Bachelor of Engineering


A Bachelor of Engineering is a first professional undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited university. In the UK, a B.Eng. degree will be accredited by one of the Engineering Council's professional engineering institutions as suitable for registration as an incorporated engineer or chartered engineer with further study to masters level. In Canada, the degree from a Canadian university can be accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Alternatively, it might be accredited directly by another professional engineering institution, such as the US-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The B.Eng. contributes to the route to chartered engineer, registered engineer or licensed professional engineer and has been approved by representatives of the profession.
A B.E. has a greater emphasis on math and science, to allow the engineers to move from one discipline to another. Multi-discipline is required in certain fields, like Marine Engineering. The marine engineer is required to know mechanical, chemical and electric engineering. If an engineer is strictly staying in a single discipline, he/she would probably be better served with a B.Sc. A typical B.Sc. is 128 credits. SUNY Maritime B.E. is 172 credits.
Most universities in the United States and Europe award the Bachelor of Science Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering or Bachelor of Applied Science degree to undergraduate students of engineering study. For example, Canada is the only country that awards the B.A.Sc. degree for graduating engineers. Other institutions award engineering degrees specific to the area of study, such as B.S.E.E. and BSME.
In French-speaking Canada, mainly Québec, the Bachelor of Engineering is referred to as B.Ing.
A less common and possibly the oldest variety of the degree in the English-speaking world, is Baccalaureus in Arte Ingeniaria, a Latin name meaning Bachelor in the Art of Engineering. Here Baccalaureus in Arte Ingeniaria implies an excellence in carrying out the 'art' or 'function' of an engineer. The degree is awarded by the University of Dublin and also by the constituent universities of the National University of Ireland, but in everyday speech it is more commonly referred to as Bachelor of Engineering and the N.U.I. graduates also use the post-nominals translated into English, B.E., even though the actual degree and its parchment is in Latin.
Some South African Universities refer to their engineering degrees as B.Ing..

Engineering fields

A Bachelor of Engineering degree will usually be undertaken in one field of engineering, which is sometimes noted in the degree postnominals, as in BE or BEng . Common fields for the Bachelor of Engineering degree include the following fields:

Australia

In Australia, the Bachelor of Engineering is a four-year undergraduate degree course and a professional qualification. It is also available as a six-year sandwich course or an eight-year part-time course through some universities. The Institution of Engineers, Australia accredits degree courses and graduates of accredited courses are eligible for membership of the Institution. Bachelor of Engineering graduates may commence work as a graduate professional engineer upon graduation, although some may elect to undertake further study such as a Master's or Doctoral degree.
The title of “engineer” is not protected in Australia, therefore anyone can claim to be an engineer and practice without the necessary competencies, understanding of standards, or in compliance with a code of ethics. The industry has attempted to overcome the lack of title protection through chartership, national registration and various state registration programs which are usually obtained after a few years of professional practice.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering B.Sc. is a four-year under-graduate university degree. Eligibility for entry is 12 years of school education under science background. Generally the first year is common to all branches and has the same subjects of study. Courses divert after first year. The medium of instruction and examination is English. Generally, universities in Bangladesh offer engineering degree in the following branches: Computer Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Industrial and Production Engineering, Information and Communication Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Textile Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Food engineering, Leather Engineering and Agricultural Engineering. The Ministry of Education, UGC and Government of Bangladesh are responsible for approving engineering colleges and branches/courses. Only those universities which have been approved by these bodies can award degrees which are legally valid and are accepted as qualifiers for jobs in the government and private sector.

Canada

In Canada, degrees awarded for undergraduate engineering studies include: the Bachelor of Engineering ; the Baccalauréat en génie ; the Bachelor of Applied Science ; and the Bachelor of Science in Engineering.
The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, a division of the Engineers Canada, sets out and maintains the standards of accreditation among Canadian undergraduate engineering programs. Graduates of those programs are deemed by the profession to have the required academic qualifications to be licensed as professional engineers in Canada. This practice is intended to maintain standards of education and allow mobility of engineers in different provinces of Canada.
A CEAB-accredited degree is the minimum academic requirement for registration as a professional engineer anywhere in the country and the standard against which all other engineering academic qualifications are measured. Graduation from an accredited program, which normally involves four years of study, is a required first step to becoming a Professional Engineer. Regulation and accreditation are accomplished through a self-governing body, which is given the power by statute to register and discipline engineers, as well as regulate the field of engineering in the individual provinces.
Graduates of non-CEAB-accredited programs must demonstrate that their education is at least equivalent to that of a graduate of a CEAB-accredited program.

