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I'm currently pursuing a computer science degree, and I had to take two semesters of "engineering" (i.e. calculus) physics and several other engineering classes before I could get to where I am today. Even now we're learning about the intricacies of the basic building blocks of a computer -- bits, switches, and the like. Plus, we take statistics courses that are also geared toward engineers.

Now, the school I'm going to now doesn't have a degree program for software engineers, but the university I used to attend did have a degree program for that. It was a mixture of computer science, computer information systems, and computer engineering.

Speaking as someone who came into college a computer engineering major, I think this is all a bit silly. If you've passed the P.E. exam, definitely you should be considered a P.E. and should have that emblazoned on your business cards. However, if your job title in the rest of the 49 would be that of "software engineer" and you've got at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or C.I.S., then for heaven's sake you should be able to put that on your business cards! This should ESPECIALLY be the case if you had to take engineering courses along with your programming courses while pursuing a C.S. degree.

It would be very easy for me to, upon graduation, go back to my old school and get a computer engineering degree within a year. So maybe that will be my own plan of action, along with taking the P.E. Still, that's a bit much for being able to proclaim something I would be able to proclaim in the rest of the U.S.

Just my own little semi-biased opinion.

No offense, but I just don't agree. I guess I'm biased, too. :-)

Unless you have an accredited degree in Engineering, you are not an Engineer. Period. Computer science and MIS are fine, useful, and challenging degree programs, but they are not and should not pretend to be engineering degrees. There is nothing wrong with being a computer scientist or information systems professional. I know many fine professionals in these fields. They just aren't engineers.

Every engineer (regardless of major) who is a fairly recent graduate and has an accredited degree will know the basics of statics, circuits, thermodynamics, engineering ethics, and computer programming. The FE exam includes sections on all of these...it doesn't matter if you're an electrical or civil engineering major, you are expected to have basic knowledge common to the engineering profession as a whole. That's the big reason for ABET accreditation...it ensures that engineering graduates from accredited programs have a basic subset of knowledge and skills.

Don't take it personally...engineers work hard for what we do, as do computer scientists and other computer professionals. Just as I wouldn't call myself a computer scientist without a CS degree (even if I worked in the computer field), others shouldn't call themselves "engineers" without an engineering degree.