# How is an engineering technology degree different than an engineering degree?

Recently I have been approached by individuals asking me what the difference between an engineering degree and an engineering technology degree is. This is a relatively common topic for me because I have both a traditional engineering degree and an engineering technology degree and am in an engineering graduate program. This article does not attempt to speculate on if technologists can work as engineers or vis-à-vis but rather on the current environment that a fresh college graduate will be entering.

DISCLAIMER: The world needs technicians just as much as it needs engineers. I’m not trying to promote one above the other but rather give an insight as to what my education and experience have shown me regarding the differences between the two. My goal is to help future college students decide on the major that is right for them without wasting time in the wrong field.
Fundamentally, an engineering technology degree is marketed toward individuals that wish to work in a hands-on role. Engineering technology degrees tend to require only a small amount of math while having a relatively large amount of lab work. For comparison, my nuclear engineering technology degree required two semesters of applied (business) calculus.
In contrast, engineering degrees tend to have almost as much math as a math major while using labs to reinforce the theory in the coursework. My BSEE program requires three semesters of calculus, two semesters of differential equations with linear algebra and advanced transform theory tacked on, a semester of calculus-based probability and statistics, and several suggested mathematics electives for our cross-discipline coursework. We just dropped our discrete math requirement by rolling the coursework into our electronics class. As you can see, there’s a lot more time spent on math.

College is only a few years. How does this impact the rest of your life? The only job where having a full engineering degree compared to an engineering technology degree will really matter is an actual engineering position. Most technician and operator-level jobs will allow either degree type. You might find that an engineering degree doesn’t really cover a lot of hands-on situations. Instead, you spend most of your time doing calculations in school.

What about grad school? Generally, graduate schools care more about the courses you took rather than the degree awarded, at least after you get accepted. Graduate programs will often require remedial courses prior to starting the program. For example, MBA programs often have pre-MBA coursework that is required. If you’re trying to get a basic technical background then go into something like maintenance management, a technology degree might be the best option for you. It will require much less math and let you focus on taking a heavier course load while getting more industry experience if you already have a job. You also can probably knock out any pre-MBA courses your graduate school requires.

Finally, let’s talk about professional registration since that topic always comes up. PE registration isn’t always required to work as an engineer but it is required in some cases.

To get licensed as a Professional Engineer, you have to meet certain requirements. The exact steps to achieve “PE” next to your name is outside of the scope of this post; however, I’ll try to give enough background for the remainder of this article to make sense. The basic sequence is to take the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering exam) in the senior year of college then take the PE (Professional Engineer exam) after 4 years of working as an engineer after collecting several letters of recommendation proving your experience was valid from other PEs.

Each state is a little bit different. Some states allow anyone to take the FE/PE exam while some states explicitly require a hard engineering degree with no waivers or exceptions. A slight majority of states (about 30) allow people with only an engineering technology (or physics) degree to become licensed as a PE through a path that, after further review, varies significantly from state to state.
My home state of South Carolina recently barred non-engineering degree holders from obtaining professional licensure so I suspect that’s the path the industry is trending towards. .

In my personal case, I couldn’t find any place that would hire a nuclear technologist to work as an engineer to get the necessary experience discussed above. Most places had a little line in the job description that said: “must be EIT eligible” which means that you have to have already taken and passed the FE. Naturally, this automatically disqualifies technologists and was my main motivating factor for going back to school. I did, however, find places that were interested in me for my skills as a technician. Having a degree wasn’t a requirement for those jobs but it did help make me a more attractive candidate.

Another consideration is license reciprocity. Any waivers granted are on a state-by-state basis. If you are a PE in Georgia, you are not automatically a PE in Florida. In fact, a technologist can never be licensed in Florida.
In closing, here’s a table put out by the National Society of Professional Engineers for the total years of experience required to take the PE. For the most up-to-date data, contact your local licensing authority.

 Status of PE Licensure Requirements for Engineering Technologists by State Jurisdiction Status (No= not allowed, #=years of engineering experience required) STATE ETAC ABET 4 Year Degree Alaska 5 Alabama NO Arkansas NO California 6 Colorado 6 Connecticut 7 Delaware 8 Florida 6 Georgia 6.5 Hawaii 8 Iowa NO Idaho 4 Illinois NO Indiana NO Kansas NO Kentucky NO Louisiana NO Massachusetts 8 Maryland 8 Maine 4 Michigan NO Minnesota NO Missouri NO Mississippi NO Montana 4 North Carolina 8 North Dakota 12 Nebraska NO New Hampshire 8 New Mexico 6 Nevada 6 New York 6 Ohio 8 Oklahoma 6 Oregon 6 Pennsylvania 4 Rhode Island NO South Carolina NO South Dakota 5 Tennesee NO Texas 8 Virginia 6 Vermont 8 Washington 5 Wisconsin 4 to 12 West Virginia 6 Wyoming NO TOTALS 4–12 Years 30 NO 17 Note – Arizona, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and Utah did not respond to the survey Note – This table is not definitive. The information is taken from a survey summary, and the specific requirements vary in clarity and requirement from state to state. Refer to state laws and rules for specific information.

Photo credit: Danny Myers, U.S. Air Force photo / Foter / Public domain
Table source.

## 9 Responses

1. Ihsan ullah at |

I think these two degrees are equaliy differance is that pure engineering to words research and engineering Technologist is developing and execution.

1. Marcus at |

In my experience Tech Engineering is a mediator between math based engineering and labor/management in the work field. If you love design and the foundation of building the you must take up a math based engineering degree. If you want to see and manage the process from start to finish with more of an emphasis how things can be done more efficient and effectively then technically inclined engineering is for you. Generally Tech Engineers make about $10-$15,0000 less as entry-level pay, but the gap closes with more experience. Also, some states allow Techies to obtain a P.E. like Industrial Technology Engineers with varying criteria for each state that provides this opportunity. Yes I’m advocating for Tech Engineering because it is needed in today’s industry with technology and processes changing so rapidly. Take at least up to Calculus II, Physics and Chemistry as electives with the intent of obtaining a minor with the above classes in the minor degree plan under IT Engineering and you will find that employers that can actually understand a transcript will come running to employ you. Trust me!

1. Jim at |

It’s engineering technology, not technology engineering.

2. Jim at |

The NSPE is screwing engineering technologists all over America. The NSPE is a lobbying group that is hell bent on getting all US States to change their laws to disallow engineering technologists from becoming professionally licensed. You can literally see where states have straight up copied and pasted the NSPE’s words into their laws for licensure. What’s worse, they allow liberal art majors to apply for licensure and explicitly state the “engineering technology courses cannot be used to fulfill education requirements.” So, basically, thanks to the NSPE, you are better off pursuing a career in engineering with a degree in elementary education than engineering technology.
My grandfather was a licensed engineer. He worked his way up the ladder from being a draftsman. He only had an associates in science that he obtained through night school. Back in the 1960s, if you could pass the PE test… well, then they gave you a PE license. That simple. Lobbying groups like the NSPE are destroying this working class pathway to licensure — one that has been used over the years by thousands of Americans to move their social status upward into the middle class. The NSPE claims they are promoting public safety, but history does not support their position. The old way of licensure worked just fine for over half a century — there aren’t any examples where buildings fell or airplanes exploded because an engineer without a BS in Engineering worked on the project. It’s utter nonsense.