Structural engineering

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Is it possible to go into structural engineering as a career without having majored in civil/structural engineering in undergrad? Like, would it be possible to become a licensed civil engineer from studying something like physics in undergrad and then going to graduate school to study structural engineering? For that matter, is it even possible to go from a physics undergraduate background to a graduate program in structural engineering, provided that you took some suitable elective courses in undergrad?</p>

<p>I know that it is possible to go from a physics undergrad to certain other fields of engineering (like electrical and mechanical) for graduate school if you take certain electives and the like, but it seems like structural engineering, with all its government regulation and safety concerns, would be harder to go into from a non-civil/structural engineering background.</p>

2

<p>It's actually <em>not</em> all government regulation and safety concerns... It'd be pretty difficult, seeing as how you'd had no prior experience in design, but if you're willing to spend an extra couple of years and make your life a little bit miserable playing catch-up, then it'd be quite possible to go into a more theoretical area of structural engineering, like fracture mechanics or something.</p>

<p>It'd be extraordinarily difficult to do, though, and I'm not sure you'd be able to get licensed without a TON of extra work. People who have had all the coursework in civil/structural engineering have a heck of a time with the PE exams, and I can't imagine trying to do it without the benefit of an undergraduate education in civil/structural eng.</p>