Engineer Survey: Engineering Vs Engineering Technology

[Matt Adams]

I'm pursuing a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, (Go BOILERS!!). I think that this question you asked was an excellent one, because it seems that few truly understand or appreciate the difference between an engineering degree and an engineering technology degree.

Here at Purdue, we have both schools of engineering and the school of technology, which offers an engineering technology in almost all engineering disciplines. There is a minor, but most definitely present 'rift' between the schools of engineering and the school of technology. Namely, "technology students are just the ones that just couldn't handle engineering", and "engineers can't tell the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer." Neither is completely true... though sadly there is a hint of truth to both.

As has been alluded to in previous post, the engineering students do have a more rigorous course load, rooted in advanced mathematics, which is further compounded in higher level courses. To make up for that, there is a 'high horse' that many of the engineering students ride on while speaking about engineering vs engineering technology degrees. Admittedly the conversation often takes place during finals week or large projects, and actually turns into wishing to hop off the horse and take "the easy way out and just switch to technology."

I think that many posts here have put it well when they said if you want to be doing what has never been done, then you want an engineering degree. If you want to climb a corporate later or go into engineering management, you want an engineering degree. If you're thinking about grad school, you want an engineering degree. If you want to go to med school or law school, you can do that with an engineering degree.

Something that hasn't been mentioned, (and is important to some) is dollar signs. Here at Purdue, which I think is not a national trend, the starting salaries are rather similar for both engineering and engineering technology degrees, ranging from 45k to (rarely) 60k a year.

I guess another topic for another thread, which will surely spark some much more lively (FUN) debate is...

Does it matter which college you graduate from, or is an engineering degree an engineering degree?

Matt

[R2K2D2]

I am currently in my second year at Purdue University going for my Bachelors in Electrical Engineer.

This is the classic discussion between which is "better" than the other. Honestly, I think you should go to the major/school that best suits you. If you like advanced math and its applications then engineering is your gig. It is often said that technology students are more hands on oriented than engineering students. This is somewhat true and somewhat false. I have heard that some ME students could not identify nuts and bolts from each other, and that technology students can not apply anything. Obviously these are two extremes and most students fall somewhere in the middle of knowing everything and not knowing anything.

I would say that if you want to be on the cutting edge of new developments and such, that engineering would be the route to go. It gives you a very strong fundamental background and application ability to do such things.