Explore the Engineering Pathways to Reach Your Goals

Engineering is always evolving and so is education.

It means that there’s a lot of ways engineers can keep current, upskill, change the direction of their career or even add more qualifications to their name.

If your goals for 2022 include any sort of professional development or upskilling, having solid knowledge of pathways within the engineering field can be a good guide to help you take the next step.

There are multiple ways to get you from point A to B, and that’s a great thing for any EIT student, because a pathway to a dream career is always available, no matter where you start.

The Meaning of Educational Pathways

Within engineering, it is believed that individual, personalized educational pathways are used in higher education to optimize the educational process and meet the needs of students to be able to enter the job market.

According to a 2021 article Development of a Model for Individual Educational Pathways in Engineering Education a major area of pathways is individualization, meaning there should be more tailored options for students.

This means that not only can students decide on different courses, they can also experiment with what they enjoy doing.

As a result, following graduation and some time as an employee, a graduate might be tempted to do a bridging course to study in a different field of engineering.

The EIT Way

If you just graduated from school, and do not have work experience, the best pathway is starting with an Undergraduate Certificate and then getting into a Bachelor’s Degree (with full credit from Undergraduate Certificate).
From this point, you can choose to work in the industry at an engineering technologist level, or you may want to add another year for Bachelor (Honours) or progress with a Master’s Degree to become a professional engineer.
For school graduates with relevant work experience, this is also true but additional opportunities may become available. For those with 2+ years of experience, Advanced Diplomas may be a great choice.
For applicants with trade qualifications (Certificate III or Certificate IV by Australian Qualification Framework) with 2 years’ work experience can also apply for Advanced Diplomas, and after 5 years’ experience EIT’s Graduate Certificate can become the next step.
Candidates with Bachelor (Honours) level can choose the Graduate Certificate or Master’s Degree or even a Doctor of Engineering as the next step in their engineering career.
Graduate Diploma qualification can also build a bridge between vocational and higher education and work as a stepping stone to the highest level of engineering qualification – Doctor of Engineering.

“The Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) was announced as the winner of the International Education and Training Export Award at the 59th 2021 Australian Export & Investment Awards”

Bachelor Degrees

EIT offers three-year Bachelor of Science Degrees in many engineering disciplines.

These degrees are good options for school leavers who meet the entry requirement and have no previous work experience. However, some credits from Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses, as well as Undergraduate Certificates, can be transferred for credit within the Bachelor of Science courses.

Currently, four programs have been accredited and offered at the level of Engineering Technologist (Sydney Accord).

Programs accredited and offered at the level of Engineering Technologist (Sydney Accord):

Bachelor of Science (Electrical Engineering) 2017 – Full Status
Bachelor of Science (Mechanical Engineering) 2016 – Full Status
Bachelor of Science (Civil and Structural Engineering) 2017 – Provisional Status
Bachelor of Science (Industrial Automation Engineering) 2016 – Full Status

Master of Engineering

To gain esteem as a Professional Engineer under the Washington Accord EIT offers two accredited and courses at this level.

To enter these qualifications a formal degree is required, but work experience, as well as graduate certificates, is also credited as valuable.

Programs accredited and offered at the level of Professional Engineer (Sydney Accord):

Master of Engineering (Electrical Systems) – Full Status
Master of Engineering (Industrial Automation) – Full Status

On Becoming an Engineer

Perhaps it’s useful to know what qualifications are needed to work as an engineer at different levels.

A great online guide by author Louis E. Frenzel Jr. splits the roles between Technician, Technologist and Engineer – and what is required to perform in that capacity.

What is an Engineering Technologist?

Engineering Technologists are specialists that are devoted to the implementation of existing technology that works with engineers. Engineering Technologists often know and apply basic engineering principles and have a good technical skillset.

The Sydney Accord agreement means that only some countries offer qualifications in line with professional development where someone can work as an Engineering Technologist.

Graduates would have a diploma from an accredited curriculum, will have a set amount of work experience in their field and are then registered technologists. Engineering technology education focuses on the applied aspects of science and engineering and is aimed at preparing graduates for practice in the portion closest to product improvement, manufacturing, construction, and engineering operational functions.

Technologists have a variety of skills and specialities and are, according to Frenzel, likely to be employed in an array of industries. But, technologists are also able to move into managerial roles within their prospective fields. Usually, Engineering Technologists start in product design, testing, system development or quality control – before working their way up the career ladder.

There’s also a growing number of advanced courses Engineering Technologists can complete as they grow in the field and use their practical skills.

What is an Engineer?

The major difference between graduate engineers and technicians and technologists is their educational background.

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology gives a specific guide to understanding the differences between Technologists and Engineers – but also their core relationship.

Engineering undergraduate degrees will include more math and a higher level of mathematical skills than technology-driven courses. Majorly engineering degrees often focus on theory while technology programs focus on the application of theory. In the work, environment engineers will usually be the face of planning, while engineering technologists make those plans work.

Engineers most often hold a Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science degree within a field of engineering. Another major differentiator is the fact that engineers with a Bachelor’s degree can enter postgraduate degrees like a Master of Engineering or a Doctor of Engineering degree which will strengthen their theoretical aptitude.

For course advice or questions regarding EIT courses, get into contact with us here.

References:

Naumkin, Nikolay & Ageev, Vadim & Sadieva, Anarkul & Anokhin, Anatoly & Shekshaeva, Natalya & Zabrodina, Evgeniya. (2021). Development of a Model for Individual Educational Pathways in Engineering Education. Economic History. 25. 513-531. 10.15507/1991-9468.104.025.202103.513-531.

Page, Neil. (2006). The education of mechanical engineers – an international comparison of programs recognised by the Washington Accord. 10.13140/RG.2.1.1055.0006.

Chandrasekaran, Siva & Littlefair, Guy & Allison, Janelle & Symes, Mark. (2017). A Collaborative Mapping Approach – Framing an Engineering Pathway.

Karam-Zanders, T. & Jones, S.C. & Jr, Waggenspack, & Acklin, Dina. (2015). BRCC to LSU engineering pathway to success – Assessment measures. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings. 122.