Engineering Glossary

The glossary is build targeting the students who wish to study engineering in USA.

Access

The process by which candidates apply and are considered to get admission into higher education program.

Accreditation

It is a certificate given to a school or program which meets with the approved standards of the academic programs. It is very important to know that a college or university is accredited.

Accreditation of program

The process by which a qualification, a course or a program gets an acceptance with the satisfactory quality and standard. Accreditation involves a periodic audit against published standards of the engineering education provided by a particular course or program. It is essentially a peer review process, undertaken by members of institutions comprising both engineering teachers and engineers from industry.

Apprentice

An apprenticeship is a formal system by which an employer undertakes by contract, written or implied, to employ a person and to train them or have them trained systematically for a trade or occupation, the apprentice agreeing to work in the employer’s service.

Artisan

An Artisan is a skilled person who makes things by hand.

Assessment

The total range of written, oral and practical tests, as well as projects and portfolios, used to decide the student’s progress in the course unit or module. These measures may be mainly used by the students to assess their own progress (formative assessment) or by the University to judge whether the course unit or module has been completed satisfactorily against the learning outcomes of the unit or module.

Assessment criteria

Description of what the learner is expected to do to demonstrate that a learning outcome has been achieved.

Bachelor's Degree:

The engineering degree received for an undergraduate program of four years in the college or university.

Benchmark

Reference point or standard against which progress or achievements may be compared.

Branch of study

It is a specialization within a given field of study (e.g. Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering). It can also refer to a specialization within a broader branch (e.g. Hydraulic Engineering under Civil Engineering field).

Class

It is a group of students following a course for a determined period of time. It is sometimes used as a special type of teaching activity (e.g. Sub-group, Laboratory).

Course

It may refer to a complete study program or to a single unit or module of a study program.

Course Unit/Module

The basic division of study program usually consisting of a self-contained, formally structured learning experience with a coherent and explicit set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria.

Credits

Typically, Credits are given to all the courses conducted by USA Universities and colleges. Basically number of credits is equal to the number of hours spent in class room to study per week.

Credit accumulation

In a credit accumulation system learning outcomes totaling a specified number of credits must be achieved in order to successfully complete a term, an academic year or a full study program. Credits are awarded and accumulated if the achievement of the required learning outcomes is proved by assessment.

Credit transfer

The acceptance of credits obtained for a certain purpose as credits towards another purpose or in another institution.

Curriculum

It is a comprehensive description of a study program. It includes learning objectives for intended outcomes, contents, assessments procedures.

Core Curriculum

It is basic part of curriculum with regard to each engineering branch.

Degree

Qualification awarded to an individual by a recognized higher education institution after successful completion of a prescribed study program. In a credit accumulation system the program is completed through the accumulation of a specified number of credits awarded for the achievement of a specific set of learning outcomes.

Diploma

A document stating that a student has earned a qualification from an educational institution. It may refer to any qualification or award (from high school, college, university, etc.) but in some countries it characterizes specific awards or titles.

Doctor

Usually, the holder of a title awarded after successful completion of a Doctorate Program, sometimes characterized as Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy). When used without extension, the title usually refers to a Doctor of Medicine. The term "Doctor" is used also in higher and honorary titles.

Doctorate

A study program towards high level qualification recognized as qualifying someone for research and/or academic work. It will include a substantial amount of original work which is presented in a thesis.

Electrician

An Electrician is someone who installs/repairs electrical equipment. In some countries electricians are licensed. Their work involves the installation and maintenance of anything that is powered by electricity. This can be domestic appliances such as fridges, cookers etc. Their work varies from the installation and maintenance of domestic and commercial equipment and installations to the supervision of maintenance and operations of very high voltage lines such as that in National Grids.

Engineer

An Engineer is someone with a technical or software engineering degree from an approved university or equivalent.

Engineering Computer Programmer

An Engineering Computer Programmer is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to programming may also be known as a programmer analyst. A programmer's primary computer language (Java, Delphi, C++, etc.) is often prefixed to the above titles, and those who work in a web environment often prefix their titles with web.

