and strength of materials, with most of these classes coming during the first two years. More specific specialization will more often come in the final two years of study. Once the other science, humanities, and communication courses that are required for accreditation are included, the list of required courses is shown to be quite extensive.
The Engineering Technology Accreditation Committee (ETAC) and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) have very specific requirements for accreditation of school programs, both in technical content and humanities content. In general, one-third of the total required hours must be in the technical specialization, but no more than two-thirds, with the remaining hours reserved for the science, humanities, and communication course requirements. ETAC and ABET provide accreditation reviews for school programs in engineering and engineering technology, both in the United States and other countries; they are the most prominent bodies in the United States.
At many schools you have the option to take either an engineering degree program or an engineering technology degree program. In most cases, the engineering degree will have greater emphasis on mathematics and design courses whereas the engineering technology will have greater emphasis on labs and general technical studies. Although both degrees are in engineering, the first would be more inclined to work in design or research whereas the latter would more often focus on field support, manufacturing, and product testing. As noted earlier, the list of “engineering degrees” is quite large, ranging from microbiology, to computers, to mechanical, civil, electrical, aeronautical, ... and so on. A partial list of degree programs that are reviewed for accreditation by ABET are listed in Appendix I.
In the following pages, some of the more typical engineering career fields will be examined, and some of the choices offered will be discussed. Regardless of the technical path, the ability to write and speak clearly and understandably by various levels of others is essential. It is interesting to note that the fundamental degree obtained may not map directly into the career path taken. Figure 2.1 illustrates a typical engineering program where fundamental building blocks are offered in the first two years and are, in general, common across engineering degrees. Once the fundamental building blocks are in place, students will begin to specialize in the programs specific to the degree chosen and their interests. It is also interesting to note that after graduation the mechanical engineer may find career opportunities in development, manufacturing, construction, or any number of fields. The same holds true for many engineering programs of study.
When one hears that someone is an electrical engineer, the first thought may be that the person is involved in computer design, i.e., a digital design engineer. Just as easily, the thought may encompass the work of a power engineer, or radio frequency engineer, and the list goes on across many different fields — all associated with electrical engineering. These areas just scratch the surface of what an electrical engineer may be trained to do. Although the computer industry does use a large number of electrical engineers, not all are involved in digital design. Many will be involved in power supply design, analog equipment design, and peripheral equipment design (such as disks, memories, tape units, and printers). Some may also be found in the design of wide area network equipment, converters, modems, and other associated equipment.
Beyond the computer industry, electrical engineers may be found in the communications industry, designing and testing line amplifiers, transmitters, receivers, modems, and wide area network components. (Note the crossover in engineering applications from the computer industry into communications.) In addition, communication industry electrical engineers may specialize in radio frequency technology such as antenna design, radio and radar applications, or even satellite communications.
Another area that employs many electrical engineers is the power industry. Here, the emphasis is on the generation and distribution of electrical power— power used by industry and the private sectors. In this case, the engineers are trained in AC power generation and distribution, and frequently have more training in the design and use of electric motors and generators. One industry that uses motor designers is the petroleum industry, where motors are designed as submersible units to provide the power needed to lift the crude oil from the well to the surface. Of course, submersible motors are not the only motors used in the petroleum industry, nor are they the only application found in motors across many industries. As part of the power industry sector, the engineer may also have additional training in the development of solar cell technology and wind turbines.
The electrical engineer may also pick up programming experience along the way, experience used to support the mechanical engineer in the design of automated manufacturing tools. The programming may be on devices used to control machine automation, like a programmable logic controller (PLC), where the programming language may be a special application language like LabView® for control of the device, or it may be assembler language, BASIC, or C++ in the event a PC is used as the controlling device.
Controls Engineers, sometimes called Control Systems Engineers, are most frequently concerned with the cause and effect of a system. The system most frequently uses sensors coupled with feedback to cause changes in the system operation. The system can range from something as simple as the cruise control on an automobile, to a complex algorithm used to control automated manufacturing processes, or the operation of a robot articulator movement. In many cases, the Controls Engineer may combine studies from Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Engineering to understand the component interactions, the feedback mechanisms, and the programs needed to implement the controls.
Mechanical engineering is as diverse as electrical engineering and may be concerned with structural engineering, i.e., buildings, bridges, roads, where the concern is in loading and structural integrity. The relevant courses will be strength of materials and physics of forces acting on structures.
Mechanical engineers are also heavily involved in the petroleum industry, designing the pumps that provide the lift needed to bring the crude oil from the well to the surface. Not only do the pumps have to provide lift, the materials and surface treatments must be selected by the engineer to survive in a very hostile environment — heat, pressure, and corrosive liquids. For that, the mechanical engineer must be trained in the reaction of metals to corrosive liquids, a crossover into the chemical industry.
Factory automation depends heavily on the mechanical engineer, where the machines to build components, sub-assemblies, and final assembly are typically designed by the mechanical engineer (with help from the electrical engineer and programmer). The relevant classes typically found in the mechanical engineering curriculum will be computer-aided drawing, or CAD, offered in either two dimensional programs or the newer three dimensional modeling techniques such as SolidWorks®.
The power industry also relies heavily on the mechanical engineer, where transmission line towers must be designed to support the power lines in all types of weather and other adverse conditions, such as icing, high winds, and large temperature ranges. In addition, physical structures such as dams, spillways, and generator housings are all within the purview of the mechanical and civil engineer.
