lots of educated folks on BITOG that are engineers such as JHZR2. Please state your area of engineering (speciality) and education. I need to know the difference between the two. I've met people in the past that call themselves an engineer but there is always a gray area in the meaning.

Thanks

 

[The_Jeff]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Society_of_Professional_Engineers

 

[PandaBear]

Depends on your field. Computer / electronics usually don't need license and anyone that works on the type of work can be called "engineers".

Those like civil engineers that need licenses will need either accredited higher education or lots of work experience, then take a certification test.

 

[97K15004WD]

In SC it's illegal to call yourself an "engineer" unless you are a PE. And that means the state exam must be passed.

 

[Doog]

Bachelor degree in engineering from an accredited university that goes past calculus II is an engineer. Many schools also offer a Bachelor in engineering technology that stops math at Calculus II.

The later usually function in technical sales, program management roles. The guys with the full degree do all of the serious number crunching etc.

Some companies will not hire engineers with a technology degree for serious engineering positions.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

Is it a professional state regulated Exam and license that 'officially' you become an engineer ?

An exam will let you become a licensed "profressional engineer" (P.E.). You can still be an engineer and get an engineering job without a license, depending on what the job is. I have a bachelor's in electrical engineering, no license, and I'm a maintenance engineer for an electric utility.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: 97K15004WD
In SC it's illegal to call yourself an "engineer" unless you are a PE. And that means the state exam must be passed.


No it is not "illegal". You just can't certify blueprints and designs.

 

[69GTX]

It comes down to what you know and what you can do with it. I knew some certified engineers along the way that weren't as capable as my better non-degreed mechanics and electronics techs. Those guys just didn't have the opportunity to get to school.

I did 30 years in the nuclear and combustion power plants holding jobs from control room operator, chief engineer, maintenance supervisor, and plant manager. The USNavy certified me chief engineer officer in nuclear submarines. The AMSE certified me as qualified to operate WTE power boilers. Yet none of that counts as a licensed/certified "professional" engineer. However, I did consider myself an operations engineer. I had a 4 year math degree. Though there's no doubt I could have studied for and passed any professional engineering exam that I needed to.

 

[97K15004WD]

(10) "PreviousEngineerNext" means a professional PreviousengineerNext as defined in this section.

(11) "Engineering surveys" include all minor survey activities required to support the sound conception, planning, design, construction, maintenance, operation, and investigation of engineered projects but exclude the surveying of real property for the establishment of land boundaries, rights-of-way, and easements and the independent surveys or resurveys of general land masses.

(12) "PreviousEngineerNext-in-training" means a person who has qualified for and passed the Fundamentals of Engineering examination as provided in this chapter and is entitled to receive a certificate as an PreviousengineerNext-in-training.

(23) "Practice of engineering" means any service or creative work, the adequate performance of which requires engineering education, training, and experience in the application of special knowledge of the mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences to such services or creative work as consultation, investigation, expert technical testimony, evaluation, design and design coordination of engineering works and systems, design for development and use of land and water, performing engineering surveys and studies, and the review of construction for the purpose of monitoring compliance with drawings and specifications, any of which embraces such services or work, either public or private, in connection with any utilities, structures, buildings, machines, equipment, processes, work systems projects, and industrial or consumer products or equipment of control systems, communications, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or thermal nature, insofar as they involve safeguarding life, health, or property, and including such other professional services as may be necessary to the planning, progress, and completion of any engineering services. The mere execution, as a contractor, of work designed by a professional PreviousengineerNext or supervision of the construction of such work as a foreman or superintendent is not considered the practice of engineering. A person must be construed to practice or offer to practice engineering, within the meaning and intent of this chapter who:

(a) practices any branch of the profession of engineering;

(b) by verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, or in any other way represents himself to be a professional PreviousengineerNext or through the use of some other title implies that he is a professional PreviousengineerNext or that he is licensed under this chapter; or

(c) holds himself out as able to perform or does perform any engineering service or work or any other professional service designated by the practitioner or which is recognized as engineering.

SECTION 40-22-30. Practice without a license; penalties.

(A) In addition to those penalties provided for in Section 40-1-200 and in order to safeguard life, health, and property and to promote the public welfare, it is unlawful for a:

(1) person in a public or private capacity to practice or offer to practice engineering or surveying without being licensed pursuant to this chapter;

(2) person to use in connection with his name or otherwise assume, use, or advertise a title or description tending to convey the impression that he is a professional PreviousengineerNext or professional surveyor unless the person is licensed and registered pursuant to this chapter;

(3) firm in a public or private capacity to practice or offer to practice engineering or surveying without being licensed and holding a valid authorization to practice, as provided in Section 40-22-250;

(4) person or firm to knowingly submit false information to the board for the purpose of obtaining licensure.

(B) It is unlawful for an individual or firm to engage in the practice of TIER A surveying or the practice of TIER B surveying in this State, to use the title "surveyor", or to use or display any title, verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, or other device or method to indicate that the individual or firm engages in or offers to engage in the practice of TIER A or TIER B surveying without being registered as a surveyor or firm.

(C) It is unlawful for an individual or firm to engage in the practice of engineering in this State, to use the title "PreviousengineerNext", or to use or display any title, verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, or other device or method to indicate that the individual or firm engages in or offers to engage in the practice of engineering without being registered as an PreviousengineerNext or firm.

(D) A violation of this section is punishable pursuant to Section 40-22-200.

 

[97K15004WD]

In other words, if you call yourself an engineer and you are not recognized by the state as one, then you have committed a violation that is punishable by jail time and a fine....

