Some engineering schools, recognizing this possibility, have developed special options within their curricula to accommodate this type of student. The most important requirement for the student in these types of programs is to recognize sufficiently early in the studies that he or she really wants to go on to a different program at the graduate level or that he or she wants to leave engineering studies to specialize in a different field. The student must develop an undergraduate course of study sufficiently broad to serve as a good preparation for entrance into graduate studies in another profession. Early consultation with an academic advisor is a must in this regard. This will save a student much unnecessary time in an undergraduate program if the studies can be patterned toward this ultimate goal of advanced study in another profession.
In addition to the students mentioned in the previous section who decide to go into another profession rather than engineering and who pursue graduate studies in those other professions, a number of engineering graduates find it helpful to pursue graduate studies in other disciplines but to continue to practice as engineers. In the same way that an engineering education is found to be useful in other professions, knowledge of law or business may be extremely useful to an engineering consultant or to an engineer who works as an industrial manager. Each year many thousands of graduate engineers enter law schools or enroll in programs leading to Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees. Sometimes these students find that they must take some additional undergraduate courses which are prerequisites to the graduate level courses in law or business or whatever field of study they wish to enter. These graduate schools in other professions will demand a certain level of excellence in undergraduate studies for admission, so not all graduate engineers will qualify.
Continuing Education In Engineering
We have referred to the explosion of knowledge that has taken place in recent years. The rapid pace of technical change in today's world means that technical practitioners, including engineers, must continue their education or run the risk of becoming obsolete. The amount of technical information available to engineers today is more than double what was available at the end of World War II. The civil engineer, as well as all other engineers, must continue her or his education after graduation in order to maintain the ability to practice. At graduation the civil engineer is assumed to be not only knowledgeable about the present state of the art but also capable of expanding and improving her or his body of knowledge by continually keeping informed of all the new developments in technology. This effort to keep up-to-date requires a great amount of time and effort. Many engineers try to accomplish this in an informal way, reading journals and periodicals on their own to stay informed about the latest developments in civil engineering. The many new techniques of analysis, new engineering materials never before available, new applications of computers, and many other new developments can virtually overwhelm an individual. For this reason, many engineers decide to continue their education through short courses or seminars offered by professional societies or universities to large groups of engineers. In some states, engineering practitioners are called upon to demonstrate periodically (every few years) that they are maintaining their technical competency and should be allowed to continue practicing as licensed engineers. In general, the universities and members of the academic community have taken the lead in helping practicing engineers maintain their technical competency. Obviously, the individual engineer has the primary responsibility for maintaining professional competence and for continuing professional development. However, universities and professional societies also share this responsibility and usually offer a wide variety of programs designed to continue the engineer's education. Some individuals who feel a need for continuing their education in depth will enroll in formal educational programs leading to advanced degrees. The majority of individual engineers, however, usually will try to enroll in short courses or seminars with the specific objective of learning about a particular new development in engineering, rather than trying to obtain a comprehensive background in a new specialization or a new field. A certain amount of continuing education obviously occurs on the job as an engineer works with other professionals or under the direction of another professional. However, because of the rapid pace of technological change and because of the great number of new developments in civil engineering in recent years, most engineers find it necessary to attend short courses and seminars to obtain the required information about new developments.
Many industrial employers will arrange for continuing education programs to be held for large groups of their engineering employees. In many cases, firms pay full tuition or share the tuition cost with the individual engineer who wants to take a single course for one or more semesters, in order to increase capability in a particular area. Many employers also will pay the engineer's costs to go to a convention, short course, or seminar for one or two days. Professional societies often sponsor these meetings, and the individual meetings can vary in length from one day to as long as a week. At these meetings, technical papers are presented by expert practitioners or people who are engaged in research. The idea of the presentations is to bring new information to the practicing engineer in as short a period of time as possible.
An engineer's education will never be complete. A practicing civil engineer will continue to learn throughout her or his entire professional lifetime. Graduate engineers typically will look through professional journals and magazines for notices concerning the time, scheduling, and cost for various continuing education activities such as seminars and short courses. In some cases, it is possible to obtain videotapes or other materials which can be used by the individual at home to increase knowledge about a particular subject. Most of the time, however, continuing education takes the form of attendance at meetings and seminars. Not all of the continuing education efforts which a civil engineer makes will be intended to improve technical competence. Many of the continuing education activities carried out by today's engineers are designed to improve their management skills and their ability to communicate. Many industrial firms conduct special courses in communication skills, interpersonal relationships, and other managerial activities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their employees. Engineers often enter the ranks of management in large companies, and consequently, many graduate engineers participate in continuing education efforts designed to improve their management skills.
Education Costs
For most students, the costs of a college education will represent one of the major investments in their entire lives. Not only are the four or five years of required education a time lost from gainful employment to a great extent, but the direct cost of tuition, room and board, books, and other expenses for college life will be very high.
Tuition costs vary greatly, with low costs usually associated with state universities and higher costs associated with private colleges. Some typical educational costs are shown below: Costs for room and board vary greatly from one school to the next, but generally will range from about $3,500 to $6,500 per year. Book costs also vary somewhat, but costs for books and supplies will usually be between $500 and $1,000 per year for most engineering students. Of course, personal expenses and transportation between the university and home will vary from individual to individual, but these are real costs and should be considered by the student in making an estimate of total expense for going to college.
The costs associated with attending a particular university or college can vary widely from the figures given here, and it is important for you to investigate the costs at the particular school you wish to attend. One very important consideration is the differences in tuition rates and other fees for residents of the states in which the schools are located, compared to the fees and tuition costs for nonresidents. Most state-supported schools charge significantly higher tuition rates for nonresidents.
