Jeff,

My experience is elsewhere, so I can't offer any advice, but in case you haven't accessed it already, the link below has questions and answers related to the CWE exam, a Body of knowledge page, that explains the exam and subject matter, along with testing facility locations, dates, and prices, and the site gives you access to AWS B5.16.2006, which is the Specification for the Qualification of Welding Engineers...

https://www.aws.org/certification/CWEng/

This ought to be an interesting thread

Edit:
Welcome to the forum Jeff :)

Jeff,
there are a number of ways to become a Welding Engineer, You can get a degree in welding engineering or material sciences or you can get it through a company program. I am not a degreed engineer but am considered a welding engineer for my company.  Based on my exp. and work history, and was certified as a welding engineer through my previous employer. You can also achieve it by exam, such as AWS has.
Hope that helps
Jim Hughes

Jeff,

WELCOME TO THE AWS WELDING FORUM!!

Since you are a CWI, look at it this way, there are inspectors who are inspectors through ICC Welding and Bolting Special Inspectors.  Some, through company programs as approved in house QC.  Some through ASNT either for NDT or even as VT.  Plus other venues.  Then, there are those who are Certified Welding Inspectors through AWS.

As Jim said, you can get the 'TITLE' of 'ENGINEER' many ways.  Most people think of someone who has completed a college course of study and gotten a degree.  Not necessarily so.  At least in the case of Welding Engineer. 

If a title is all you want, take the AWS exam if you qualify and think you can manage it but beware of misconceptions and misapplications.  There was another thread on here recently about this as well.  Went into a lot of depth with many people contributing.  I'll see if I can locate it and post the link. 

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent

Here, ignore the title. It will become obvious soon that it was wrongly worded:

https://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?tid=33464

Brent

There are degreed welding engineers that are absolutely brilliant. those which I call my mentors fall in to this category. And some degreed engineers are idiots. Part of my responsibilities at this time are as welding engineer. I think the degree garners attention when you are unknown but is not only unnecessary, there is very little that a welding engineer does that actually requires anything beyond what you can learn on your own. Having said this the big EPC's go with degrees. It is almost impossible to break in there without a degree. But you will also generally be pigeon holed there until you get to higher levels. Manufacturers/fabricators generally could care less and your experience will immediately be more diverse. This is where I started.

Regarding the AWS Certified WE Exam: 

My own personal analysis would involve a list of goals and/or a consideration of industries that might offer employment prospects, followed by an attempt to consider the potential project durations and/or possible relocation frequency requirements.  This certification is still somewhat new in the welding industry in my opinion, and the "jury" relative to its widespread acceptance by employers may still be out.

I have only encountered a few sparse job postings for BS level WE's that have included this cert in the job specifications, and most of these listed the cert as highly desired or optional.

However, I have recently observed an increasing number of job postings for welding engineers that offer consideration to people with a "degree OR XX years of equivalent experience".  In cases like this, the cert would possibly offer an advantage for applicants with no degree and/or who are seeking an additional paper credential to document their experience.

I have reviewed some of the sample exam questions posted at this site, and they are without a doubt very challenging - perhaps even for some existing PE level engineers.  

Yes, I know of, and have personally worked with some excellent Welding Engineers who did not have degrees.  Even Welding Metallurgy Volumes I and II were written by a non-degreed Welding Engineer.  However, most of these individuals spent virtually their entire careers slotted in one specific industry.

That said, it is important to consider that there are some 4,000 different metal alloys, dozens of welding codes, and thousands of material specifications in industry today.  Any realistic thinker should be willing to acknowledge that learning all of this information - even over 8 years heading towards the PhD level is likely an impossible undertaking for most humans.  However, a good background in advanced welding theory and/or metallurgy is often helpful to those who pursue work that is more focused on new product and new process development, or for those people whose career path takes them to more than one industry.

The need for a degree vs. hands-on training often depends on the specific industry, and then the code and training requirements - if a code is used.  And, some employers only require degrees because their customers demand them.

