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Overview of a Bachelor’s in Engineering
A college of engineering and many universities offer a wide variety of undergraduate and master’s degrees in engineering. Focusing on the bachelor’s degrees, you’ll find that you have many choices on which to focus your engineering education. This includes chemical and bio molecular engineering, mechanical, aerospace, computer, civil, environmental, and electrical engineering.
Wherever your interests happen to lie, you’ll be able to find a field that will keep you striving to know more. As you consider each engineering field, you’ll also find that the various concentrations have different degree requirements you’ll have to satisfy before you graduate. If you think you’re interested in earning a degree in engineering, but you aren’t sure where to start, you’re in the right place.
PROS
While you will need to study hard to succeed in this field, you will be taking steps toward satisfying a goal. With a bachelor’s in engineering, you will be creating many possible doors for your future. You’ll have the choice, if you go on to earn a master’s degree, to choose one of many concentrations, allowing you to specialize or branch out, all depending on where you’re interested in heading.
If you have chosen a university that allows you to tailor your degree program, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about a second field, such as teaching or entrepreneurship.
A bachelor’s degree is usually the entry-level degree for this field, meaning you should be able to find a position much more easily than you would with just an associate degree.
Engineering is a specialized career, with a lot of technical know-how behind it. Because of this, compensation for workers in these fields is decent, meaning you could be making plenty of money with a regular 4-5 year degree.
CONS
The highest goal you may have set was to earn your bachelor’s degree in engineering. But, after you began to work in this field, you may begin to become aware of some limitations to only having a bachelor’s. There are some real differences between a bachelor’s in engineering and a master’s in engineering. And it may turn out you need the second one more than you originally thought you would.
If you want to transition into a different engineering field, you may need to earn another complete degree, whether that’s a master’s in that discipline or even a bachelor’s.
You’ll likely need to earn certification as you move forward in your career. The PE or professional engineering license is practically expected for anyone who actually wants to work as an engineer. After several years in your career, you’ll know if you want to move into a leadership position. Without a master’s degree in engineering, that will be difficult.
Certificate Vs. Bachelor’s
Should you go for a degree in engineering, or certificates? Both will give you access to a good job. If you can’t afford a full, four-year degree, then a certificate may help you to find a position as an engineer. However, most certificates are relatively high level, meaning you might need to have a bachelor’s before you can earn them. And some of them exist to help someone move into engineering, or a specific field of engineering, from a different field.
In a certificate program, you’ll realize that the courses don’t have a broad focus. Instead, they focus those skills you need for a particular engineering discipline, meaning to help you get into a position in that field specifically rather than teach you all about the technical aspects of engineering in general.
What Engineering Bachelor’s Degrees are Available?
In general, you usually expect to find either a bachelor of science (BS) or a bachelor of arts (BA) degree available from colleges and universities. However, because engineering is a technically complicated discipline, you’ll likely only find BS degrees available for engineering majors.
Below is a list of some of the engineering degrees available across the country:
• Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Environmental Earth Sciences
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Energy Engineering
Admission Requirements to Enter a Program
At many universities, admission requirements are higher for college of engineering students than they are for general admissions criteria used for other students. In some universities, incoming freshmen must be within the top 25% of their graduating class. Their SAT scores should be 1270/630 or scores for their ACT composite and English should be 26 and 24. If their class rank falls between 25% and 50%, SAT and ACT scores may be expected to be higher.
In high school, applicants should have completed social studies, English, physics, chemistry, and some form of higher level math: algebra, geometry, elementary analysis, or analytical geometry. Mechanical engineering majors are also required to have completed a course in mechanical drafting/drawing in tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grades.
Other than these differences, freshmen looking to enter an engineering program will have to provide the same information as everyone else.
Admission requirements may include most or all of the following:
• Transcripts:
These include transcripts from your high school and any community college transcripts you may have
• ACT/SAT scores:
Each school will decide on minimum scores
• Letters of recommendation:
Colleges often require 1-3 of these, especially if you plan to enter a particularly difficult field of study
• Statement of Purpose:
More exclusive colleges, with lower rates of acceptance, sometimes ask for these in order to help them make the decision on who they will admit and who they will not.
