Engineers are innovators and problem solvers. Engineers use materials and natural science to meet today’s needs. Whether it’s cell phones, digital cameras, or facial recognition devices, engineers develop almost all of today’s exciting technology. Throughout time, from the builders of ancient Rome’s roads to urban sanitation, the gasoline engine and the electric light, to today’s computer chips, engineers have enabled the progress of society. Every discipline within engineering can lead to an exciting and rewarding career.

Should I be a Scientist or an Engineer? Science is the study of “natural” phenomena and the collection of theories, models, laws, and facts about the physical world. Science has a long history and is often paired with Arts and Humanities in the “Arts and Science College” of a traditional university.

Engineering is the creation, maintenance, and development of useful things that have not existed in the natural world. Cell phones do not grow like fruit on trees. In addition to cars, radios, plastics, and bridges, engineering innovations also include computer programs, organizational paradigms, and mathematical algorithms.

While Engineering might be viewed as just the application of natural science, Engineering has developed its own methodology, legal status and its own economics. Science, Mathematics and Engineering are interdependent. Science could not progress without technology, the creations of Engineers are constrained by the laws of science, and engineering could not flourish without mathematics.

Is Engineering right for you? Investigate Plan My Career.