Structural engineer
Occupation | |
---|---|
Names | Structural Engineer, Professional Engineer, Chartered Engineer |
Occupation type | Profession |
Activity sectors | Engineering |
Description | |
Competencies | Design, analysis, critical thinking, engineering ethics, project management, engineering economics, creativity, problem solving |
Related jobs | Civil engineering, architect, project manager |
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research
Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty discipline within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right. In the United States, most practicing structural engineers are currently licensed as civil engineers, but the situation varies from state to state. Some states have a separate license for structural engineers who are required to design special or high-risk structures such as schools, hospitals, or skyscrapers.[1][2] In the United Kingdom, most structural engineers in the building industry are members of the Institution of Structural Engineers or the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Typical structures designed by a structural engineer include buildings, towers, stadiums, and bridges. Other structures such as oil rigs, space satellites, aircraft, and ships may also be designed by a structural engineer.
Structural engineers ensure that buildings and bridges are built to be strong enough and stable enough to resist all appropriate structural loads (e.g., gravity, wind, snow, rain, seismic (earthquake), earth pressure, temperature, and traffic) to prevent or reduce the loss of life or injury. They also design structures to be stiff enough to not deflect or vibrate beyond acceptable limits. Human comfort is an issue that is regularly considered limited. Fatigue is also an important consideration for bridges and aircraft design or for other structures that experience many stress cycles over their lifetimes. Consideration is also given to the durability of materials against possible deterioration which may impair performance over the design lifetime.
Education
The education of structural engineers is usually through a civil engineering bachelor's degree, and often a master's degree specializing in structural engineering. The fundamental core subjects for structural engineering are
Recently in the United States, there have been discussions in the structural engineering community about the knowledge base of structural engineering graduates. Some have called for a master's degree to be the minimum standard for professional licensing as a civil engineer.[4] There are separate structural engineering undergraduate degrees at the University of California, San Diego and the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Geodesy, Sofia, Bulgaria. Many students who later become structural engineers major in civil, mechanical, or aerospace engineering degree programs, with an emphasis on structural engineering. Architectural engineering programs do offer structural emphases and are often in combined academic departments with civil engineering.
Licensing or chartered status
In many countries, structural engineering is a profession subject to licensure. Licensed engineers may receive the title of Professional Engineer, Chartered Engineer, Structural Engineer, or other title depending on the jurisdiction. The process to attain licensure to work as a structural engineer varies by location, but typically specifies university education, work experience, examination, and continuing education to maintain their mastery of the subject. Professional Engineers bear legal responsibility for their work to ensure the safety and performance of their structures and only practice within the scope of their expertise.
In the United States, persons practicing structural engineering must be licensed in each state in which they practice. Licensure to practice as a structural engineer usually be obtained by the same qualifications as for a
Most US states do not have a separate structural engineering license. In 10 US states, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and others, there is an additional license or authority for Structural Engineering,[7] obtained after the engineer has obtained a Civil Engineering license and practiced an additional amount of time with the Civil Engineering license. The scope of what structures must be designed by a Structural Engineer, not by a Civil Engineer without the S.E. license, is limited in Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington to some high importance structures such as stadiums, bridges, hospitals, and schools. The practice of structural engineering is reserved entirely to S.E. licensees in Hawaii and Illinois.
The United Kingdom has one of the oldest professional institutions for structural engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers. Founded as the Concrete Institute in 1908, it was renamed the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) in 1922. It now has 22,000 members with branches in 32 countries.
The IStructE is one of several UK professional bodies empowered to grant the title of
Career and Remuneration
A 2010 survey of professionals occupying jobs in the
See also
- Architects
- Architectural engineering
- Building officials
- Civil engineering
- Earthquake engineering
- List of structural engineers
- List of structural engineering companies
- Structural engineering
- Structural failure
References
- ^ "Structural Engineer (SE) Licensure Explained". Engineering.com. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ "NCSEA Structural Licensure Committee". www.ncsea.com.
- ^ Institution of Structural Engineer, What do they do? Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, viewed on 22 May 2007
- ^ [1] Archived October 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Welcome to NCEES". NCEES.
- ^ "Structural Engineering in Texas".
- ^ "NCSEA Structural Licensure Committee". www.ncsea.com. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ "UK website launches salary comparison tool". Retrieved 2011-04-04.
- ^ "Salary Benchmarker". Retrieved 2011-06-04.
- National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (www.ncsea.com)