Software Engineering Education Requirements

 

Education

Software Engineering degrees are available at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate (PhD) levels. As you move up in a Software Engineering career, increasing your education level will allow you to tackle ever more complex systems. At the pinnacle of Software Engineering are people that design the systems behind well-known technological marvels from the Space Shuttle to Google’s databases.

Prerequisites

Most colleges require similar courses as prerequisites for their Software Engineering programs. You’ll normally be expected to study mathematics up through Calculus, basic computer programming, and cross-discipline engineering basics. You’ll also take courses in computer algorithms and system documentation methods prior to moving on to the core Software Engineering program.

Undergrad

Once your undergraduate prerequisites are met, you start taking classes in Software Engineering. This is where you gain cutting-edge expertise in skills like requirements identification, system design, software integration and software testing methodologies. During this coursework, you’ll learn how modern software systems are designed and implemented.

There are an incredibly complex number of variables when engineering software components, and a Software Engineering degree provides the educational foundation you need to be productive in the field.

There are numerous avenues for studying Software Engineering. Virtually every major university offers this as an undergraduate major, and many larger colleges offer Master’s and PhD programs as well. You can also get a Software Engineering degree through many of the top online colleges.

Since a lot of the software work being done is on the Internet and mobile devices, studying Software Engineering online can be a flexible and effective method for pursuing your education.

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Day in the Life of a Petroleum Engineer

Petroleum engineers typically design equipment to extract oil and gas, and develop ways to force oil out of wells through injection of water, chemicals, gases, or steam.

They develop drilling plans, survey, evaluate, and test wells. They use computer-controlled drilling to connect separated deposits to a single well. They ensure proper installation, maintenance, and operation of oil field equipment.

Reservoir engineers optimize production with proper well placement and enhanced recovery techniques. Drilling engineers oversee the technical aspects of drilling exploration, production, and injection wells. Production and subsurface engineers direct connections between reservoirs and wells, overseeing downhole monitoring equipment and flow control, sand control, and perforations.

They select surface equipment to separate fluids (oil, natural gas, and water), and they evaluate artificial lift methods.

Emerging career choices involve pollution cleanup, hydrology, and underground waste disposal (the subsurface injection of carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse gases). Petroleum engineers are also educated in geothermal energy production, in situ uranium leaching, and coal gasification.

The known worldwide oil and gas reserves are larger than ever. Found in diverse areas, these resources provide opportunities for assignments in the Middle East, Asia, South America, Australia, and beyond.

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Prerequisites for a Bachelor of Nuclear Engineering

The basic Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Science and Engineering develops practical skills through hands-on education. Laboratory courses cover radiation physics, measurement, and protection. Laboratory exercises work with electronics, imaging and computation. This degree includes courses on nuclear systems and an undergraduate thesis based on any area of nuclear science and engineering.

Absolutely. Students who have completed the bachelor's degree generally need 12-18 months to earn a Master of Science degree, assuming they carry a full load of courses each term.

Many students prefer to pursue a master's in a discipline other than that of their bachelor's degree. They focus on nuclear science and engineering as graduates.

Master's degree candidates usually specialize in fission nuclear technology, nuclear science and technology, or applied plasma physics.

Each discipline of nuclear engineering has a specially focused degree program. The main fields of study are applied plasma physics, nuclear science and technology, or fission nuclear technology.

Bachelors-degree students have heavy course loads in science, chemistry, physics, calculus, biology, technology, the humanities and communication. Their studies also include nuclear engineering basics, the fundamentals of nuclear energy and engineering, nuclear reactor systems, radiation safety, fuel cycles, nuclear materials and electromagnetism.

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Careers as Nanoengineers and Important Associations

 Employers require these professionals to have completed at least a Bachelor’s Degree in nanoengineering or chemical engineering to assume a job in the industry. Undergraduate students explore coursework that prepares them for making contributions in the fields of medicine, energy and environmental applications, among others. Students take classes that integrate a medley of math, science and engineering courses that prepare them for the versatile field. Acquiring a Master’s Degree or Ph.D. in the field may be required to qualify for some executive positions with a given company. Advanced education also enables these professionals to undertake teaching roles at universities. For those seeking business-based positions, a candidate should focus on developing leadership and management skills, as they will be asked to spearhead a team of engineers. In addition, they will be asked to communicate and negotiate with suppliers. In this setting, superb oral and written communication skills will prove essential.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has organized conferences to expand the discourse and awareness around the field of nanoengineering. In addition, they provide a digital library of resources, including publications, news, and best practices in the field that are vital to practitioners in the industry.

Though the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not provide exact data on job prospects for nano engineers, chemical engineers, a comparable field, expect to see job growth prospects of 6 percent through 2020. The states of California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Michigan feature the most bountiful opportunities for professionals. While exact statistics on the median salary of these professionals is unavailable, O*Net reports that chemical engineers of the same background command a yearly salary of $95, 730.

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Molecular Engineering

 

Molecular engineering entails the creation of molecules and the development of new products from them. Often these molecules do not exist naturally and may not be stable enough to employ beyond a narrow of parameter of uses. It is quite difficult to create these particles, as it requires the manual use of sensitive equipment such as a scanning tunneling microscope. The technology has the capacity to take entire libraries of books and condense their contents into a digital storage device the size of a single cube of sugar. This is an interesting field of engineering, with limitless potential. If you want to learn more about working towards a career in this area, search for schools in your area by using our list below. The work of molecular engineers is present in every industry, including robotics, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, materials, fashion and entertainment. In addition, the agricultural industry and medical devices field is expected to be transformed by innovations in molecular engineering, thereby forging new markets and employment opportunities for trained professionals.