Engineering Technician

An Engineering Technician is normally involved in practical engineering work and holds an approved engineering diploma or equivalent. Their work can be the repair of sophisticated equipment such as computers, printers, scanners, refrigerating equipment, televisions, instruments, telephone systems, and household appliances such as fridges, washing machines, cookers, CCTV, and even digital cameras, etc. They can also be involved in installation work such as the installation of burglar and fire alarm systems and the repair of same, to the installation and maintenance of gas installations, and commercial equipment such as that used in aircraft and in industry etc. There are many types of specialist technician, software technician, installation technician, service technician, instrument technician, computer technician, aircraft technician, sound technician, audio technician, engineering technician, telephone technician, broadband technician, television technician, etc.

Engineering Technologist

A Professional Engineering Technologist is normally someone with an approved degree in technical or software engineering or equivalent. His work is normally supportive to the Engineer in such areas as computer aided design (CAD). This relieves the engineer of less demanding work. It was designed to effectively bridge the gap between the increasingly theoretical nature of engineering degrees and the predominately practical approach of technician.

Field of study

The main subject area of a study program (e.g. Engineering).

Fitter

A Fitter is normally associated with the repair of heavy machinery such as that used in industry. They install and repair gas boilers and systems. They also repair such equipment as fire extinguishers, cookers, air conditioning systems, escalators, passenger lifts, industrial boilers and systems, commercial refrigeration systems, heavy earth-moving equipment such as bulldozers, etc.

Installer

An Installer is normally a person skilled in the practical aspects of installation work but limited in the theoretical aspect, e.g., Telephone Installer, Broadband Installer, Burglar and Fire Alarm Installer, Gas Installation Installer, Aerial/Satellite Dish Installer, etc,. For complex installations you would have a commissioning Technician. Servicing would then be carried out by a Service Technician.

Laboratory (in educational context)

It is a practical experimental class where the students are active and supervised by a staff member and/or assistants.

Linesmen

Linesmen install and maintain telephone lines and also overhead Power lines including High Voltage lines as used in the Electricity National Grid.

Mechanic

A Mechanic is someone who uses his skills to repair vehicular appliances, aircraft engines and other machinery. In general, anything with moving parts. You have car mechanics, aircraft mechanics, instrument mechanics, etc.

Operator

There are very many types of engineering Operators. There are Control Room Operators in Power Stations, Sound and Vision Operators and TV Operators in Radio and TV Stations, Theatres, Cinemas, etc. Also, there are Plant Operators who operate all kinds of plant and machinery in industry.

Plumber

A Plumber is a person who fits and repairs pipes and fixtures for water, drainage, or gas, mainly in domestic premises. Plumbers also install and repair gas/oil domestic and commercial central heating boilers and systems.

Professional Engineer

A Professional Engineer is someone with a technical engineering degree from an approved university or equivalent. He must also have 8 years post-graduate professional experience and must pass an examination set by the relevant Professional Body. His work is basically technical design, but very many end up in senior management and other fields.

Recordist

Recordists are employed by Radio and TV Stations. They record sound and video programs for transmission. Recordists also record in Recording Studios for DVD's, CD's, etc.

Scholarship (Fellowship, Grant, Studentship)

Financial support provided to a student to cover, in total or in part, fees and/or living expenses. It may come from national governments, charitable foundations or private sectors.

Self-study material

Instructional materials used for study with little or no human interaction. These can include books, videotapes, computer softwares, etc.

Specialty (See also Branch)

It can be used as synonym for "branch" with particular reference to "new" branches.

Techie

The word Techie is a general respectful term used to describe someone with skilled technical knowledge. Because of the many different categories of engineering worker with technical knowledge, "Techie" is used as a general title by people who might not be familiar with the titles of the different categories. As well, since there is much overlap between the different categories, the general title "Techie" will suffice to describe a skilled technical worker.

Technologist

A person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.

Thesis

A formally presented written report based on independent work which is required for the award of a degree. In the case of a doctorate it must contains elements of original research.

Validation

The word Validation has different meanings to different people. But in general it means a program which has been 'approved' by another organization. A validated program run by an organization is awarded by other institutions of an MBA. But it is application only when the organization running the program is unable to award its own degrees or in the cases when the validating organization is having higher status. A validated degree may differ from that of the organization which is providing it – which means that the organization will have to present its own program to another institution. On the other hand it may be much similar with the program offered through a validating institute, but it works locally on their behalf.