<p>Hello, parents, I was wondering if anyone had any information and insights into architectural engineering. I was reading about this option within engineering, and to me it sounds really exciting. Would anyone have any comments/information/insights into this field?</p>
<p>My D was interested in architecture last year, and I thought AE might be a good alternative that could help increase salaries and job possibilities. The quote below is from a 2004 graduate with a BS in civil engineering from Rice. It's her opinon on the differnces between CE's, architects and AE's. You also might find more info on websites for colleges that offer AE programs,
Tufts, Cal Poly SLO, UMiami and CU are the ones I ran across. Good luck.</p>
<p>"That's the blunt answer; civil engineers make significantly more money than architects do, unfortunately. There's a reason for the discrepancy, though: civil engineers and architects often work within the same field of building design, but civil engineers have the immense legal responsibility of ensuring the structural integrity of the building. They have the same sorts of legal responsibilities as doctors do. If they screw up, even if it's only discovered in a structural collapse years later, they can lose their engineering licenses and face dire consequences.</p>
<p>Architects decide what the building <em>looks</em> like, keeps the lines of the building elegant, makes the building a beautiful and interesting place to be. They take courses in design and architectural history and design the floorplans and appearance of the building. The architects actually usually decide the materials of the building, as well. Architects must be part artists, part pragmatists, and must be brilliant designers. Competition is cut-throat, and while the payoff can result in both fame and fortune, the majority of architects really struggle at first after their education and internships are through.</p>
<p>From there, the architectural plans go the civil (structural) engineer. Within the framework that the architect provides, the structural engineer must design the infrastructure, the skeleton, of the building. Engineers must train a long time, usually need both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in order to practice. They must take several exams, including the FE exam in order to be certified as an engineer-in-training, and then must take anywhere from one to three (yep: structurals often must take the civil PE, the structural PE, and a state-specific structural PE exam, whereas most other disciplines only take one PE exam) Professional Engineering (PE) certification exams after at least five years of professional experience in order to be able to legally sign off on structural building plans. Competition is only stiff in that you have to make it through all of the hoops and through all of the schooling and the exams in order to finally make it in the end, but there's not the cut-throat pressure to perform creatively that there is in architecture. Civil engineering covers a lot more than just building design, too... You learn about land development, construction techniques, pavement design, signing and striping of roads, airport design, pipe design, soils and geotechnical engineering, and some environmental engineering, too.
Architectural engineering is a very new and reasonably undeveloped field. Bottom line, employers don't really know what you're capable of, and so you often end up with the responsibilities of the engineer while having the salary of the architect. If you're interested in being an engineer who designs buildings, your best bet is to get a masters degree in structural engineering, and, if you'd like, take some courses in architecture.</p>
<p>It's a shame, because there are some good programs out there in architectural engineering, but it ignores a lot of the heavy theory that you'll likely need later on if you want to really design structures or get your PE license, like finite element methods and other methods of numerical analysis and design. It usually ends up being a sort of "structural engineering lite" degree without any of the heavy artistic demands of the architectural field either, because it tries to incorporate all of both fields.</p>
<p>It's a good program if your intentions aren't to design multi-billion dollar skyscrapers. If you'd like to go into contracting or residential architecture, I should think that it'd be a very useful program, but if you're looking for something that will help you get a job with a top structural design firm or a highly-regarded architectural firm, it's not a good idea to major in architectural engineering, because they simply won't know what to do with you.
If you want to go into architectural/building design, a visual art minor would be a unique and also very helpful idea. Visual arts would help you be more 'in synch' with whatever architect you might work with. Architecture would also be a good minor, if your school offers an architecture minor."</p>
<p>Well, the only school I would be capable of going to and pursue an engineering degree while working at my current job (which pays more than minimum wage) doesn't offer architectural engineering. It offers civil, electrical/computer, and mechanical engineering. I don't think that I would like mechanical engineering very much. Civil interests me the most, but I understand the need for environmental systems (MEP) and the like. I live in a region that is somewhat poor for engineering co-ops, and I am lucky I have my biology job and can live with my parents while I get on my feet, because there's very few biology jobs in my region either. I wonder how I can get into the AE field without necessarily going through architechture or architectural engineering programs, and with that selection of engineering majors. I would be able to continue working at my biology job while I am going to school part time to pursue this. Any ideas?</p>
<p>My income as an architect tops that of most civil engineers--but I own my firm. </p>
<p>In 30 years of practice around the world, I have yet to meet or work with an architectural engineer. If you want to design the structural systems behind the architecture, the best degree is a Structural Engineering Degree. Structural Engineer employees make 25% more than architects, I'd wager, but there are may be more opportunities to develop an independent, financically successful practice in Architecture.</p>
<p>I know far more architects who have gone into practice for themselves.</p>
<p>Before I decide to pursue structural/civil, what are the opportunities in MEP in AE? I am much more interested in electrical than mechanical, but I'd just like to know.</p>
<p>ABET (engineering certification organization;<a href="http://www.abet.org/accrediteac.asp;%5B/url%5D">http://www.abet.org/accrediteac.asp;</a> links to schools are provided on this site), has these programs listed for architectural engineering....most are state schools, and there aren't that many compared to other disciplines:</p>
<p>California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
University of Colorado at Boulder
Drexel University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Kansas State University
The University of Kansas
University of Miami
Milwaukee School of Engineering
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Oklahoma State University
Pennsylvania State University
Tennessee State University
University of Texas at Austin
University of Wyoming</p>
<p>Having worked in the civil "A&E" (Architecture AND Engineering industry) and environmental consulting world for a few decades now, I don't come across that many AE's, but I have never been involved with a company that's had a big practice in building design. Perhaps the AE's work more with pure architecture firms? (but cheers has said this is not the case.) In the design consulting world, most firms are either engineering firms, dominated by civil, structural, mechanical, etc engineers, or architectural firms dominated by architects....not a huge amount of mixing.</p>
<p>ps....as you can tell, I am from the engineering world, and cheers is from the architectural world, but we happen to get along great here on CC :)</p>
<p>Structural engineering can be one's chosen area of concentration in an architectural engineering program. I would think you'd get more in depth training in a five year B.A.E. program which is specific to architectural applications than one would get in a general Structural Engineering program.</p>
<p>cg-- I think we have talked on prior threads, regarding your bio background combined with engineering. PM if you want to talk about my firm's perspectives on LEEDS, sustainable design, energy auditing and all of that green building stuff.</p>
<p>Hey. We helped design and sort-of build our autoclaved aerated concrete house (made out of Hebel) about 7 years ago. Papa Chicken, have you built with Hebel before? (Sorry, way off topic. Just that we figured Hebel would be the wave of the future, but we still seem to be about the only structure around made out of it - and I was wondering if it had caught on in the green-building movements elsewhere. Most people around here build faswall or strawbale if they want green....)</p>