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:- Aerospace Engineering
- Agricultural Engineering
- Automotive Engineering
- Biological Engineering — including Biochemical, Biomedical, Biosystems and Biomolecular
- Chemical Engineering — deals with the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms
- Clean Technology — use energy, water and raw materials and other inputs more efficiently and productively. Create less waste or toxicity and deliver equal or superior performance.
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science and Engineering
- Civil Engineering — a wide-ranging field, including building engineering, civil engineering, construction engineering, industrial, manufacturing, mechanical, materials and control engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering/Electronic Engineering — very diverse field, including Computer Engineering, Communication/Communication systems engineering, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Microelectronic Engineering, Microelectronics, Nanotechnology, Mechatronics, Software Engineering, Systems, Wireless and Telecommunications, Photovoltaic and Power Engineering
- Electrical Controls Engineering — a relatively new and more specialized subdiscipline of Electrical Engineering that focuses on integrating Electrical Controls and their programming.
- Engineering Management — the application of engineering principles to the planning and operational management of industrial and manufacturing operations
- Environmental Engineering — includes fields such as Environmental, Geological, Geomatic, Mining, Marine and Ocean engineering
- Fire Protection Engineering — the application of science and engineering principles to protect people and their environments from the destructive effects of fire and smoke.
- Geological Engineering — a hybrid discipline that comprises elements of civil engineering, mining engineering, petroleum engineering and earth sciences.
- Geomatics Engineering — acquisition, modeling analysis and management of spatial data. Focuses on satellite positioning, remote sensing, land surveying, wireless location and Geographic Information Systems.
- Geotechnical Engineering — a combination of civil and mining engineering and involves the analysis of earth materials.
- Information Engineering — same as Information Technology.
- Industrial Engineering — studies facilities planning, plant layout, work measurement, job design, methods engineering, human factors, manufacturing processes, operations management, statistical quality control, systems, psychology and basic operations management
- Instrumentation Engineering — a branch of engineering dealing with measurement
- Integrated Engineering — a multi-disciplinary, design-project-based engineering degree program.
- Leather Engineering — an applied chemistry type based on leather and its application.
- Manufacturing Engineering: Includes methods engineering, manufacturing process planning, tool design, metrology, Robotics, Computer integrated manufacturing, operations management and manufacturing management
- Materials Engineering — includes metallurgy, polymer and ceramic engineering
- Marine Engineering — includes the engineering of boats, ships, oil rigs and any other marine vessel or structure, as well as oceanographic engineering. Specifically, marine engineering is the discipline of applying engineering sciences, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and computer science, to the development, design, operation and maintenance of watercraft propulsion and on-board systems and oceanographic technology. It includes but is not limited to power and propulsion plants, machinery, piping, automation and control systems for marine vehicles of any kind, such as surface ships and submarines.
- Mechanical Engineering — includes engineering of total systems where mechanical science principles apply to objects in motion including transportation, energy, buildings, aerospace and machine design. Explores the applications of the theoretical fields of Mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis, manufacturing and electricity
- Mechatronics Engineering - includes a combination of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, telecommunications engineering, control engineering and computer engineering
- Mining Engineering — deals with discovering, extracting, beneficiating, marketing and utilizing mineral deposits.
- Nuclear Engineering — customarily includes nuclear fission, nuclear fusion and related topics such as heat/thermodynamics transport, nuclear fuel or other related technology and the problems of nuclear proliferation. May also include radiation protection, particle detectors and medical physics.
- Petroleum Engineering — a field of engineering concerned with the activities related to exploration and production of hydrocarbons from the Earth's subsurface.
- Plastics Engineering — A vast field which includes plastic processing, mold designing...
- Production Engineering — term used in the UK and Europe similar to Industrial Engineering in N America - it includes engineering of machines, people, process and management. Explores the applications of the theoretical field of Mechanics.
- Textile Engineering — based on the conversion of three types of fiber into yarn, then fabric, then textiles
- Robotics and Automation Engineering — relates all engineering fields for implementing in robotics and automation
- Structural Engineering — analyze, design, plan and research structural components, systems and loads, in order to achieve design goals including high risk structures ensuring the safety and comfort of users or occupants in a wide range of specialties.
- Software Engineering — systematic application of scientific and technological knowledge, methods and experience to the design, implementation, testing and documentation of software
- Systems Engineering — focuses on the analysis, design, development and organization of complex systems
International variations
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.