Is EET just as good as EE?

<p>I challenge someone to find any “technologist” job posting, the truth is they don’t really exist or are very rare, so yes you will be competing for the same positions and in my opinion the individual will make the difference.</p>

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<p>Agree to disagree then. In my experience in the workforce, the ET majors were almost all fulfilling different roles than the classical engineering majors.</p>

<p>Would companies/grad schools consider an ET with a minor in mathematics?</p>

<p>sure, but if you’re capable enough to minor in math, why not just major in EE?</p>

<p>Thats true but some people really enjoy the physical aspect rather than the theoretical/design</p>

<p>There is a physical aspect to EE, however. In senior {some freshman} courses, you are building. Engineers build. They also design. You will be hired as technician as an EET {not technologist, there is a difference here}, and cannot get an actual PE license. You will be hired, but you will not make 60k+ like EEs do, and would be somewhat limited in moving up.</p>

<p>EE compared to other engineering degrees are less hands on until you’re on the job site. I disagree with the rest of it though, first of all as far as the PE license that depends on the state, most states don’t care what degree you have as long as you can pass the test and have the experience required. And the salaries are very similar since like I said earlier, they are competing for the same jobs. For people who don’t believe that just look at any major job site or company web sites, hell some of them don’t even specify a certain specialty, just some kind of degree related to engineering or science.</p>

<p>You do not need a PE for all engineer jobs. How many Engineers have a PE that work at Intel, TI?</p>

<p>You do not need a P.E. for those jobs.</p>

<p>In addition, having a P.E. license doesn’t mean you are just as qualified as the next P.E. license to do a particular job. For instance, my grad school advisor has his P.E. Does that mean that some ET person with their P.E. is just as qualified to do the same jobs? No. It does mean that that person has proven they know the basic underlying concepts and has applied them with integrity for 4 years, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have the same job qualifications as a P.E. with a different degree.</p>

<p>EE and EET are different degrees that fulfill different roles (usually) in similar or identical industries.</p>

<p>As far as the difference between the two, I’m sure the EE gives more opportunities. I am an undergraduate in Memphis and have a knack for math and science. I wish I could go for the full EE, but for people like me who have a full-time day job and two children, it is quite difficult to achieve that. The University of Memphis only offers day classes for the EE, but offers night classes for ET, so it looks like I may have no choice but to go for the ET. I am about to get my ASEET and I want to get started on the workforce ASAP! For those of you who are engineers, does your employer allow someone to go to day classes if he/she wants to further his/her career?</p>

<p>If I have to go for th BSET, I know that it is a good program. After doing some research, I found on PAYSCALE.COM that graduates of the BSET program from the University of Memphis have the highest median salary out of the top 5 schools for this program. I’m talking 6 figures. I guess the school really determines the quality of the degree and where it can take you. For those who are interested in that degree, you should check it out if you don’t mind moving away for awhile.</p>

<p>My advice to someone who wants to be an engineer is to get an engineering degree. Anyone that tells you that ET and BS engineering degrees lead to the same jobs and opportunities is incorrect. Engineering degrees and engineering technology degrees are NOT the same thing and do not lead to the same jobs and opportunities in most cases. There always seems to be ETs on here claiming otherwise but this is simply not the case. An ET degree qualifies you for an engineering technology position not an engineering position. All the companies that I have experience with will not even consider ET grads for engineering positions.</p>

<p>My point is to just be aware that the ET degree will not qualify you for most engineering positions. That being said, there is nothing wrong with an ET degree and it can lead to a solid career.</p>

<p>I see this thread is old, but I’ve worked for quite a few years now and I’m a EET from Purdue. I can tell you that at Purdue EE is extremely theory based (far too much so) and EET is far more hands on. In EET we did differential equations, linear algebra, laplace transforms, and all the calculus based engineering, but we did our math courses in two semesters then went straight to applying the math. Really EE and EET should be merged at Purdue and the program would be far better. </p>

<p>Out in the real world though I’ve seen EET’s have a far easier time and are of greater use at companies. EE’s aren’t ready to use lab equipment, or write and design tests. My employer was amazed that I knew how to use a network analyzer and had so much experience working with spectrum analyzers. I came in ready to design tests whereas EE’s had to spend at least a year or two learning from everyone else. My point is, in the real world you won’t be deriving fourier series or anything like that, you have to actually use it to do something useful. EE’s (from purdue) therefore still have a learning curve after graduating. The other thing is I’ve known a great number of EET’s that have gone on to start their own companies whereas EE’s seem to rarely do that. A EE has a much harder time because you can’t start a company deriving theorems.</p>

<p>With that said I have seen EET programs and EE programs at other schools that are just pitiful. There are programs where EETs seem to take little to no math, and don’t have very rigorous labs either. At the same time I’ve seen EE programs at smaller schools that give them zero lab experience and their study of the theory is even less rigorous that EETs. </p>