Employer size and individual contributor skills are also an important factor to consider.  Different skills are taught in different welding degree programs these days.  Sometimes support tasks related to the maintenance of automation and/or welding technology is a factor.  It is easier for large employers to build teams of specialists, while, some smaller employers occasionally expect their welding engineers to wear multiple hats - even to the level of designing custom welding control interfaces and writing computer programs. But, it is important to remember that many issues are negotiable, and contractors can also be hired.

I am not sure what I think about the pay issues - it all depends on the overtime expectations.  I am aware of CWIs that earn more than engineers, and the opposite is true as well.

There are many highly intelligent people on the planet today that have not completed a college degree.  Consider what an organization like MENSA might have to say about this subject.

Finally, some organizations are more egalitarian than others.  At one shop, we heard reports that one of the CNC machinists had earned more than the company president after his overtime pay had been collected.

Aim high, and good luck!

Maybe jarsanb will laugh when he reads this post. Several years ago I was asked to review and comment for revision or approve several welding procedures and to sign off on them as an EOR. I refused. I am not an engineer, I did not take the time or spend the money to become an engineer and would not be-little the title of Engineer and besides that I didn't want the term "Engineer" associated with my name. I had had a pretty good reputation up till then and would not spoil it by having "Engineer" associated with my name, I had worked with too many "engineers" at that time. After some heated discussions I agreed that they could refer to me as a SME, Subject Matter Expert.

See, I "Loved" messing around with the people I worked with too.

As an aside from the engineer tail I was asked to look at and comment on quite a bundle of drawings too. I told the engineer that I didn't have enough time in my schedule to look at all the drawings. She said that their department would agree to pay the overtime. I told her I wasn't going to work any overtime. Her reply was "how about working on them Saturday and Sunday". Go Figure.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
      Engineer is a job title and/or Legal Profession and/or Certification

1. I say I am a graduate engineer.

2. A professional engineer is a licensed professional. One state that I am aware of Ohio has a Professional Engineer qualification for Welding Engineer. A friend has that license a mechanical engineering Professional license from New York and can advertise for welding engineering as professional work.

3. The AWS has a test and certification as a welding engineer which recognized internationally.

Other things. I worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In total I was it as far as engineer there ! Hope this is helpful.
Sincerely
Len Andersen
914-536-7101 / 914-237-7689 (H) / 800-428-4801 USA
POB 1529 / NYC 10116-1529 ( $1160 per year Caller Box GPO NYC / Most Secure Service At Largest Post Office USA )

www.lenandersen.com

PS - http://lenandersen.com/personal_info/resume.html

My first mentor out of college was a very good welding engineer who had no engineering degree. I'm a firm believer that it's possible to be an effective engineer who no engineering degree.  That being said, it's harder these days to land engineering jobs without a degree. It's really a box that HR types tick when they do resume searches for WE jobs.  Also it's more of a matter of proving that you have the requisite skills.  The ones I knew went the CWI or management route and tended to work their way up at a company or industry. 

It's certainly not impossible to get a welding engineering degree without any college but it's not easy to find them. biggest suggestion would be to demonstrate you have the skills and pick up certifications. If you are CWI/CWS you should be able to pull it off. Best of luck!

If I remember correctly, I just saw a pretty good article covering this in the October issue of the Welding Journal.  You might check it out and see.

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent

Jeff,

Here's another one i came across today reading a blog...

"William Roth, PE and CWI added this in blog comments, to explain “the difference between an engineering degree (welding or otherwise) and an engineering technology degree. The engineering technology degrees normally don’t have the heavy math and physics in their curriculum as does a regular engineering degree. In most cases, having an engineering technology degree will either delay or prevent one from being able to sit for the professional engineers exam. While most jobs do not require a PE license, there are limitations to what work you can do without one. In some states, you can’t market yourself as an engineer or open a company with the name engineering in it if you don’t have a PE License. Getting an AWS Certified Welding Engineer qualification is nice, but is not recognized by any state as a license.”

Here's the link to the blog:

http://weldsparks.wordpress.com/

Enjoy the read.

Respectfully,
Henry