How Long Does It Take to Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering?
Normally, a bachelor’s degree can be completed in approximately four years. However, a bachelor’s degree in engineering may take you longer to complete, depending on a variety of factors. Many engineering students take longer than the usual four-year period to finish their degrees.
If you want to finish as quickly as possible, you might consider taking 12 credits per semester and six in the summer. Following this schedule, you’ll complete 30 credits each academic year, which will allow you to finish your degree in four years. Most bachelor’s degrees are around 120 credits, but engineering degrees can be 130-150 depending on what kind of engineering you’re going for.
Engineering Associate’s Degree
There are many community colleges that can prepare you for a brilliant career in engineering. Some of these two-year programs are designed to provide a bridge to a state university's school of engineering. As such, these programs often offer a prescribed, term-by-term, course of study to groom you for success. With that said, many students complete their associate's degree in engineering and then embark on lifelong careers in the field.
One chief advantage of starting out at a community college is that you can make up for any academic shortcomings you might have. In high school, you might not have realized that you wanted to pursue engineering so didn't take the higher math or science courses. A community college can help you get back up to speed for an engineering career.
AS YOU WORK TOWARDS YOUR ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE, YOU MIGHT TAKE SOME OF THE FOLLOWING COURSES:
• Electrical Fundamentals, I
• Co-Op Education: Engineering
• Calculus, I & II
Engineering Bachelor’s Degree
When you graduate with an undergraduate degree, you will be prepared to launch a brilliant career. You can start working on becoming state licensed and think about attending graduate school. Your license and graduate school aspirations will depend on how well your undergrad school was accredited. That is, it must be ABET-accredited to qualify you for licensure and likely for most graduate schools. However, if you wish to steer in a new direction, an MBA program likely won't need ABET credentials and can set you up for management positions with a focus on engineering projects and companies.
Another benefit of a bachelor's degree is that you can focus on the specific area that intrigues you. You could major in civil, aerospace, mechanical, or industrial engineering for instance. You will need a total of +-120 hours to complete your bachelor's degree. Along the way you might take courses that include, but are not limited to:
HERE ARE A FEW SAMPLE COURSES:
• Solid Mechanics Design
• Viscous Flow and Heat Transfer
• Fundamentals of Photovoltaics
• Mechanobiology
• Concrete Materials
• Urban Hydrology
Engineering Graduate's Degree
These days, a graduate degree is more and more important. That imperative extends to Engineering. When you arrive at the decision to add a graduate degree to your growing list of credentials and achievements, you may need to decide whether to take a more academic or professional track. That is, there are graduate programs that focus on thesis work, teaching, and a life in academia or research. Other programs focus on professional life, including technological innovation, corporate environments, and management.
