What's the terminal degree in the various fields of engineering (e.g.,
mechanical, chemical)? Stated otherwise: A PhD is to history as a
______ is to engineering.

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Request for Question Clarification by palitoy-ga on 09 Feb 2006 04:57 PST

Hello nautico-ga,

The terminal degree in the various fields of engineering is also
called a PhD.  The term PhD refers to simply a Doctor of Philosophy
and is usually awarded to anyone who has performed further research
into their field of excellence (whether this is history, mathematics,
language or engineering).

There is an excellent discussion of this here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctorate

Definitions of PhD:
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=define%3Aphd

Some countries also assign terminal degrees such as a D.Eng. in
engineering which simply a doctorate of engineering but are usually
equivalent to a PhD.

Is this sufficient for an answer?  If it is please let me know and I
will post it as such.

palitoy-ga

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Clarification of Question by nautico-ga on 09 Feb 2006 06:14 PST

Sure, make that your answer. For some reason I'd been under the
impression that graduate schools of engineering offered a differently
named terminal degree, but on viewing MIT's site, I see that's not so.
Perhaps I was thinking of graduate engineer certifications.

Hello nautico-ga,

Thank-you for accepting my question clarification as an answer, I have
copied it below for completeness.

The terminal degree in the various fields of engineering is also
called a PhD.  The term PhD refers to simply a Doctor of Philosophy
and is usually awarded to anyone who has performed further research
into their field of excellence (whether this is history, mathematics,
language or engineering).

There is an excellent discussion of this here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctorate

Definitions of PhD:
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=define%3Aphd

Some countries also assign terminal degrees such as a D.Eng. in
engineering which simply a doctorate of engineering but are usually
equivalent to a PhD.

Should you require any further assistance on this subject please do
not hesitate to ask for clarification and I will do my best to respond
swiftly.

Thanks!

Thanks for the 5-star rating and tip!  They are both appreciated.

The answer could well be 'Luddite'

Historians specialize in the past, normally a very specific period.

Engineering requires a knowledge of the past, but an acute
understanding of the present.

While, as Palitoy has pointed out, the ultimate degree is a PhD, those
PhDs or D Phils as others call them (smirk) do age, and in some ways
can be viewed as an indication of antiquity.

I'm curious about the source of that quotation/question, it looks like
something from an aptitude test, where the 'right' answer is an
indicator of your views, not of reality.

Was it multiple choice ?  
I suspect not, which makes its context more interesting.

frde:

Must confess I've no idea what you're getting it. My question was
original. I first asked it directly, then framed it as an analogy,
because I thought that would clarify what it was I sought. I realize
that it's become trendy to belittle PhDs.

This is most interesting. My husband is an engineer born and bred (his
father and grandfather suffered the same condition). I have long
viewed an obsession with engineering as a benign disease. It had never
occurred to me that it might be "terminal." :-D

It might be trendy now, but that is no innovation.

25 plus years ago, people would mock 'em

Strange question of yours, if you know that a PhD is usually an
indication that he/she has spent to much time on mommy's tit, or is an
academic **ctum crawler, then why ask it ?

Did Ozymandias measure his works by inches ?

I'm a lot more impressed by academics who get good (UK) Professorships
without a PhD, or the odd crafty individual that gets a PhD and then
goes for easy pickin's

I also know a little about engineering, a seriously undervalued
discipline, but engineers can cross train to superb programmers and
businessmen.
IMO rather a shame, but life is like that.

Fancy a scrap ?
If so suggest a forum, but better not here.

Actually, I'm not sure I agree that PhD is the terminal degree of
engineering.  You can get a PhD in engineering, but that generally
implies that you do research in engineering.  I believe that the 
terminal degree of a practicing engineer would be a PD, which is the
equivelent of an MD for a doctor.  It is generally considered to be a
higher level than a masters.  For instance, here is Columbia's
statement on the professional degree:
http://www.engineering.columbia.edu/admissions/grad/programs/professional.php

I would argue PD is terminal in the same sense that MD is terminal. 
Sure a doctor can get a PhD as well, but not to practice medicine.

Frankcorrao: That's exactly what I'd suspected. Thanx!