The field is particularly important for scientific materials research and pharmaceuticals, as it is employed as a sophisticated form of chemical engineering. A potential application of molecular engineering would include a minute device that navigates seamlessly through a human body eradicating cancerous cells thereby precluding them from spreading. Duties of professionals in the field may well include using statistics and computer models to predict molecular manipulation outcomes; employ business acumen in marketing applications; demonstrate leadership capabilities in managing a team of engineers and researchers; as well as manage the entire life cycle of product development.

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Real-World Example of Geological Engineering

The working and academic lives of a mining and geological engineer is one of constant problem solving, exploration, attention to detail and communication. As one of, if not the primary coordinator for digging and mining operations, the engineer is charged with the planning, logistics, safety assurance and contingency/emergency management of their projects. In addition to the technical engineering skills required for the surveying, planning, digging and extraction or study of materials, the project engineers are quite often also required to maintain strong lines of communication with the crews of professional miners or students they are working with. As such, and especially in respect to safety or emergency management, the number of women entering the fields has been steadily increasing.

Former University of Arizona mining student and captain of the women’s mine rescue team, Allison Hagerman was interviewed by the school news site UANews.org in 2013, during one of its mining and geological engineering drilling competitions at the school’s San Xavier underground mine. Speaking about her experiences, she highlighted that safety in the field was not only paramount but also presented a specialization. One which, following her graduation in May of 2013, inspired her to take the reigns as the captain of the women’s rescue team at the San Xavier Mining Laboratory. While talking to UANews about her studies of the mining and geological sciences, Hagerman eagerly pointed out that along with a 100% program graduation rate, her skills and studies allowed her to transition directly out of school into a stable, high-paying position in the private sector.

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Mechanical Engineering Degree

Mechanical engineering is the broadest of the engineering disciplines. This field focuses on two major topics: thermal systems and mechanical systems.

As a result, the mechanical engineering curriculum overlaps many other engineering fields, including aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, materials, and metallurgical and petroleum.

Any prospective engineering student should have a strong high school background in elementary, intermediate, and advanced algebra, trigonometry, geometry, pre-calculus, chemistry, and physics.

Additionally, the pre-engineering student should have solid reading comprehension skills and the ability to write logically, clearly, concisely, and with correct grammar.

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Real Life Stories of Materials Science Engineers

Beyond these statistical realities and potential however, many within the fields of Materials Science and Engineering express substantial personal and professional satisfaction with their work and career. Bringing together the applicable skills of dynamic critical thinking and problems solving with those of analytical research and scientific endeavor, the challenges posed to the working professional often result in an enhanced satisfaction with successful end results in respect to projects and ventures undertaken. In seeing the final real world applications to their research, development and testing of new and existing materials, Material Engineers often find themselves on the cutting edge of scientific discovery and advancement.

Taking for example, the case of NASA engineer Clara Wright, the pliable skills learned while studying Material Science and Engineering have given Ms. Wright substantial personal fulfillment, in addition to her remarkable career. Being possessed since her youth with an interest in puzzles and problem solving, Wright gravitated naturally towards the field of material science and engineering. Upon completing her degree, Wright first entered the field of bio-medical research, assisting with the design and development of prosthetic limbs for amputees. Later, Wright took a position at NASA working as a materials engineer, studying materials in use by the space program. In July of 2014, Wright was profiled for NASA’s website, in an effort to highlight both her contributions to the space program, while also the interest and dedication to Material Science and Engineering which brought her to work there.

"I'm very passionate about being a materials engineer," Wright said. "It’s a very fulfilling career particularly at Kennedy because every investigation is unique. It is greatly gratifying to say that I am one of a handful of people in the world who get to work on hardware that is going to the International Space Station, has been in the vacuum of space or is part of the launch structures."

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Industrial Engineering Career Outlook

Industrial engineering is actually a far-ranging profession that focuses on optimizing complex processes or systems by reducing wastefulness in production. It focuses on systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, and materials and may address mathematical, physical and social science concerns. It brings to bear the principles and techniques of engineering design on many facets of life and seeks to specify, predict, and evaluate the results derived from these systems or processes.

Industrial engineering is one of the oldest branches of engineering taught in engineering schools, and generally requires that practitioners hold a professional engineering license in order to practice. If you want to learn more about this field, and how to pursue a career in this direction, contact the schools in our directory to receive detailed information you can use to make a decision.

The entry-level qualification needed to work as an industrial engineer is typically a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. It is not uncommon, however, for practicing industrial engineers to have degrees in related fields such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering technology, or general engineering. Many universities that offer degrees in the field offer advanced degrees: master’s and doctoral level program, as well. US News and World Report ranks industrial engineering programs in the United States. In 2012, the top ranked US program was at the Georgia Institute of Technology. As of 2012, it had held this ranking for twenty-two consecutive years. The program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and University of California, Berkeley, have been ranked second and third in the United States for many years.

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Jobs in Environmental Engineering

Because technology is always changing, job titles and work settings change, so the niche you set your cap for may be listed under new and expanded headings by the time you have your B.S. Positions for environmental engineers are widespread throughout the industry, government, research organizations, management, and consulting. The need exists worldwide for environmental engineers to find solutions to our human needs.

Environmental engineers can choose career opportunities from designing waste treatment facilities and developing management strategies, to creating predictive models of human impacts on the environment and conducting research. They can work with carbon management, structural safety, water, and air quality, transportation infrastructure, and sustainability. The list is far too long for this overview.

Environmental engineering degrees can lead to jobs in the power industry, with architectural and engineering firms, engineering consulting firms, and city, state, and the federal government.

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