Nester Mokhojane a Built Environment Professional who is in both Academia and Consulting shares MY CAREERTIPS with Herve-Noel Kimpwene a BTech Structural Engineering graduate who made an observation that a lot of students often confuse or unaware of the differences between different Engineering degrees.
What is the difference between a Bsc, a BEng and a B-Tech?
The biggest separator between the three degrees is in my view the reliance on practical, technical and theoretical content in the curriculum of each. The difference between BSc and BEng is its viewpoint. Bachelor of Science includes mainly science subjects that are more general, while BEng covers subjects that are more centered around engineering. Also, BSc is more theoretical based, while BEng is more practical based.
To elaborate a little bit more on this, B. Tech deals with the in-depth practicality of the concepts of engineering and has more technical aspects in the curriculum. BEng is a bit more theoretical and more emphasis is given to the theoretical concepts rather than practical knowledge.
Both BTech and BEng are of 4 years duration. BSc is 3 years duration and dives into the depth of theoretical concepts. Where the content of the courses of BTech and BEng are designed specifically for engineering students, BSc curriculum is more general. BSc can be considered to be the non-technical side of the technical concepts of engineering.
How does the route you take affect your career?
A burning issue right now in the industry is that depending on which of the 3 degrees one pursues, those that undertake the BSc and BEng degrees are eligible to register as Professional Engineers with ECSA. Those that undertake the BTech route are eligible to register as Professional Engineering Technologists.
ALSO READ CAREERTIPS: How does a young graduate work towards his passion for Structural Engineering?
Can one move from one to the other?
There is currently a fierce debate around whether those that register as Technologists can later on cross over to be registered Engineers. In my experience it really doesn't matter whether one is a technologist or an engineer as I have come across many technologists who operate at a much higher level than engineers due to the exposure on very complex engineering projects and experience gained.
Why the confusion and why aren't we well informed on the subject?
The confusion is because we do not understand what is the purpose and intention of the BSc, the BEng or the BTech. All 3 have vast similarities and very striking differences. All 3 can co-exist as they complement one another depending on the context. A practical example would be one can't wish to be an Resident Engineer/Site Agent on a site and have a BSc, a BTech would be better suited due to the practical side of it.
On the other hand if one chooses to be a designer, then a BSc/BEng would be better suited than a BTech. However, as previously mentioned, I have come across individuals with BTechs who are excellent designers, more than those with a BSc/BEng. To me exposure to right projects and the willingness to learn and adapt to all engineering requirements (design and construction) are always the determining factors that breed excellent engineers or technologists.
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