Prior to the
Bologna Process, In most countries of
continental Europe, universities specializing in technical fields traditionally awarded their students an engineer's degree after five years. This degree was typically the first university-awarded degree after finishing
secondary education and completing it granted qualifications to further pursue a
doctorate. Following German custom in higher education, the engineer's degree was called the
Diplom. In addition to
Germany itself, this system was common in states like
Albania,
Austria,
Belarus,
Belgium,
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria,
Croatia,
Czech Republic,
Finland,
Greece,
Hungary,
Montenegro, the
Netherlands,
Poland,
Portugal,
Romania,
Russia,
Serbia,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
Spain, and
Switzerland. Following the introduction of the
Bologna process, universities divide higher-education studies in three cycles, corresponding to a three to four-year
bachelor's degree, a one to two-year
master's degree and a
doctoral degree. Accordingly, engineering studies are now divided in two parts: first, the
bachelor's degree (
baccalaureus, three to four years) and the second optional part (one to two years), after which either the traditional engineer's degree or a
master's degree (e.g. MEng or MSc) is awarded. These can often, however, still be combined into a single 'integrated' degree programme in many countries, normally lasting five or six years (although only four years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland). But in the UK when one considers the whole formation of a fully qualified Chartered Engineer or Incorporated Engineer it is a minimum of eight years. Countries have varied in the implementation of the Bologna process, meaning the combination of first (bachelor's) and second (master's) cycles, even when taken as a single degree, can last from four to six years, although many countries have set five years as the minimum. Most traditional universities continue to have a primary academic degree program, for example, a five-year
Civilingenjör in Sweden, that is distinct from the 3+2 scheme that awards the bachelor's and master's degrees but a student who has done both at a Swedish technical university will in most cases also fulfill the requirements for the
civilingenjör degree. In France, an important part of engineering is taught in
écoles d’ingénieurs, which are part of the French
grandes écoles system. Since the
Bologna Process, the
Diplôme d’ingénieur is officially considered to be at the level of a master's degree, equivalent to an integrated bachelor's and master's degree. In German, the traditional engineer's degree is called Diplom-Ingenieur (Dipl. -Ing.; in Austria DI is also used). This degree is generally equivalent to a combined bachelor's and Master's degree, which is not to be confused with the old Magister degree. Europe has the international professional engineering qualification and title of
European Engineer (EUR ING) which is obtained through peer review after seven years of education, training and professional experience.
Belarus and Ukraine In
Belarus and
Ukraine, the degree is
спеціаліст інженер (specialist engineer), a first degree after five years of education.
Belgium In
Flanders,
Brussels and
Wallonia, somebody holding an engineer's degree is an
ingenieur/ingénieur. There are two types of engineers with different abbreviations: •
ir. is obtained at university (faculty of engineering or faculty of bioscience engineering). It is at academic level and the highest engineer qualification. Five years study (3 B.Sc. + 2 M.Sc.). •
ing. is also obtained at university (faculty of engineering or faculty of bioscience engineering). Four years study (3 B. Sc. + 1 M. Sc.). Names are traditionally prefixed with the
ir. or
ing. titles. Use of these titles is regulated and protected by law.
Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia (former Yugoslavia) In
Croatia, the old system included the engineer's degrees
diplomirani inženjer (abbr.
dipl.ing.) which was awarded by university faculties and a lower ranked engineer's degree
inženjer (abbr.
ing.) which was awarded by polytechnics, in a similar vein to the situation in the
Netherlands. The old
dipl.ing. degree could later be upgraded to a
magistar (abbr.
mr.,
Magister degree) and then a
doktor (abbr.
dr.,
Doctorate). The situation was the same in other countries previously part of
Yugoslavia. In
Serbian, the abbreviation is
dipl.inž. Serbian titles of
magistar (abbr.
mr,
Magister degree) and
doktor (abbr.
dr,
Doctorate) in abbreviated versions are used without full stop as a punctuation mark at the end.
Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia In the western Slavic-speaking countries, the engineer's degree is called
inżynier (
Polish),
inžinier (
Slovak) or
inženýr (
Czech) and the abbreviation is
inż. in
Poland and
Ing. in the
Czech Republic and
Slovakia, which may be written before the person's name. In the
Czech Republic and
Slovakia, the degree of
Ing. is given for complete university studies in technical (like engineering), economic or agricultural fields. In one of these cases it can be equivalent to a
Master of Science in Engineering. In
Poland, the degree of
inżynier is available after 3.5 or 4 years of studies (like the
licencjat in non-engineering science) after a final thesis is completed. A
magister inżynier (abbreviated
mgr inż.) refers to a
Master of Science in Engineering, after completing five years of study and a written thesis. Originally there were "inżynier" studies that lasted for four years and afterward one could obtain the "magister" title in two years of studies—the total of six years resulted in two degrees, "magister" and "inżynier". In the early 1960s a new track of studies was developed to speed up education and the "magister inżynier" five-year track was created. Whichever way one obtained the education the "magister inżynier" (mgr inż. before the name) was the equivalent degree with "inżynier" designating the professional level and "magister" designating the academic level. After the
Bologna process the first level is "inżynier," obtainable after nominally three years of studies (although some are longer) with the same professional privileges as before and "masters" after one or two years gives the same academic and professional designation as before. But the ultimate shortening of the period of studies resulted in some professional groups (e.g. architects) demanding that "magister inżynier" be made a basis for professional rights.
Finland In
Finnish, the engineer's degree is called
diplomi-insinööri and abbreviated
dipl.ins.,
DI or
M.Sc.(Tech.). It is possible to obtain after five years of studying or even faster, but the average is around six years. Under the Bologna process, this is split into two parts, the first being one where the students can get the intermediate
tekniikan kandidaatti (
B.Sc.(Tech.)) degree. The degree of
insinööri (AMK) is a bachelor's degree from a Finnish University of Applied Sciences (
ammattikorkeakoulu), similar to a German
Fachhochschule, but it is not interchangeable with the academic
tekniikan kandidaatti. Due to the Bologna process, a new master's degree called
Insinööri (ylempi AMK) or Master of Engineering has been introduced. It carries a requirement of two years of work experience after the degree of
insinööri (AMK) and further studies.
France In France, the main way to become an engineer is : • Have a ''
Diplôme d'Ingénieur, delivered by the grandes écoles'' (or some technical universities), or have a Master's degree in Engineering from a University. The ''
Diplôme d'Ingénieur is a postgraduate degree in engineering usually awarded by the grandes écoles in engineering. It is generally obtained after five to seven years of studies after the baccalauréat''. It is considered more prestigious by recruiters than a Master's degree due to the electricity of the program. In
France, the "Diplôme d'Ingénieur" grants the title of "ingénieur diplômé," a distinction from the less regulated term "ingénieur." This diploma is equivalent to a combined Bachelor and Master of Science in Engineering, recognized in the US and EU. Graduates can pursue double degrees, doctoral studies, and careers in academia or industrial research. In France, any institution issuing the ''Diplôme d'Ingénieur
must be accredited by the state. In France particularly, the Diplôme d'Ingénieur
must be accredited by the Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur. Note that the best institutions are usually part of the Conférence des Grandes écoles''. France is unusual in that it is mainly the
grandes écoles in engineering that are accredited and are certified to issue the ''Diplôme d'Ingénieur'', which is differentiated from bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering issued by public universities (
universités).
Universities in France are comprehensive institutions composed of several faculties covering various fields (natural sciences, engineering, law, economics, medicine, humanities, etc.) with a large student body. On the other hand,
grandes écoles in engineering are much smaller and recruit their students through a more selective process (typically a few hundred students per year per institution, and a few thousand students per year country-wide).
