Chapter 3

Engineering Profession

I-Statistical Overview
• How many people study engineering?
• What are the most common majors?
• What kind of job market is there for
engineers?
• How much do engineers earn?
• How many women and minorities study
engineering?

2
 From Student to Professional: Step 1
(Timeline to Engineering Education)
Freshman E10, EE97, Mat.25, Calculus I
Sophomore,, ME 101, CE135 CompE
Junior, 135 HW, Reports, Midterms

BS in Engineering
Then What???
Finals, Projects,
Senior,

San Jose State University

Time (years) 3

From Student to Professional

FROM: TO:

4
 “What is a Profession”
1. Requires specialized and highly skilled knowledge.
2. Requires academic training.
3. Is regulated by professional bodies.
4. Examination of competence
5. Function of professional work is vital to society.
6. Professionals enjoy high social status
7. Compensation is higher than other occupations
8. Professionals must perform under a standard of
professional behavior that requires adherence to the
highest principles of legal and ethical conduct2.

The Engineering Profession

Training, Qualifications, Advancements,Licensure
• BS is required for all entry level engineering. Jobs.

• Engineers trained in one field, may also work in a related field of

engineering:

Aero E ………………… ME
EE ………………… Comp.E
Chem E. ……………….. Materials E

All 50 states require licensure for engineers who offer their

services directly to the public.2

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 The Engineering Profession
Training, Qualifications, Advancements, Licensure (cont.)
• Engineer In Training (ET)2
• Engineering Fundamentals Exam
• Senior in, or Graduate of, an ABET accredited
program

• Professional Engineer (PE )2

• BS-ABET
• Have passed, or be waived of, the ET
• 4-Years Work experience
• Exam by NCEES
– Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)
– Principles and Practice of Engineering
7

II-College Enrollment Trends of

Engineering Students
• 1950s-1960s: 60,000-80,000 engineering
students
• 1970s marked the lowest number of
students, at 43,000
• Engineering peaked in 1980s, with around
118,000 students

8
• 1999-2000 was the hottest year for
engineering majors to find jobs
• As the number of engineering students
declines, employers must “fight” harder to
get whatever students they can get their
hands on to fill vacant positions. This has
led to a very promising job placement ratio

Salaries of Engineers
• On the whole, engineers make more money
than any other graduate with another degree
• Electrical, computer, and computer science
recently have led the way, with average salaries
from a Bachelor degree starting at around
$52,000
• A Ph.D. in computer science will earn a starting
average of around $84,000

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Diversity in the Profession
• For a long time, white males dominated
engineering
• Recently, women, foreign nationals, and
various minority students have entered
colleges and universities with an
engineering diploma in mind

11

Distribution of Engineers by
Field of Study
• Electrical engineering employs the highest
number of engineers, nearly 25%,
numbering close to 375,000
• Mechanical employs almost 250,000
• Civil is the next highest “populated”, with
200,000 workers

12
Words of Advice from Employers
• Looking for graduates who possess:
– Excellent communication skills
– Teamwork
– Leadership
– Computer/Technical proficiency
– Hard working attitude

13

III-Civil Engineering fields

1. Design products.
2. Design machinery to build those products.
3. Design plants in which those products are made.
4. Design the systems that ensure the quality and
efficiency of the manufacturing process.
5. Design, plan and supervise the construction of
buildings, highways, transit systems.
6. Develop and implement ways to extract, process and
use raw materials such as petroleum and natural gas.
7. Harness the power of the sun, and wind to satisfy the
nations power needs.

14
 What Engineering Work Have We Done?

• Training:

• Design:

• Build Parts:

• Assembly

• Test:

• Communication:

15

From Student to Professional: Step 2

(Timeline to Engineering Education)
Freshman E10, EE97, Mat.25, Calculus I
Sophomore,, ME 101, CE135 CompE
Junior, 135 HW, Reports, Midterms

Specialization
Finals, Projects,

Then What???
BS in Engineering
Senior,

San Jose State University

Time (years) 16
 .

CE

Construction Structural Transportation Geothermal Environmental

17

CE-CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

• Project Manager--Oversees the entire construction

project, organizes sub-contractors to meet the critical
path.
• Estimator--Formulates the expense of a project,
prepares the bid proposal, uses quality control to
reduce costs to the company to achieve the lowest bid
on a project.
• Scheduler--Designs the critical path of project without
sacrificing quality or safety, works closely with the
Project Manager.
• Project Engineer--Designs the project to meet the
specifications set by the owner and government
regulations, renders pragmatic solutions to daily
problems during construction.

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 CE-PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING
City Manager--Oversees city engineers, works closely with
local, county, and state political units, manages the overall
upkeep of the city, responds to any natural or man-made
disaster with emergency management techniques.

• City Engineer--Specializes in Civil Engineering sub-

discipline to meet city needs such as water quality,
transportation, etc.

• Federal Employee--Works for organizations like the

Department of Transportation, Federal Emergency
Management Association, Turnpike Authority.

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CE-STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

• Designer--Formulates plans that meet criteria based

on quality, cost, and safety.
• Evaluator/Analyst--Explores safety concerns on an
existing structures, modifies structures to raise safety
levels or to expand existing capabilities.

