Interdisciplinary engineering is a field that encompasses various specialty areas of engineering. To become an interdisciplinary engineer, you need to undergo training in different engineering programs, which will equip you to operate outside the boundaries of a single field. An interdisciplinary degree is a specialized degree that can help you fast track into a suitable career, but to participate in such multidisciplinary programs, you need a basic engineering degree to begin with. Thereafter, experience in a specialized area of engineering and registration with the relevant engineering bodies will provide the credibility you need to establish a career.
For the student wishing to become an interdisciplinary engineer, the first step is to obtain a suitable undergraduate degree. Enrollment in an engineering degree at a recognized post-secondary institution provides the grounding in engineering. Choose the field of engineering that interests you most, and take elective subjects that provide as wide a range of engineering subject choices as possible.
On completion of the undergraduate degree, investigate the interdisciplinary programs available that can offer you the career you want. You can obtain information on the types of jobs available that will help you to become an interdisciplinary engineer by seeking out companies who employ engineers and reading job descriptions for similar positions. For example, a position might require an engineering degree with courses in several different areas of engineering science or physics, including statistics, thermodynamics, architecture, physics and related disciplines. You'll have been exposed to most of these as part of your multidisciplinary teaching.
Gain experience by finding an entry-level position in a field relating to the areas of engineering you have studied. Relevant experience is a requirement to become an interdisciplinary engineer, and you will need to be able to show evidence that you can apply professional engineering principles and concepts, practices, methods and techniques and perform assignments. You will also need to be able to understand the technical ramifications of changes in item design or customer requirements, and to use software to prepare engineering designs. These abilities will indicate that your interdisciplinary learning skills are adequate for a position as an engineer.
Another step to take to become an interdisciplinary engineer is registration with professional organizations. You can register as a professional engineer by the exam offered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the state in which you live or the District of Columbia. Alternatively, registration can be attained by successfully passing the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination and providing evidence of work experience in a particular area of engineering.
