MS in Civil Engineering with a Non-Engineering Undergraduate Degree

Let's not play 20 questions.

Tell us where you are, if you have started, in your education.

Pursuing an endeavor does not indicate how far along you are.

Please give your history, otherwise punt.

It is a matter of professional ethics laid down by professional bodies. If institution of civil engineers agree he may be allowed but if they agree is it legal(doesn't it violate principles of professional education/training laid down for civil engineers). Did the candidate do coursework,practicals etc which a civil engineer do in his degree course?.

This is called "parachute jumping", coming from nowhere. It is like painting a donkey to look like zebra. In 1960s the institution of electrical engineers,London exempted those possesed a degree in Math/Physics from their parts 1 & 2 examinations in which engineering drawing,strength of materials,thermodynamics,fundamentals of electrical engineering etc was taught including workshop practice and from practicals for final part 3 exam. Those lucky ones sat for theory papers in part 3 exam and appointed as engineers without any training in a third world country in Asia.

Marie-

For my engineerign firm, I would be more attracted to an EIT with a BS in Civil Engineering than one who has an undergraduate degree in architecture with an MS in Civil Engineering. The reason is that, in undergraduate engineering programs (the good ones, that is), the most important thing a good student takes away from the university is what I call the "thought process". Engineering students generally learn how to approach a problem such that the solution evolves naturally. An architect is generally more concerned with the aesthetics of a project- probably the last concern of an engineer (although not to be minimized in importance). I am not sure one would develop the necessary thought processes in a graduate program- but there are probably many, many engineers out there that could prove me wrong.

I would suggest pursuing a BS in Civil engineering to compliment your architectural training. There is a good chance that a lot of the basic requirements (the first two years of any college course) would be similar, and you could probably get the BS in the same length of time as it would take to get an MS (you need to verify with your university of choice which of your existing credits would be applicable).

Now, an architect or a doctor or a lawyer or virtually any other discipline with an engineering undergraduate degree is worth double the money in my book...

When you say an undergraduate degree in architecture, do you mean a BA Architecture or BS Architecture Engineering?

If you are considering become a professional engineer (PE) in the future, many licensing boards will probably be reviewing your BS/BA degree to ensure that you have the fundamentals that are required to become a civil engineer. So by pursing an MS degree, this may not lead you to your final objective (as a PE). However, you should check with your state licensing board to determine what credentials you will need in order to attain a PE. If you're not seeking a PE, then definitely speak with the graduate program advisor at the college you are considering. If you don't have a BS Architecture Engineering degree, and if you haven't passed the GE courses in Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, etc., then the advisor will most likely steer you to getting a second BS degree since you'll have way too many prerequisite courses to take to make an MS degree worthwhile.

I'm on board with cwarner and smin on this one.

One of the biggest huddles that you will be facing will be the State Board accepting your degrees if you want to sit for Part A and Part B of the Professional Engineering Examinations.

Also, hands-on engineering work under the supervision & guidance of a state registered PE (in the same field) will go a long way towards acceptance by the state education board of your credentials.

Unless you have a Bach. of Architectural Engineering there will be a high probability that your application will be denied to sit for the "Fundamentals of Engineering" (FE) portion (Part A) of the PE Exam.

IF I were your adviser: If your ultimate goal is to become a PE then as your adviser I would recommend that you take the requisite Undergraduate CE courses first to ensure that you can sit for the exam.

Frankly, I've seen this before (jumping ship regarding fields of study) with Undergrad/Grad students where the state Board of Professional engineering looks less favorably at their applications to sit for the FE. they are looking for students with core competency in CE together with a solid engineering experience....the engineering study actually (typically) counts for 1/2 the value of technical training under the supervision of a PE.

===signed,

CaptMoosie, PhD, PE (New York)

Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineer

Thank you everyone for all the info, extremely helpful. I have a BARCH in architecture - not architectural engineering. I am in the process of completing a gaggle of pre-req courses, statics, fluid mechanics, calc 3, linear algebra and differentials, mechanics of materials, applied hydrology, calc 2 physics. Then I have my graduate classes mostly deal with with water resources and hydrology.

I am at the University of Colorado, Denver (but hope to practice in the San Francisco bay area). I will take me 2.5 years to complete the program, and based on CA's guide lines, I will be able to sit for the FE.

I am hoping that my MS in civil engineering will not come off as a desperate parachute jump, but a productive collaboration that may benefit a company that has interests in both engineering and architecture.

Do you know in some third world countries, a good grade in "chemistry" is required to study degree/diploma(BSc/HNDE/NDT) in engineering. In developed countries do you need good grade in chemistry to do a degree in physics,math,engineering etc?. For medical studies they may ask for good grade in chemistry. What is the role played by UNESCO in this regard. If each country/community has its own rules regarding education,legal systems,professional ethics,curriculum of studies, human rights etc will there be harmony on this earth?. What is the use of UN?.

In my opinion, there a conflict from basically two different disciplines.

With that being an under graduate degree in Architecture

And a Graduate degree in Civil Engineering.

I felt that Architecture had more to do with aesthetics, while an engineering discipline such as civil had more to do with performance.