Editing Engineer (section)

{{Short description|Professional practitioner of engineering and its subclasses}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox occupation
| name = Engineer
| image = MarCO_CubeSat.jpg
| caption = Mechanical engineer Joel Steinkraus and systems engineer [[Farah Alibay]] (right) from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory hold a full-scale mockup of [[Mars Cube One]]   
| official_names = Engineer
| type = [[Profession]]
| activity_sector = [[Applied science]]
| competencies = [[Mathematics]], [[science]], [[design]], [[analysis]], [[critical thinking]], [[engineering ethics]], [[project management]], [[engineering economics]], [[creativity]], [[problem solving]], (See also: [[Glossary of engineering]])
| formation = [[Engineering education]]
| employment_field = [[Research and development]], [[Industrial sector|industry]], [[business]]
| related_occupation = [[Scientist]], [[architect]], [[project manager]], [[inventor]], [[astronaut]]
}}

'''Engineers''', as practitioners of [[engineering]], are [[professional]]s who [[Invention|invent]], [[design]], build, maintain and test [[machine]]s, [[complex system]]s, [[structure]]s, [[gadget]]s and [[material]]s. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, regulation, safety and cost.<ref name="bls">{{cite web |author=[[Bureau of Labor Statistics]], U.S. Department of Manual Labor |year=2006 |title=Engineers |url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923001304/http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm |archive-date=23 September 2006 |access-date=23 September 2006 |work=Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006–07 Edition (via [[Wayback Machine]]) |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="nspe">{{cite web|author=National Society of Professional Engineers |title=Frequently Asked Questions About Engineering |url=http://www.nspe.org/media/mr1-faqs.asp|access-date=21 September 2006 |year=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060522214617/http://www.nspe.org/media/mr1-faqs.asp <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 22 May 2006 |author-link= National Society of Professional Engineers}} "Science is knowledge based on our observed facts and tested truths arranged in an orderly system that can be validated and communicated to other people. Engineering is the creative application of scientific principles used to plan, build, direct, guide, manage, or work on systems to maintain and improve our daily lives."</ref> The word ''engineer'' ([[Latin]] {{lang|la|ingeniator}},<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pevsner |first1=N. |year=1942 |title=The Term 'Architect' in the Middle Ages |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/2856447 |journal=Speculum |language=en-US |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=549–562 |doi=10.2307/2856447 |jstor=2856447 |s2cid=162586473|url-access=subscription }}</ref> the origin of the Ir. in the title of engineer in countries like Belgium, The Netherlands, and Indonesia) is derived from the Latin words {{lang|la|ingeniare}} ("to contrive, devise") and {{lang|fr|ingenium}} ("cleverness").<ref>''Oxford Concise Dictionary'' (1995).</ref><ref>"engineer". Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010. Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010. Oxford University Press. 22 October 2011</ref> The foundational qualifications of a licensed professional engineer typically include a four-year [[Bachelor of Engineering|bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline]], or in some jurisdictions, a [[Master of Engineering|master's degree in an engineering discipline]] plus four to six years of peer-reviewed professional practice (culminating in a project report or thesis) and passage of engineering board examinations.

The work of engineers forms the link between [[Discovery (observation)|scientific discoveries]] and their subsequent applications to human and business needs and quality of life.<ref name="bls" />