 

[97K15004WD]

Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: 97K15004WD
In SC it's illegal to call yourself an "engineer" unless you are a PE. And that means the state exam must be passed.


No it is not "illegal". You just can't certify blueprints and designs.


Yes, it is illegal. As I posted the state law; you may read it there.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Depends on your field. Computer / electronics usually don't need license and anyone that works on the type of work can be called "engineers".

Those like civil engineers that need licenses will need either accredited higher education or lots of work experience, then take a certification test.

Agree.

If some reputable companies such as IBM, Intel ... designate you as an engineer and you have a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university such as MIT or Stanford ..., then you're an Engineer by any standard.

 

[opus1]

I worked for a software company and started out as a "Technical Support Engineer". We purchased a company in a state that has laws such as the SC law cited above and our titles were changed to Technical Support Analyst" specifically because it could cause us legal problems in that state and even though I wasn't based in that state.

 

[97K15004WD]

And here is the penalty:

SECTION 40-22-200. Violation of chapter; penalty.

A person who violates a provision of this chapter or a regulation promulgated pursuant to this chapter or who commits any of the following violations is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than six months or fined not less than five hundred dollars and not more than two thousand dollars for each violation, or both; however, the total imposed for these violations may not exceed ten thousand dollars:

(1) practices or offers to practice engineering or surveying in this State without being registered in accordance with this chapter;

(2) presents or attempts to use as his own the certificate of registration or the seal of another;

(3) gives false or forged evidence of any kind to the board or to a member of the board in obtaining a certificate of registration;

(4) falsely impersonates another registrant of like or different name; or

(5) attempts to use an expired or revoked certificate of registration.

 

[97K15004WD]

So, if you want to call yourself an engineer in SC, you better have passed the exam or you are asking for trouble.

 

[97K15004WD]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
BITOG community and professional engineers...
Very simple question, what qualifies a college grad to be an engineer ?

Is it a 4 year degree from an accredited college or university....(not DeVry degree mill) ?
Is it a professional state regulated Exam and license that 'officially' you become an engineer ?

Lots of educated folks on BITOG that are engineers such as JHZR2. Please state your area of engineering (speciality) and education. I need to know the difference between the two. I've met people in the past that call themselves an engineer but there is always a gray area in the meaning.

Thanks

In FL the law should be very clear on what constitutes the title of "engineer". It's usually black letter law like I cited. Anything else is problematic.....

 

[Virtus_Probi]

I have a BSEE from a major national university and have been designing electronics for nearly 30 years. My title has always included the word "Engineer" except for a short time where I was a "Member Of Technical Staff" (MTS). Other than that, I have ranged from Junior Engineer to Senior Principal Engineer, with some managerial titles added on from time to time. I know that when I finished school and started my career in TX, it was a big deal to get your PE license...I think that it was very common then to moonlight as a contractor using the company's equipment/software in off hours and it was necessary to be a PE to have your own engineering firm. I think that practice was also killed off a long time ago, though, and I never took an interest in becoming a PE, anyway.

I have known a number of designers who entered the field with a BSEET or even no degree, up to the level of Staff Scientist and even CTO. These were generally very exceptionally talented people and nobody would have suggested that they were not true engineers at any point. However, these were generally people who entered the field 30 to 50 years ago and it seems to be very difficult to be hired out of school in my field with anything less than a Master's at this point. Honestly, it is even getting hard to change jobs without an MSEE or the equivalent in a related field.

 

[MNgopher]

In Minnesota, you cannot call yourself a Professional Engineer without the license/registration. The use of the word Engineer is allowed though. You can be fined for performing work that requires an engineer to sign off on it without your license in defined categories of work.

I am a Civil Engineer (Water Resources specialty area), and have a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering, and am licensed as a Professional Engineer in Minnesota.

For licensure, the basic route is to obtain a bachelors degree from an accredited 4 year program. Take and pass the the Fundamentals of Engineering exam to obtain "EIT" or Engineer In Training Status. From there, four years of practical experience is required (two if you obtain a Masters Degree). You may then take the PE Exam. Pass that, and you may obtain a license. After that, continuing education is required, 24 hours every two years, and we pay a fee to maintain our license.

I have to keep this license as I sign construction plans, and sign and certify construction projects, feasibility reports, and the like.

There are other routes to get the license, but this is the most common. Also note, there is more of a movement to make the Masters Degree the entry degree to become a Civil Engineer, which I respectfully disagree with. I view the degree as a license to keep learning, and the school of practical experience has taught me more than any masters program would have. That being said, I took five years to obtain my degree, but added a minor and tooks several advanced classes in specialty areas that pertained to my desired career path. I wouldn't balk at making the entry level start as a five year degree.

 

[HerrStig]

People with FCC First Class radio telephone licenses were often called "Broadcast Engineers". Most stations are so automated now the "First Phone" guys are no longer needed. IN the UK you're an engineer if you fix stuff.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
People with FCC First Class radio telephone licenses were often called "Broadcast Engineers". Most stations are so automated now the "First Phone" guys are no longer needed. IN the UK you're an engineer if you fix stuff.


I'm getting out of broadcasting and truer words were never spoken. The newest "Chief Engineer" who I soon will no longer have to tolerate surprises me every time he fogs a window.

"A wizard did it" is our excuse for transmitter tuning, and it's been rock solid ever since. Our DTV transmitters have solid-state final amps, unlike the humongous vacuum tube Klystrons from the NTSC days which were, let's say, "crabby".