Germany and Austria In
German, the traditional engineer's degree is called
Diplom-Ingenieur (
Dipl.-Ing.; in Austria
DI is also used). This degree is generally equivalent to a
Master's degree, which is not to be confused with the old
Magister degree. The German "universities of applied sciences" (
Fachhochschule) awarded the traditional engineering degree
Diplom-Ingenieur (FH) (
Dipl.-Ing. (FH)). This superseded "
Ing. (Grad)", which was previously awarded by universities of applied sciences and engineering schools after three years of study. A requirement for the degree was to write a
Diplom thesis. Most programs that used to lead to a
Dipl.-Ing. degree lead to master's degrees today, as the
Diplom-Ingenieur as an academic title is phased out because of the
Bologna Process. However, some universities continue to hand out so-called equivalence certificates that certify the equivalence of a
Dipl.-Ing. with the newly introduced MSc degrees. Since 2009, most universities in Germany offer bachelor's degree programmes (BSc, BEng and others) and master's programmes that lead to the academic degrees such as Master of Science, Master of Engineering, Master of Business Administration and others. In Austria there also exists the
Ingenieur (abbreviated as
Ing.). This is not an academic degree as it is given to graduates of
HTLs (
Höhere Technische Lehranstalt), secondary schools with technical focus. The Austrian engineers' law (
Ingenieurgesetz 2017) specifies the criteria for obtaining the title: graduation from a technical high school (HTL), verifiable practical experience of three years, and an oral examination with a certified committee to prove advanced skills and knowledge in their field. Since 2017,
Ingenieur titles obtained under these criteria are included in the
National Qualifications Framework on level 6, the same level as that of the bachelor's degree. However, the
Ingenieur does not entitle holders to direct admission to university master's degree programmes.
Greece In Greece, the title of "Engineer" is awarded by
higher education institutions. There are two types of engineer. The title "Diplomate Engineer" (Diplomate in Greek: Διπλωματούχος; Kάτοχος ενός Διπλώματος/Δίπλωμα/Diploma; Diploma holder) is awarded after completion of a five-year undergraduate engineering degree (diploma) programme at a
polytechnic university. These degrees are 300
ECTS credits, leading to a qualification at
ISCED level 7, equivalent to an integrated
master's degree. The title of "Graduate Engineer"(Greek translation: "Πτυχιούχος Μηχανικός", English explanation: "Bachelor of Engineering Degree Holder"), is awarded after completion of a four-year (three and a half years from 1983 to 1995) undergraduate engineering degree programme at a
technological educational institute (TEI). These are 240 (previously 210, 1983–1995) ECTS credits leading to an award at ISCED level 6, equivalent to a
bachelor's degree. TEIs existed from 1983 to 2019; they were reformed between 2013 and 2019 and their departments incorporated into existing higher education institutions.
Italy In Italy there was the engineering degree obtained after five years university and then one had to pass a state examination to be a professional engineer by law. Completion of an engineering degree has historically demanded much effort, so that, on average, the five-year course took eight years to finish and less than 5% of the students graduated within five years. Later, until 2001, there were two degrees: a three-year
diploma in ingegneria (BEng level, title abbrev. "dipl. ing.") and a five-year
laurea in ingegneria (MEng level, title abbrev. "ing."). However, the two degree courses were not in sequence but one as an alternative to the other (most students attended the traditional five-year degree). Since 2001 reform, the bachelor's level is called
laurea (abbrev. "L") and master's degree level was called
laurea specialistica (abbrev. "LS") and is now called
laurea magistrale (abbrev. "LM"). Accordingly, today after three years of engineering studies, the degree called
laurea in ingegneria (BEng level) and the title of
dottore in Ingegneria (abbrev. "dott.") can be obtained. After two additional years of engineering studies, the degree called
laurea magistrale in ingegneria (MEng level) and the title of
dottore magistrale in Ingegneria (abbrev. "dott.") can be obtained. After a "state exam" one becomes "Ingegnere" (abbrev. Ing). In Italy the state accreditation system, degrees and titles are regulated by state law.
