A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an
academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying
engineering at an
accredited college or
university.
In the
UK, a Bachelor of Engineering 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, a degree from a Canadian university can be accredited by the
Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). Alternatively, it might be accredited directly by another professional engineering institution, such as the US-based
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...
(IEEE). The Bachelor of Engineering contributes to the route to
chartered engineer (UK), registered engineer or licensed
professional engineer and has been approved by representatives of the profession.
Most universities in the
United States and
Europe award bachelor's degrees in engineering through various names.
A less common and possibly the oldest variety of the degree in the English-speaking world, is ''Baccalaureus in Arte Ingeniaria'' (B.A.I.), a
Latin name meaning ''Bachelor in the Art of Engineering''. Here ''Baccalaureus in Arte Ingeniaria'' implies excellence in carrying out the 'art' or 'function' of an engineer. Some South African universities refer to their engineering degrees as B.Ing. (', in Afrikaans).
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 (Aero)'' or ''BEng (Elec)''. Common fields for the Bachelor of Engineering degree include the following fields:
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Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
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Agricultural Engineering
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Architectural Engineering
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Automotive Engineering
Automotive engineering, along with aerospace engineering and naval architecture, is a branch of vehicle engineering, incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software, and safety engineering as applied to the design, manufactu ...
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Biological Engineering
Biological engineering or
bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number o ...
— including
Biochemical
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology an ...
,
Biomedical
Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine) , Biosystems and
Biomolecular
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Chemical Engineering — deals with the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms
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Clean Technology
Clean technology, in short cleantech, is any process, product, or service that reduces negative environmental impacts through significant energy efficiency improvements, the sustainable use of resources, or environmental protection activities. Cle ...
— use energy, water and raw materials and other inputs more efficiently and productively. Create less waste or toxicity and deliver equal or superior performance.
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Computer Engineering
Computer engineering (CoE or CpE) is a branch of electrical engineering and computer science that integrates several fields of computer science and electronic engineering required to develop computer hardware and software. Computer engineers ...
*
Computer Science and Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) is an academic program at many universities which comprises scientific and engineering aspects of computing. CSE is also a term often used in Europe to translate the name of engineering informatics academic ...
*
Civil Engineering — a wide-ranging field, including
building engineering
Architectural engineers apply and theoretical knowledge to the engineering design of buildings and building systems. The goal is to engineer high performance buildings that are sustainable, economically viable and ensure the safety health.
Archi ...
, civil engineering, construction engineering, industrial,
manufacturing, mechanical, materials and control engineering
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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
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
, Mechatronics, Software Engineering, Systems,
Wireless and
Telecommunications,
Photovoltaic
Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...
and
Power Engineering
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Control Engineering — a relatively new and more specialized
subfield of Electrical Engineering that focuses on integrating Electrical Controls and their programming.
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Engineering Management — the application of engineering principles to the planning and operational management of industrial and manufacturing operations
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Environmental Engineering — includes fields such as Environmental, Geological, Geomatic, Mining, Marine and
Ocean Engineering
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Fire Protection Engineering — the application of science and engineering principles to protect people and their environments from the destructive effects of fire and smoke.
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Geological Engineering — a hybrid discipline that comprises elements of civil engineering, mining engineering, petroleum engineering and
earth sciences.
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Geomatics Engineering
Geomatics is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as the "discipline concerned with the collection, distribution, storage, analysis, processing, presentation of geographic data or geographic information". Under another definition, it ...
— acquisition, modeling analysis and management of spatial data. Focuses on satellite positioning, remote sensing, land surveying, wireless location and
Geographic Information Systems
A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with software tools for managing, analyzing, and visualizing those data. In a br ...
(GIS).
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Geotechnical Engineering
Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. It uses the principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics for the solution of its respective engineering problems. It als ...
— a combination of civil and mining engineering and involves the analysis of
earth materials.
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Information Engineering — same as Information Technology.
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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
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Instrumentation Engineering — a branch of engineering dealing with measurement
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Integrated Engineering — a multi-disciplinary, design-project-based engineering degree program.
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Leather Engineering — an applied chemistry type based on leather and its application.
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Manufacturing Engineering: Includes methods engineering, manufacturing process planning, tool design, metrology, Robotics,
Computer integrated manufacturing,
operations management and
manufacturing management
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Materials Engineering — includes metallurgy,
polymer and
ceramic engineering
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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
A machine is a physical system using power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecule ...
,
piping,
automation and
control systems for marine vehicles of any kind, such as surface ships and submarines.