<p>So if you have a EET and EE program like at Purdue I would recommend getting a EET degree and then taking extra math courses. You can’t really do it the other way around being in EE and taking extra lab courses.</p>

<p>What is your source where you found the information that states “AS EET grads are techs, where as BS EET grads are engineers.”?</p>

<p>I’m pursuing a major for my BS. EET and already a tech. Westinghouse accepts the B.S. EET as a equivalent Engineering Degree. I’m just curious where you received your information from, as I would like to read that.</p>

<p>Thanks,
anderson3328</p>

<p>EET graduates are not engineers, nor are they equivalent to engineers. It’s an applied degree. This is similar to how a cook that follows a recipe is not the same as the chef that invented the dish.</p>

<p>I need to add my proverbial two cents to this discussion. I have completed my degree in electro-mechanical engineering technology just recently and am now pursuing a master’s degree in engineering. </p>

<p>When applicable I purposely scheduled the engineering equivalent over the technology classes. Hence, I have completed numerous ‘real’ engineering and math classes although I earned a ‘technology’ degree. </p>

<p>My response to the difference, it depends! For example, I completed the mechanical engineering course Thermodynamics (ME300). The technology class was something akin to Thermodynamics (EMET 410). Both classes took the exact same tests…. So, ultimately, there was no difference. </p>

<p>However, other classes I did notice differences. Some of the engineering classes indeed concentrated on developing equations- through calculus. I’m sure the engineering students can attest to watching the professor copy, verbatim, from their notes, how a formula was derived- then spend the last few minutes in class showing an example- a boring time. The technology classes rarely spent the time deriving, just applying. Hence, more examples are provided to the students. </p>

<p>Through my time, I found smart people in both engineering and technology classes. Contrarily, I also found dumb people in both. However, the engineers won’t like to hear this; I feel the technology students are definitely better suited to come out of college with real practical knowledge and the ability to perform. Albeit, much depends upon the actual individual! </p>

<p>Is there a difference? Yes
Are engineers worth more than technologists? No
Is ‘engineering’ harder than ‘technology’? Not from my experience
*although I did earn my only B grade in Differential Equations(MATH 250)
Do engineering students think themselves greater than technologists? Yes, imo
Do some companies discriminate against technologists? Yes</p>

<p>My observation is that the EET’s have done better than the EE’s. First of all, the training is less expensive, and if one goes to a good college, often just as rigorous as a full EE program.</p>

<p>Secondly, and this is important, employers know that EET’s have lower salary expectations, so they’re more willing to hire (just like lower GPA EE grads often have an easier time of being hired than the 4.0’s!). Probably 95% of engineering jobs out there are routine enough that employers don’t have a lot of incentive to do anything but minimize cost. </p>

<p>Where I live, the EET programs all have mandatory internships, so most of the grads graduate debt free, often with thousands in the bank. While the EE’s often can’t find internships, and graduate to chronic unemployment/underemployment.</p>

<p>Just to comment, there ARE differences in how holders of the two degrees are treated in my experience. </p>

<p>Many graduate programs deny holders of the BSEET on the grounds that they lack the theoretical background needed for original research - a professor at my alma mater told me years ago that they had a practice of immediately rejecting such applicants. There are certainly schools that will still accept the BSEET, provided the applicant is otherwise qualified, but the pool of schools from which you can choose will be smaller. Plus, if you have the theoretical background most programs are looking for, you would probably have been better served getting the BSEE in the first place.</p>

<p>While employers hire both types as engineers, they often hire them for different positions. In my company, the design groups (which get the most resources, money, and advancement opportunities) are bereft of BSEET’s, who are more commonly found in the test & integration and manufacturing groups. Both BSEE’s and BSEET’s share the same nominal titles, but the difference in pay over a career can be substantial.</p>

<p>EETs tend to start at higher rates here than EE’s, graduate 2 years sooner, and are paid overtime (unlike the EEs) typically.</p>

<p>Even if the EE eventually does catch up pay-wise, it probably takes a few decades. If the EE is unemployed for a few years (which is more likely for an EE than an EET), the EE may never catch up.</p>

<p>But I guess if you wanna go to grad school… Or go into medicine/law. Even though the grade deflation in EE pretty much guarantees that will be almost impossible for most.</p>

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Huh? Where are those two extra years coming from, and who is hiring BSEET’s for more than BSEE’s? Neither of those fits my experience, where the average BSEE takes maybe a semester more than a BSEET, and where starting salaries are generally in the same ballpark. Also, I get overtime - not time and a half, mind you, but if I work 2200 hours in a year I get 110% of my base salary.</p>

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<p>Better suited to perform as technicians…, ok, but better suited to perform in design engineering, no. The two degrees serve different purposes so they can’t really even be compared in this way.</p>

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<p>In my experience, this is simply not true. I am a mechanical engineer, and I have worked with engineers and technicians and while it is true that many times technicians will get overtime (sometimes engineers do too), engineers typically earn more throughout their careers and have higher earning potential.</p>