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 CE-TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

• Planner--Works with the local, state, and federal

levels to
meet the requirements of the D.O.T.
• Consultant--Makes recommendations
concerning the
infrastructure, deals with transit related
problems.
• Operations Manager--Oversees traffic flows,
alters roadway systems to meet the cyclic flow of
traffic patterns.
• Highway Geometric Design--Designs roadway
systems.
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Aero

Flight Structure &

Aerodynamics Propulsion
Dynamics Materials

22
 .

CE

Construction Structural Transportation Geothermal Environmental

23

ME

Fluid Thermo- Mechanical

Mechatronics
Dynamics dynamics Design

24
 Mechatronics
Mechanical, Electronics, Control and
Computing systems.

25

.
EE

Communication
Power
Systems LSI Electronics
Generation

26
.

Chem. E

Polymers Food
Biochemical
Plastics Processing

27

Mat. E

Semiconductors Microelectronics Ceramics

28
 From Student to Professional
Step 3

BS/MS
Functional

Interviews
(1) (2)
Majors Specialization (Job)
Classification

(3)

29

Functional Classification-all majors

1. Research 8. Operations
2. Experimental 9. Sales/Marketing
3. Analytical 10. Customer (large systems)
4. Design 11. Management
5. Development 12. Consulting
6. Testing 13. Construction
7. Production

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 Engineering Functional Jobs-A
Title Function SKILLS/Knowledge
Research Solves new problems. Perceptiveness
Obtains new data.
E. Patience
Devises new methods of calculation
Self-Confidence
Gains new knowledge

Analytical Models physical problems using - Math, Physics, -

E. math to predict performance. Engineering Science,
Performs failure analysis Applications
Software

Development -Develops products, processes, or Ingenuity

E. systems Creativity
-Uses well-known principles and Astute Judgment
employs existing processes or
machines to perform a new function
-Concerned only with a prototype or
model
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Engineering Functional Jobs-B

Title Function SKILLS/Knowledge
Design E. -Converts concepts and information 1. Creativity
into detailed plans and specs from 2. Innovation
which the finished product can be 3. Fundamental knowledge
be Manufactured. of many disciplines
-Restricted by the state of the art 4. Understanding of
economics and people

Production 1. Devises a schedule to efficiently -Knowledge of design,

coordinate materials and personnel economics, and
E.
2. Orders raw materials at the psychology.
optimum times -Ability to visualize the
3. Sets up the assembly line overall operation of a
4. Handles and ships the finished project
product
-Knowledge of each step
of the production effort
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 Engineering Functional Jobs-C
Title Function SKILLS/Knowledge
Test E. Develops and conducts tests to -Knowledge of statistics,
verify that a new product meets product and process
design specs. specifications.
Products can be tested for -Measurement techniques.
structural integrity, performance,
and reliability . -Fundamental engineering
Testing is performed under all aspects of the design
expected environmental
conditions.

Operations -Selects sites for facilities- Industrial engineering,

or Plant E -Specifies the layout for all facets Economics and law
of the operation
-Selects the fixed equipment for
climate control, lighting, and
communication
-Responsible for maintenance and
modifications 33

From Student to Professional Engineer, Step 4

BS/MS
(1) (2) Functional Company
Majors Specialization (Job) Levels
Classification

(3) (4)

34
 Company Levels (Publicly owned)

. Corporate Management Management Engineering

Plant Mgt. Fellow*

COB
Board of Directors Functional Mgt.* Senior E.
Project Mgt. Project E.
CEO
CFO Line Mgt. or Lead E.
COO …… Advisory*
CTO Staff*
------------------------------- Sr. Associate E.*
V.P. of Marketing Engineer
V.P. of Engineering
or “Entry Level”
V.P. of MFG
V.P. of …………..
------------------------------
Director of ….
Director of ….
* Large Co.
35

What employers are looking in new

graduates?

• Fast learners

• Team players

•Unknown source

36
 Group A: Good Understanding of:
1. Engineering
1.
science fundamentals:
Engineering science fundamentals:
a. Physical andandlife
a. Physical lifescience.
science.
(understanding engineering).
3. Good communication skills:
b. Information technology.
a. Written
c. Math (including
b. Verbal statistics)
c. Graphic
d. Listening
2. The design andGroup
manufacturing
A: Good Understanding of: process
1. Engineering science fundamentals:
a. Physical and life science.
(understanding engineering).
b. Information technology.
c. Math (including statistics)
3. Good
2. The communication skills:
design and manufacturing process
(understanding engineering).
a.3. Written
Good communication skills:
a. Written
b. Verbal
b. Verbal
c. Graphic
c. Graphic
d. Listening

d. Listening
•Boeing co/ASEE PRISM 12/96
37

Group B: Basic understanding of:

1. The context in which engineering is practiced,
including:

- Economics/business practice
- History
- The environment
- Customer and social needs

2. A multidisciplinary systems perspective.

3. The importance of teamwork.

3. Ethical standards

38
 Group C

1. Curiosity and a lifelong desire to learn. (LLL)

2. An ability to think critically and creatively as

well as independently and cooperative.,

3. Flexibility – the ability and the self-confidence

to adopt

39

Bachelors of Science in Engineering:

The Key to Many Doors

Do Not Underestimate it 40
Entrusted by society to create a
sustainable world and enhance
the global quality of life, civil
engineers serve competently,
collaboratively, and ethically.

Civil Engineering in

EGINEERING 2025