ucbalumnus wrote:
Yes! Just to elaborate a bit, all states have a Professional Engineer (PE) licensing process, just like they have licensing for doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, and hair stylists. Civil engineers often work on infrastructure projects, like roads, bridges, or large buildings, that require that a PE sign off on the design plans. A PE needs to understand good engineering practices, as well as ethics and legal requirements.
The most expeditious route to a PE license is a BS from an ABET accredited engineering program. (ABET = Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.) Near the completion of the undergraduate program the student takes the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. After passing the FE exam, he or she works for several years in an engineering firm. Finally he or she prepares and takes the PE exam.
Anybody can take the FE exam, but ABET accredited BS programs in engineering specifically prepare students to take it. Most states allow one to take the PE exam without having an ABET accredited BS, but they required a longer period of work before taking the PE exam. Note that most graduate degrees in engineering are not ABET accredited. Someone with an ABET accredited BS has a more direct route to a PE license than someone with an MS or a PhD in engineering.
There are many areas of engineering that do not require a PE. For example many mechanical engineers and electrical engineers do not bother with PE licensing. Many technical companies hire lots of engineers without PE licenses. They might have a few PE’s on staff for those occasions when a government contract requires a PE’s oversight.
It is possible to earn a bachelors degree in physics, chemistry, or mathematics and then go to an engineering graduate program for an MS or a PhD. That path works best for someone who is interested in engineering research, rather than the work of a PE.
Nowadays many high school students who express interest in engineering want to work in computer software. Employment as a software engineer does not require an ABET accredited engineering degree. A bachelor’s degree in computer science is all that is needed. Many liberal arts colleges offer computer science degrees.