When you decide on graduate school, you'll probably wish to enhance the knowledge and skills you have developed in your chosen field, such as mechanical engineering. However, you could decide to apply your engineering skills to the world of business and add an MBA to your resume. Many financial wizards started off with engineering degrees. Nonetheless, if you dive into an MS in an engineering field, you can focus on one of the following areas:
HERE ARE A FEW SAMPLE COURSES:
• Aerospace Engineering
• Bioengineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Energy Systems
• Railway Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Fields of Study
Aerospace Engineering: With a degree in Aerospace Engineering, you can truly go where no one has gone before. Even if you spend your time working on airplanes and terrestrial-bound flying machines, you will be at the forefront of transportation technology. Some Aerospace Engineers are even starting to design prototypes for civilian aircraft that may someday replace automobiles. Courses include:
• Mechanics of Aerospace Structures
• Aerospace Dynamical Structures
• Aerospace Decision Algorithms
Bioengineering: We don't often think of ourselves as systems or subject to engineering, but Bioengineers certainly do. As you study this field, you will need an extensive knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics to create things like prosthetics, medical devices, and even pharmaceuticals, among other exciting projects. Courses include:
• Conservation Principles
• Modeling Human Physiology
• Circuits and Systems
Computer Engineering: We take computing for granted, but we are just starting to understand what is possible with this powerful technology. Where most computing programs tend to focus either on hardware or software, as a computer engineer, you will be steeped in both. You will have a full working knowledge of circuit boards as well as the software that inhabits them. Sample courses include:
• Programming
• Computer Systems Engineering
• Computer Security
• Distributed Systems
Engineering Physics: Since physics tackles questions related to time, space, matter, and energy, this field of study might be the very backbone of Engineering. Graduates with this degree are found in diverse fields such as: nuclear medicine, astronomy, solar energy, coastal science, and laser science, among others. As you progress in this field, you might take courses such as:
• Electricity and Magnetism
• Thermal Physics
• Mechanics and Relativity
• Quantum Physics
Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering: We were brought into the nuclear age by engineers in the NPRE field. Nuclear and radiological engineers help in solving problems or advancing industries and civilizations; for instance, those in this field help design nuclear power plants, work on energy policy issues, and create nuclear propulsion plants for the U.S. Navy. A few courses you might take include:
• Modeling Nuclear Energy Systems
• Neutron Diffusion Transport
• Radiation Protection
• NPRE Design
Earning Potential and Career Salaries for Engineering Major Graduates
When you embark on an engineering career, you will find a wide range of paths to choose from. Each will offer its own struggles and rewards for a professional. Note that you can practice in any of these areas with as little as an associate's degree, or as much as a masters. With an associate's degree, your salary and responsibilities are likely to be in the bottom tier for your profession. However, with each greater degree, your earnings grow considerably. For instance, with a bachelor's degree, you can achieve a state license and then start your own engineering firm or stay at your firm as the lead engineer on larger projects.
• Civil Engineer:
In this career, you can become involved in a wide range of projects; you could build bridges, dams, or stadiums. Civil engineers are involved in a wide range of projects that impact people's lives in ways they might not realize. For instance, some build huge tunnels that ensure that cities don't flood in the event of major rainstorms. When you do your job right, nobody will ever know.
• CAD Technician:
CAD Technicians are vital to the functioning of any engineering or architectural firm. They rely on instructions from engineers to realize their designs and plans for a project. A CAD Technician needs only an associate's degree, but they can have long and fruitful careers as they grow and develop. In fact, you could possibly start your own business and contract with smaller engineering firms who cannot afford full-time design assistance.
• Marine Engineer:
If it goes in the water, there's a good chance that a marine engineer has helped design it. Highly skilled marine engineers work to create large ships, yachts, and oil rigs. Not only are they experts at creating devilishly creative structures, but they have designed them to withstand the punishment of the ocean. This is like designing a building to withstand daily earthquakes for fifty years. Your knowledge of structures, materials, and mechanics will all play a role in this demanding field.
• Water Resources Engineer:
Water is fundamental to life. Thus, it's fundamental to how buildings, neighborhoods, and whole cities operate. Consider that Los Angeles would not be the city it is today had there not been a team of genius Water Resource Engineers ready to shift water down to the burgeoning metropolis. You could also work on water storage and purification or discovering innovative ways to source clean water.
• Railroad Engineer:
As populations grow, there is an increased need for trains of all sorts. We need trains to transport goods across the country, but cities also need rail systems to ease traffic woes. Your engineering skills will be put to great use creating intra-city and regional rail transportation that is speedy, safe, and runs on time.
• Electrical Engineer:
Electricity is everywhere. Therefore, Electrical Engineers are always in demand. You can work with high-voltage systems in the power grid, creating alternative solutions to our energy needs, or designing and maintaining cellphone systems.
• Construction Management:
Engineers work on individual systems within a wider whole. Construction Managers make sure all the engineers, tradesmen, architects, etc. can work together and pull off a project within the budget and on time. Some trained engineers work in construction management, as they are highly skilled at ensuring that complex systems work smoothly.
