Mechanical Designer vs. Mechanical Engineer

There's not much of a difference between the two the way I look at it, other than the fact that "mechanical engineering" is a very broad job title. You can be doing anything from test engineering, to integration (putting together test plans or procedures), to designing, to analysis, etc.

Design can have you doing more of the actual "engineering" where you get to use your skill-sets learned in school. I am currently a mechanical designer, with a major in mechanical engineering. I have a lot of friends who got stuck doing integration and test work and never really getting to do any type of "engineering" at all.

It's in the aesthetics. Designers need to have. Engineers need not. In case of conflict, the two collaborate...or compromise. Both senses, engineering and aesthetic, can, however, coexist in the same mind. Such minds are often inventors.

In my experience, mechanical designer is the name given to technicians and other technical people who design parts using CAD but don't have an engineering degree. This is somewhat similar to industrial designers in that they often do the same thing as some MEs who design on a day to day basis, but do not have the same math, science, and technical theory. They don't necessarily have less schooling, just different.

MEs can basically do whatever interests them from design to analysis to testing to integration, as the last poster said. The ME degree is typically viewed as more advanced, so they can be hired as designers, but a designer wouldn't be given the title or responsibility (or salary, usually) of an ME.

So, if its a matter of taste and not what you think you can finish, I would go with the engineering degree. It will open up more doors, and you will be able to be more picky with your job rather than being pigeonholed. If you prefer design as work, only apply for that type of job. Personally, I love design, but also like taking parts through testing and integration.

Either way, practical experience will be worth more to you than anything in the classrooms of either major. Join design teams and be active, and try to get coops or internships along the way. You always learn more from making something actually work, and sometimes even more by failing to do so.

For me, I'm mechanical designer for design and fabrication of pressure vessels, heat exchangers, and piping systems in accordance with international codes and standards. So I have to deal and learn with a lot of codes and standards related with design, material, fabrication and testing. A lot of knowledges are required to be learned such as metallurgy, corrosion, welding processes, filler metals, joint designs, welding symbols, heat treatments, instruments, fluids and processes, inspection and testing, material re questions, rigging studies, assembly, methods of maintenance, repairs, alterations, CAD drawings, ..... etc. .... etc.

For mechanical engineer, I think he is not requested to do critical designs which require a deep acknowledgment like a designer. The designer is a higher degree.

Sounds like the designation might vary from country to country.

In the US, engineering would be seen as the higher degree, but experience will trump education in many instances. The designation here is only referring to educational degree and is not necessarily indicative of what you actually do.

At Egypt, the engineering is a higher degree of education, at least you must hold a BSc. After graduation, if you don't like to continue learning, you will become just an engineer. But if you continue learning after BSc., and get enough practical and academic experience you can become a mechanical designer.

Don't Forget ME is also a protected professional license in many States in US

I'm a mechanical designer for a medical device company. The first big distinction between a M.E. and myself is the level of pay; an M.E. typically makes $15-20K more than I. As to technical abilities, in my case I am usually tasked with working very closely with the M.E. to produce manufacturable designs. Most mechanical designers within our company have substantially more design experience than the M.E.'s. We rely on the M.E.'s for the engineering specific tasks, e.g. fatigue analysis. I must be technically competent with an eclectic array of specifications as they relate to design. Furthermore, I assist the M.E. with new designs in a partnership type environment, we almost always bounce ideas off one another and reach a joint consensus as to the starting point a given design. The M.E., due to FDA regulations and legal liabilities, is the final approving authority of a design. They are usually much more involved in the "paperwork" side of the business than a designer. I make about $78K a year. I hold a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. At a minimum, a mechanical designer must hold a relative associates degree. Good luck to you in your studies...

Thanks to everyone for their replies. I really want to be able to "be in the trenches" with the knowledge I acquire at school. It sounds like mechanical design offers more of an opportunity of this.

Your real world experience helped clarify it for me a lot.

Interestingly, it appears to be a strong market for either. I see company representatives at our school talking to students as early as sophmores.

Again, I appreciate your feedback.

Talk to advisers in both majors, don't make a decision based only on CR4. You can see there is some discrepancy for what people think of as an engineer and a designer based on location. Make sure you understand how the two degree programs differ, look at which teachers and classes sound more interesting, and check out average salary of graduates (if that matters to you).

Your degree does not dictate what you do, only what you are qualified to do. I take your 'be in the trenches' comment to mean you want a hands on job, not a 100% desk job. The design degree does not necessarily mean that will be the case. What you want to do and what you apply to do will dictate this much more than your degree.

In the US, not having an engineering degree can limit your opportunities. What field do you want to go into? The more advanced and technical the field, the more impact your degree can have on what positions you can apply for.