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Mechanical Engineering — includes engineering of total systems where mechanical science principles apply to objects in motion including
transportation,
energy,
buildings
A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and funct ...
,
aerospace and
machine design. Explores the applications of the theoretical fields of
Mechanics,
kinematics
Kinematics is a subfield of physics, developed in classical mechanics, that describes the Motion (physics), motion of points, Physical object, bodies (objects), and systems of bodies (groups of objects) without considering the forces that cause ...
,
thermodynamics, materials science,
structural analysis
Structural analysis is a branch of Solid Mechanics which uses simplified models for solids like bars, beams and shells for engineering decision making. Its main objective is to determine the effect of loads on the physical structures and thei ...
, manufacturing and
electricity
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Mechatronics Engineering - includes a combination of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, telecommunications engineering, control engineering and computer engineering
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Mining Engineering — deals with discovering, extracting, beneficiating, marketing and utilizing mineral deposits.
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Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of breaking down atomic nuclei ( fission) or of combining atomic nuclei (fusion), or with the application of other sub-atomic processes based on the principles of n ...
— customarily includes
nuclear fission
Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei. The fission process often produces gamma photons, and releases a very large amount of energy even by the energetic standards of radio ...
,
nuclear fusion and related topics such as heat/thermodynamics transport, nuclear fuel or other related technology (''e.g.'', radioactive waste disposal) and the problems of nuclear proliferation. May also include
radiation protection,
particle detectors and
medical physics.
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Petroleum Engineering — a field of engineering concerned with the activities related to
exploration and production of
hydrocarbons from the Earth's subsurface.
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Plastics Engineering — A vast field which includes plastic processing, mold designing...
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Process Engineering — the understanding and application of the fundamental principles and laws of nature that allow humans to transform raw material and energy into products that are useful to society, at an industrial level.
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Production Engineering — a term used in the UK and Europe similar to Industrial Engineering in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. It includes the engineering of machines, people, processes and management. Explores the applications of the theoretical field of Mechanics.
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Textile Engineering — based on the conversion of three types of
fiber into
yarn, then
fabric, then
textiles
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
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Robotics and
Automation Engineering — relates all engineering fields for implementation in robotics and automation
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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.
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Software Engineering — systematic application of scientific and technological knowledge, methods and experience to the design, implementation, testing and documentation of software
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Systems Engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their enterprise life cycle, life cycles. At its core, systems engineering util ...
— focuses on the analysis, design, development and organization of complex systems
International variations
Australia
In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, the ''Bachelor of Engineering'' (BE or BEng - depending on the institution) is a four-year undergraduate degree course and a professional qualification.
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 (CPEng), national registration (NER) and various state registration (RPEQ) programs which are usually obtained after a few years of professional practice.
Canada
In
Canada, degrees awarded for undergraduate engineering studies include the ''Bachelor of Engineering'' (B.Eng. or B.E., depending on the institution); the ' (B.Ing., the French equivalent of a B.Eng.; sometimes referred to as a ); the ''Bachelor of Applied Science'' (B.A.Sc.); and the ''Bachelor of Science in Engineering'' (B.Sc.Eng.).
The
Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), 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 (the name of which varies from province to province), 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.
See also
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Bachelor's degree
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Bachelor of Technology
A Bachelor of Technology (Latin ''Baccalaureus Technologiae'', commonly abbreviated as B.Tech. or BTech; with honours as B.Tech. (Hons.)) is an undergraduate academic degree conferred after the completion of a three to five-year program of studi ...
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Bachelor of Applied Technology
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Bachelor of Science
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Bachelor of Applied Science
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Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
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Engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering which is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, North Africa and a few institutions in the United States. The degree may require a thesis but always requires a non-a ...
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Master's degree
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Master of Engineering
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Master of Science in Engineering
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Master of Science
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Master of Applied Science
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Master of Science in Information Technology
A Master of Science in Information Technology (abbreviated M.Sc.IT, MScIT or MSIT) is a master's degree in the field of information technology awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. The MSIT degree is de ...
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Institute of Technology
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Vocational university
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Polytechnic (Greece)
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Polytechnic (Portugal)
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Polytechnic (United Kingdom)
A polytechnic was a tertiary education teaching institution in England, Wales () and Northern Ireland offering higher diplomas, undergraduate degree and post graduate education (masters and PhDs) that was governed and administered at the national l ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachelor Of Engineering
Engineering, Bachelor of
Engineering education