It is apparent that many graduates of engineering programs are employed as “engineers” of one sort or another. What is not so apparent are the differences (and similarities) in various engineering degree programs and the nature of the jobs obtained by program graduates. Some reference to the history of these programs is required to fully appreciate the current programs.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the ‘space race’ and similar efforts to be technologically first internationally, caused engineering programs to center on creating graduates who were targeted at making new discoveries for the benefit of mankind and the progress of technology. As a consequence, the engineering programs became more and more conceptually (theoretically) based, or a shift toward engineering science. That is, they relied primarily on a mathematical basis to teach and to learn. After all, if the graduate is expecting to discover that which does not exist, he or she cannot very well work with it as a part of their education. The conceptual basis as the learning methodology continues today.

Graduates from Engineering and Engineering Technology programs often compete for the same jobs for the same pay at the same companies.  Additionally, graduates from Engineering and Engineering Technology programs are eligible for professional licensure.  Whereas graduates from Engineering programs will typically pursue jobs with more time behind a desk, graduates from Engineering Technology programs will typically pursue jobs that include time behind a desk, at the operations floor, and with customers.

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