• Aerospace Engineer:
An airplane is a fine-tuned system that relies on aerospace experts to ensure that it flies properly and that it has all the subsystems necessary to keep pilots informed of internal and external conditions. There is talk these days of flying cars and so the demand for this specialty could be about to explode. What Henry Ford did for the internal combustion engine and inefficient automobiles, you can do for personal aircraft.
• Mechanical Engineer:
If it has a motor, it needs a Mechanical Engineer. With a vocational degree, you can work on engines and keep them running. With a bachelor's degree, you can start designing complex mechanical systems that provide the propulsion behind automobiles, airplanes, and trains, among many other things. Other Mechanical Engineers work with HVAC systems, healthcare equipment, or even mechanized toys.
They work in production, wellness treatment, financial institutions, getting in touch with solutions, power, farming and also environmental study, education and knowing as well as government to name just a couple of locations. Not to discuss, a bachelor level in design supplies a foundation for graduate-level engineering study, along with degrees in legislation, medication as well as also business. A Bachelor's degree in Layout is the traditional layout level that prepares students for task as professional designers as well as computer system scientists.
They can likewise anticipate conference basic education and learning and also discovering needs in the social scientific researches or humanities. Bachelor of Engineering Modern modern technology programs are based upon sound frameworks in used scientific researches as well as also math's. The regular curriculum highlights conventional concepts, applications as well as likewise comprehensive lab experience. With a WAGER, grads can take place to jobs in sensible format as well as likewise production work, rather than jobs that involve even more academic aspects of the occupation.
In specific, operating grown-ups wanting to make their level or construct on existing capabilities have the advantage of taking training programs to match their routine. As well as students who discover the perfect program throughout the country can take those training programs from the ease of their own homes, without requiring to transfer. Trainees curious regarding online education and learning will definitely discover a selection of bachelor in engineering programs to match their requirements.
Different establishments might supply training entirely on-line, while others could require a mix of online in addition to on-campus commitments. Of training program, obtaining useful experience throughout on the internet training, with teaching fellowships or different other job experience, offers well to career opportunities after college graduation.
Designers address troubles by establishing inventive remedies that assist improve items, facilities, as well as additionally innovation. Running in various fields, designers make use of the experience obtained during a bachelor's degree in engineering degree in the expert labor force. Mechanical designers create new products and also products, civil designers style roads as well as bridges, and computer system developers design computer systems.
With a vast array of task courses after graduation, acquiring an engineering degree prepares grads for lucrative, popular tasks. The most effective engineering degrees include hands on, experiential understanding at the undergraduate degree. Style majors on top programs take part in research study projects, gain task experience using co-ops as well as also teaching fellowships, and establish around the world competencies with study abroad experiences.
More than twenty-five substantial specialized are acknowledged in the locations of engineering as well as engineering technology. Due to the truth that study is such a vital part of engineering, as well as also because establishments with graduate programs frequently have a tendency to have more research study centers, labs, and additionally institutes, we've restricted our leading 50 listing to those colleges that also have graduate programs.
Again and again, design majors obtain the highest possible paying tasks. Obviously, private design earnings differ relying on the degree of education, focus of job, as well as the area of the world, nevertheless the average earnings cover the graphs. It is well worth the time along with effort ahead to be a designer.
With the availability of more programs on the Internet, it is now possible to earn a Bachelor Degree in Quality Engineering online. This can be done as an undergraduate or post-graduate degree. But in any case, a Bachelor Degree in Quality Engineering can open up many career opportunities for graduates with a flair for engineering.
You can study any program offered by any university of your choice. Some programs are specifically designed for engineering professionals while others offer general education programs to everyone who wishes to pursue a degree in Engineering. Some Bachelor Degree programs provide a curriculum that can be completed in four years while others offer a program that can be completed in two years.
In general, students pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Engineering must first take General Education courses in mathematics, chemistry, and English. These classes help prepare students for a career in areas such as math and physics and for an Engineering career.