Netherlands In the
Netherlands, somebody holding an engineer's degree is an
ingenieur. There are two types of engineer with different abbreviations: •
ir. is obtained by university graduates (
Wetenschappelijk onderwijs or WO). It is at academic level and the highest engineer qualification – five years' study (3 B.Sc. + 2 M.Sc.), or six years for engineers that graduated prior to the Bologna agreement. •
ing. is obtained by graduates from polytechnics (
hoger beroeps onderwijs or HBO) – four years' study (4 B.Eng. or B.ASc.) Names are traditionally prefixed with the
ir. or
ing. titles. Use of these titles is regulated and protected by Dutch law. Under the Bologna agreement, the titles are increasingly interchanged with the English-language degrees (B.Sc. for ing., M.Sc. for ir.). Completion of Dutch engineering qualifications has historically demanded much effort and talent. On average the four-year course takes four and a half years to finish.
Romania and Moldova Romania and
Moldova followed the French system. One needs a baccalaureate diploma to be accepted at the university. The engineering degree was called
Diploma de inginer and the graduate was called a
Inginer diplomat. These five years of study are equivalent to a Bologna Master (M.Sc/M.Eng/MCA). The five-year course concludes with a comprehensive set of specialising exams (
examen de diploma). Marks nine and 10 are considered exceptional. Some universities had called
Diploma de Sub-inginer which was a three-year course equivalent with a college degree. Following the
Bologna process, the graduates obtain the
Inginer licentiat degree, after following a four-year program. In this case the
Inginer Master degree is obtained after an additional one- or two-year graduate program.
Russia As of 2012 in
Russia, following degrees correspond to the "engineer's degree" in the sense of this article: •
Инженер - "engineer", which was formerly awarded after four, five, six years of study, may also contain clarification on the nature of engineering field, such as "mining engineer" or "systems engineer". •
Инженер по специальности - "engineer at specialty" (where specialty's name is mentioned), currently awarded after five or six years of study, may also contain clarification on the nature of engineering field, such as "engineer-ecologist at specialty Rational usage of natural resources and protection of the environment" •
Инженер-исследователь по специальности - "engineer-researcher at specialty" (where specialty's name is mentioned), was formerly awarded after seven years of study •
Бакалавр по направлению - "bachelor at area" (where area's name is mentioned), currently awarded after four years of study and "area" is an engineering area, corresponding to one or more of former "specialties" •
Магистр по направлению - "magister (master) at area" (where area's name is mentioned), currently awarded after two years of study to those already having any higher-education degree and "area" is an engineering area, corresponding to one or more of former "specialties" Anything but "bachelor" is considered "second-level" higher education and gives access to postgraduate education for "candidate of sciences" degree, "bachelor" is considered "first-level" higher education degree and gives access to study for master's (magister) degree. Post-graduate scientific degrees in engineering areas include
кандидат технических наук - "candidate of technical sciences" and
доктор технических наук - "doctor of technical sciences". Sometimes in English translations "...of technical sciences" is exchanged for "...of engineering".
Spain The situation in
Spain is very similar to France but without the
grandes écoles and Germany-UK in relation to the Technical Engineering Degrees. Long cycle Engineer's degrees (Ingenieros) traditionally used to be (at least nominally) six-year programs but the tendency since the mid-1990s has been to reduce them to five years. The last step to get the degree is the
Proyecto de Fin de Carrera (Degree Project), which involves a combination of application development and some research work. Students submit a dissertation that they have to defend. The Spanish official name for the degree is
Ingeniero (Engineer) or other degree called
Ingeniero Técnico (Technical Engineer), which is a three to four years degree (involving also a Final Degree Project) and is equivalent to a Bachelor of Engineering, the Technical Engineer in Spain has full competencies and legal authority in their field; however, certain engineering professions require by law a master's degree in their respective field, a degree called "master habilitante" or "habilitating master's degree". A distinctive characteristic of Spanish engineering degrees is that the average duration of studies up to graduation is about 40 percent above the nominal duration and that the drop-out rate is considerable due to stricter examination standards.
United Kingdom Durham University established the first school of engineering in the UK in 1837, which awarded the academic rank of Civil Engineer between 1840 and 1852. After the school was re-established in Newcastle, the title of Civil Engineer was again awarded between 1887 and 1894. The supplemental charter of
Queen's College, Birmingham in 1852 also specified that it could award the academic rank of Civil Engineer. The Birmingham school of engineering was wound down when the institution was reconstituted in 1867. == Africa ==