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High School Preparation
Students
at the high school level
who are interested in engineering as
a career often take
extra math and science courses. Many
engineers took algebra,
geometry, trigonometry, computer
science and even some
calculus before graduating from high
school. They would also have
taken four years of science courses
that include a wide variety of
content from areas such as physics,
chemistry, biology, and
earth/space science. More high
school preparation
guidelines and
suggested activities outside
the classroom are available
on the IEEE
Pre-College Career Preparation
website.
Accredited Engineering Degrees
Many
colleges offer
engineering degrees. The
Accreditation Board for Engineering
and Technology (ABET) is a
professional accrediting
organization that
accredits engineering programs. More
information on ABET and
accreditation can be found on the
ABET website at www.abet.org.
Professional Engineers
According
to the National
Society of
Professional Engineers, like
doctors who have passed the
medical boards or lawyers who have
passed the bar exam, professional
engineers (PEs) have fulfilled
the education and experience
requirements and passed the rigorous
exams that, under state licensure
laws, permit them to offer
engineering services directly to the
public. PEs take legal
responsibility for their engineering
designs and are bound by a
code of ethics to protect the public
health and safety.
Engineering
licensure laws vary from state to
state, but, in general, to become
a PE an individual must be a
graduate of an engineering program
accredited by the Accreditation
Board for Engineering and
Technology, pass the Fundamentals of
Engineering exam, gain four
years of experience working under a
PE, and pass the Principles and
Practice of Engineering exam. A
state engineering licensure board
regulates the licensed practice of
engineering within a state.
Other Resources
Several
books are available that
explore the demands of studying for
a degree in engineering.
Studying
Engineering: A Road Map to a
Rewarding
Career, by Ray Landis is a
particularly good resource; several
chapters are available to view on
the internet. The IEEE Pre-College
Career Preparation website
also has a variety of resources, and
the Internet
Resources section has a list of
books
and publications that may be helpful.
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