An Associate's degree in Engineering is another way to earn a Bachelor's degree. For most of the classes taken in this Bachelor Degree program, you must have at least a high school diploma. If you have already attended an institution that offers these courses, you may complete them without having to re-take them. The classes in this program include General Education requirements, engineering courses, and lab work.
A Bachelor of Science in Engineering is a major-specific program, which means that you have to have at least a high school diploma in order to enroll in this program. Most courses taken in this Bachelor Degree program include courses in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering.
An associate degree in Engineering gives the student the ability to enter the Engineering industry and advance from there. These degrees are usually awarded to people who have worked in the field of Engineering for a period of time. Most associate degrees are awarded in four years.
As you can see, you can earn a Bachelor of Science in Engineering or an associate degree program in Engineering with or without prior work experience. It all depends on what coursework is required to advance in your chosen field.
In most cases, the online Bachelor Degree programs in Engineering are less expensive than the on campus programs. Online programs have become extremely popular due to their convenience.
There are a variety of different types of programs in Engineering degree programs. Many of the programs offer students flexibility in regards to their choice of courses. The types of courses that students choose will depend on their needs, interests, and career goals.
Students who are interested in earning a Bachelor of Science in Engineering but don't have a lot of time to attend an institution can enroll in an online degree program that can be completed in the comfort of their own home. The program will be less expensive for many students because they don't have to commute to and from an on site college. There are some schools that also offer evening, weekend, and online courses.
There are also a variety of other options available to students who are interested in earning a Bachelor's degree program in Engineering. These students can enroll in programs that focus on one particular area of the field.
For example, students who are interested in Medical Engineering might choose to enroll in a Masters degree program. There are different concentrations available to students including Nanotechnology, Medical Nanotechnology, Computer and Information Science, Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Electronics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering, and Software Engineering. With the Master's Degree, students gain the ability to focus their studies on only a few fields of engineering.
Students who wish to become an engineer in a specific field of engineering can find an online program that can help them do so. The programs offered will allow them to specialize and focus their studies on that field of engineering.
Engineering Scholarships
• Eugene C. Figg, Jr. Civil Engineering Scholarship
Amount: Varies
Deadline: February 10
This scholarship is exclusively for undergraduate juniors and senior studying civil engineering in an ABET-accredited institution. You must be a U.S. citizen, a student member of the ASCE in good standing, and have a passion for bridges. The award amount varies from year to year, depending on the endowment's current income. When you win, the endowment will add the award to your student account, to be credited to your tuition.
• Admiral Grace Murray Hopper Scholarship
Amount: $1,700
Deadline: May 1 (Freshman), February 15 (Sophomores-Graduate)
This $1,700 scholarship is awarded to three women per year. You must be in an ABET-accredited engineering program, a woman, and have significant academic accomplishments to show. Further, this particular scholarship tends to favor those studying computer engineering or a related field.
• American Transmission Co. Scholarship
Amount: $2,250
Deadline: June 30
This scholarship is awarded to second-year through senior undergraduate women who are studying engineering. You must be an outstanding scholar with a cumulative GPA between 3.0 and 4.0 and have a home and school address in one of the following midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin.
• UPS Scholarship for Minority Students
Amount: Up to $4,000
Deadline: November 15
UPS sponsors this scholarship program through IISE, the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers and is available to any minority student in North America. That includes the entire United States and all of its territories, Canada, and Mexico. Students must be enrolled in an accredited, undergraduate degree program majoring in industrial engineering.
• UPS Scholarship for Female Students
Amount: $4,000
Deadline: November 15
If you are a woman enrolled in an ABET (or other agency) accredited industrial engineering degree program, this scholarship is well worth applying for. Through the IISE, UPS awards $4,000 to a single industrial engineering student annually. You needn't be a member of IISE nor attending any specific school. The chief qualifying quality of your education is that it be accredited by an agency recognized by the IISE.