Overview
In this career, your responsibilities may include:
- Helping electrical engineers design and develop electrical equipment, such as communication and navigation systems.
- Working in product assessment and testing, using diagnostic equipment to evaluate, finetune, and repair products.
- Specializing in implementing existing engineering technology, rather than developing new concepts.
Both technicians and technologists work as part of a team with engineers and with each other.
Job Titles
In your job search, you may find listings for this career under different titles. You can find some examples of these, as well as more information about this career, at Career One Stop.
Academic Requirements
Technicians typically need an associate degree in engineering technology, and technologists typically need a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology. Note: you CANNOT become licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology.
Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Electronics Engineering would allow you to work as an Electrical or Electronics Engineer, if you do not already have the U.S. equivalent of a professional engineering bachelor’s degree. Your existing degree might give you advanced standing or transfer credit toward a higher degree, reducing the time it would take you to graduate.
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Certification
Certification is not required, but could make employers more likely to hire you or offer you a higher salary.
Electrical or Electronics Engineering Technicians may be eligible for nine different certifications offered by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET), a division of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). Each of the following certifications are offered at two, three, or four different levels, depending on your years of related work experience (.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 5, 7, or 10):
- Building Systems: In-Building Public Safety Communications
- Fire Protection: Fire Alarm Systems
- Fire Protection: Inspection and Testing of Fire Alarm Systems
- Fire Protection: Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems
- Fire Protection: Special Hazards Systems
- Fire Protection: Water-Based Systems Layout
- Security Systems: Video Security Systems Designer
- Electrical Power: Electrical Power Testing
Electrical or Electronics Engineering Technologists may be eligible for two certifications from NICET:
- Associate Engineering Technologist (AT), which requires no work experience.
- Certified Engineering Technologist (CT), which requires 5 years of related work experience.
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Licensure
No licensure is required to work as an Electrical or Electronics Engineering Technician or Technologist.
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Mutual Recognition Agreement
A Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) is an agreement between two or more jurisdictions to accept the educational or professional credentials granted under each other’s authority. This means that if you graduated with a specific degree or earned certain professional qualifications in a country covered under an MRA, your credentials may be automatically recognized here in the U.S. Several professions in the U.S participate in MRAs, including accounting, architecture, and engineering.
The Washington Accord is an MRA between engineering organizations in multiple countries to recognize each other’s accredited academic qualifications. If you graduated from an accredited engineering program in one of the 22 non-U.S. jurisdictions covered by the Washington Accord, then your engineering degree may already be declared substantially equivalent to a degree from a U.S. program, and you may not need to obtain a credential evaluation. However, individual state licensing boards have the final authority on whether or not a particular degree meets their specific requirements for licensure. MRAs are not legally binding, and some states may choose not to recognize credentials covered under an MRA.
- In addition to the U.S., the jurisdictions that have signed to the Washington Accord are: Australia; Canada; People’s Republic of China; Chinese Taipei; Costa Rica; Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China; India; Indonesia; Ireland; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Pakistan; Peru; Russia; Singapore; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Turkey; and United Kingdom.
The Seoul Accord covers computing and IT degree programs, which may apply to internationally trained computer engineers and other engineers in computing-related fields.
- In addition to the U.S., the jurisdictions that have signed to the Seoul Accord are: Australia; Canada; Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China; Japan; Korea; Mexico; Taiwan, Republic of China; and United Kingdom.
For engineering technicians and technologists, there are also MRAs that cover 2 and 4-year engineering technology degrees: the Dublin Accord and the Sydney Accord.
If your degree may be covered under an MRA, always check with your state licensing board to be sure that they accept the agreement.
Contact us with any questions you might have.