Finland

In Finland, Universities of applied sciences grant professional bachelor's degrees. The degree does not traditionally prepare for further study, but due to the Bologna process, a completely new degree of ylempi insinööri has been introduced for engineers who wish to continue studying after some work experience. Before 2005, academic universities did not make an administrative distinction between studies on the Bachelor's and Master's level and the Master's level diplomi-insinööri was the first degree to be received. Due to the Bologna process an intermediate "Bachelor of Science in Engineering" has been introduced.

Germany and Austria

In German, the traditional engineer's degree is called Diplom-Ingenieur. This supersedes "Ing. ", the old form in Germany. This degree is generally equivalent to a Master's degree, which is not to be confused with the old Magister degree. Most programs that used to lead to a Dipl.-Ing. degree lead to master's degrees today, as the Diplom-Ingenieur as an academic title is phased out because of the Bologna Process. However, some universities continue to hand out so-called equivalence certificates that certify the equivalence of a Dipl.-Ing. with the newly introduced M.Sc. degrees. German technical universities award a Bachelor of Science in engineering rather than the B.Eng. degree.

India

In India, the Bachelor of Engineering is a professional undergraduate degree awarded after completion of four years of engineering study. Many Indian universities offer degree under the name of Bachelor of Technology instead of BE in engineering disciplines. Institute of national importance, like Indian Institute of Technology and National Institute of Technology also offer B.Tech but whichever name is used, the degree course follows the standard curriculum laid down by the University Grants Commission of India, All India Council for Technical Education and National Board of Accreditation. There is no difference in the program objectives and learning outcomes of BE and B.Tech. except nomenclature. Eligibility for entry is 12 years of school education. Generally the first year is common to all branches and has the same subjects of study. Courses divert after first year. The medium of instruction and examination is English. Generally, universities in India offer engineering degree in the following branches: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Instrumentation and Control Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Information Technology, Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Metallurgical Engineering, aeronautical engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Production Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Agricultural Engineering. The University Grants Commission of India, All India Council for Technical Education and National Board of Accreditation are responsible government authorities for approving engineering colleges and branches/courses. Only those universities which have been approved by these bodies can award degrees which are legally valid and are accepted as qualifiers for jobs in the central/state government and private sector.

Nepal

In Nepal, the Bachelor of Engineering is a four-year undergraduate course. The pre-requisite for this course is either Higher Secondary Level with Physics Major or Proficiency Certificate Level in Engineering or Science. Institute of Engineering under the umbrella of Tribhuvan University offers B.E. degree in several disciplines such as Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Geomatics Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Agricultural Engineering etc. Likewise other universities in Nepal such as Kathmandu University, Pokhara University and Purbanchal University, Mid Western University offers B.E. degree in most of aforementioned engineering disciplines. The normal duration for the completion of the course is 4 years. However, the maximum time to complete the course is 8 years from the time of registration or 4 years after the normal duration. Graduates of B.E. degrees can apply for the Engineer title or certification as registered engineer to a governing body called Nepal Engineering Council. After the scrutiny examination of the application/applicants, Nepal Engineering Council provides the Certificate of Registration as a General Engineer which is a must for practicing engineering profession in Nepal. For example: If a student called XYZ graduate with B.E. degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from one of the accredited universities, he/she is registered as a General Electronics and Communication Engineer with Er. title written in front of name as Er. XYZ

Netherlands

In Netherlands, the Bachelor of Engineering was also introduced as part of implementation of the Bologna Process, the same as in Germany. The degree is only offered by Dutch Hogeschool-institutions and is equivalent to the Dutch engineer's degree "ingenieur". A Dutch BEng involves a study of four years and is only awarded in the field of aeronautical engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering, industrial engineering or electrical engineering. Completion of a Dutch engineer's study in the field biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, material engineering is however awarded with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree. Dutch technical universities award a Bachelor of Science in engineering instead of the BEng degree.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of science in Engineering is a four years undergraduate professional university degree. The prerequisite for this program is a two years FSc pre-engineering or a three years Diploma of Associate Engineer in specific fields e.g. Chemical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering etc. Pakistan Engineering Council is the responsible government body for accreditation of undergraduate engineering degrees, registration of engineers and regulation of engineering profession in Pakistan. PEC is a full signatory of Washington Accord and International Professional Engineer Agreement.