Engineering

History

It is difficult to identify an accurate starting point for Engineering. It is rumored to date back as far as ancient Greece, Egypt, and China. The methods used long ago were based on logic and testing of theories. However, formal education in engineering did not appear until the 1800's. With the formalization of engineering in general, problems occurred. Engineering problems in the 1800s were do to a lack of specification among the engineering field. The term engineer was used for to describe a broad spectrum of workers who did not necessarily share a common skill set. Without any specification, engineers could work any problems they pleased, and do so with no prior training or experience. In the 18th century, engineers did not belong to companies. They were a ragtag group of men led by local leaders. These leaders were called proprietors. It was often left up to the proprietors to decide who should watch over the physical process at the site. In some instances, physical arrangements needed to be changed quickly. This was do to a rise in the sophistication of technology that affected most societies in the mid-1800s. These cases were a proprietor’s nightmare. The groups assembled earlier would no longer suffice. People in charge of road design were now responsible for designing water towers, and building sewer systems. With one person working on multiple different types of projects, most of these jobs were sub par at best. This the common crisis that made people realize that it is impossible for one person to be an expert in all fields of engineering, and gave rise to specification amongst the fields.
Contributors
Austin Sims
[Dernard Morton]
James H Collins II

Research and Writing in the Discipline

Writing assignments that are typical in this engineering discipline include memos, problem sets, lab reports, and design reports. These assignments are not necessarily difficult but are challenging. All the types excluding memos require much research and knowledge. The reports, for example, may be as long as thirty pages long to describe how a problem was overcome. The length is due to the knowledge and methods put into the writing. To accurately complete a design report, you would need to include equations that you formulated during designing, a highly detailed and labeled drawing of the object, and physics of the object detailing why it does what it does. All in all a design report will be the longest writing assignment required for the Mechanical Engineering discipline. The design report is composed of three parts, the executive summary, volume one and volume two. The executive summary is by far the shortest, most brief part of the design report. Volume one usually contains twenty to twenty-five pages single spaced, and volume two does not have any specific amount of pages but is considerably longer than volume one, sometimes double or triple the length. Another type of writing is a lab report. This style of writing uses lots of data tables, plots, equations, and drawings. This style of writing is not as lengthy as the design report but requires just as much knowledge in the subject.
Contributors
James H Collins II
[Dernard Morton]
Austin Sims

Non-Traditional Research and Writing

Blogs

A nuclear power thread in physics forums created by Russ Watters. Nuclear Power Thread
A Google+ nuclear engineering group created by Vefa Kucukboyaci. Google+ Nuclear Engineering Page
An informative blog regarding setup of reactors. Industrial Craft
A blog created by Guy Kawasaki related to all types of engineering. The Future is Engineering
A blog by Josh Fischman discussing the future of engineering education. Chronical Blog Page
Contributors
Austin Sims

Listservs

The listserv for the professional engineering chapter at the University of Florida. University of Florida
A listserv for general engineering education at Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech Listserv
The American Society for Engineering Education's listserv for the Engineering Libraries Division. ASEE Listserv
A general engineering listserv at theUniversity of South Florida. University of South Florida Engineering Listserv
A listserv by the International Network for Engineering Studies used for general updates. INES Listserv
Contributors
Austin Sims

Styles and Guides

Civil Engineering

Style Guide: Chicago Manual of Style
Publication Manual: IEEE Publication Manual

Mechanical Engineering

Style Guide: ASME Style Guide
Publication Manual: IEEE Publication Manual

Nuclear Engineering

Style Guide: Elsevier Nuclear Engineering and Design Style Guide
Publication Manual: IEEE Publication Manual

Education

Academic Advisers

Georgia Southern Academic Advisers

Summary

The three types of engineering majors have slightly different graduation requirements. Civil and Mechanical Engineering are four year degrees. Nuclear Engineering is a two year degree categorized as Engineering Studies at Georgia Southern with a transfer program to the Georgia Institute of Technology for two years of upper level courses.
Civil Engineering requires 132 credit hours total with 30 semester hours of Civil Engineering courses. It also requires a grade point average of a 3.0 in courses related to the degree. The students are expected to be experienced with differential equations, calculus-based physics, chemistry, and one other basic science as well.
Mechanical Engineering requires 132 credit hours total with 30 semester hours of Mechanical Engineering courses. It also required 30 hours of upper-division credits at Georgia Southern. A grade point average of 2.0 is expected for all of the courses related to Mechanical Engineering. Mechanical Engineering graduates are expected to be able apply general Mechanical Engineering concepts with practical, experimental, and hands on experience. They are also expected to integrate technical systems as well as use 21st century design, analysis, tools, and software.
Engineering Studies requires 60 credit hours of Regents Engineering Transfer Program (RETP) courses with 18 hours of mathematics starting with Calculus I. A grade point average of 3.0 is required for all Science, Math, and Engineering related courses. Also completion of Composition I and II with a “C” or better is necessary. There is no particular skill set stated for engineering studies at Georgia Southern because only core classes are completed before transferring.
Contributors
Austin Sims

Nuclear Engineering

Degree Plan: Nuclear Engineering Curriculum at Georgia Southern
Major Page: Georgia Southern College of Engineering and Information Technology Nuclear Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Degree Plan: Mechanical Engineering Curriculum at Georgia Southern
Major Page: Georgia Southern College of Engineering and Information Technology Mechanical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Degree Plan: Civil Engineering Curriculum at Georgia Southern
Major Page: Georgia Southern College of Engineering and Information Technology Civil Engineering

Jobs and Careers

Nuclear Engineering

  • Nuclear Engineer - Average salary is $80,000
  • Project Engineer - Average salary is $67,000
  • Developement Engineer - Average salary is $79,000
  • Associate Engineer - Average salary is $59,500
  • Test Engineer - Average salary is $66,000

Mechanical Engineering

  • Manufacturing Engineer - Average salary is $62,500
  • Design Engineer - Average salary is $62,500
  • Engineering Supervisor - Average salary is $98,000
  • Product Engineer - Average salary is $70,500
  • Field Service Engineer - Average salary is $65,000
  • Engineer - Average salary is $64,000

Civil Engineering

  • Structural Engineer - Average salary is $64,000
  • Civil Engineer - Average salary is $61,000
  • Transportation Engineer - Average salary is $62,000

The job titles listed above are just a few careers in the given fields. The requirements for all the job titles listed are simply a Baccalaureate Degree in the given field. There are two exams that can be taken in order to obtain licenses in the Engineering fields. The first exam is the Fundamentals of Engineering exam then the second is the Professional Engineering exam. The first exam can be taken immediately after graduating college, but the second exam requires work experience before taking the exam. Some states require that the engineer to complete educational classes every few years to keep their license. Most states will honor other state's engineering licenses as long as the license requirements meet or exceed the requirements of that state.
Contributors
James H Collins II

Graduate School

Graduate School Programs for the Engineering fields included in this wiki page differ between each school. The degree most commonly associated with these majors is Master of Science in Applied Engineering (MSAE).

At Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University offers a degree in MSAE. A link to their program website is Georgia Southern University MSAE.

At other schools

Three other schools offer the MSAE. Those schools are Georgia Institute of Technology, Eastern Kentucky University, and Edinburgh Napier University.
Contributors
James H Collins II

Publication Manual and Style Guide

IEEE Editorial Style Manual

References

Efunda
Arrl
Ci-Tec
Bureau of Labor Statistics
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical Engineering at Arkansas University Online Book

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