How to Become a Design Engineer

Design engineers are essential to the operation and productivity of the engineering world, but there's no single path to becoming one.

These sought-after professionals work across disciplines and come from a variety of engineering backgrounds.

If you're a recent engineering graduate, here's what you need to know about pursuing a career as a design engineer.

What is a design engineer?

There are many different types of engineering design, but they generally fall into two main categories:

1. Product design for production

• What do they do?

Product design engineers develop physical products for manufacturing. These products must meet established industry standards.

Examples of products developed by design engineers include smartphones, fire hydrants, coffee machines, forklifts, camera lenses and fuel tanks.

It's safe to say that a product design engineer had their hand in almost everything you touch.

• Who else do they work with?

Typically, design engineers work in combination with industrial designers, other engineers and manufacturers to create a single product. 

• What to look for during your job search 

Design engineers that specialize in product design are also commonly called component engineers, systems engineers, product engineers and project engineers.

2. Building design for construction

• What do they do?

Design engineering jobs in the building and construction industry develop model-based specifications and parameters for building systems and design. Building systems include structural, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), electrical, plumbing and fire safety, each of which must meet design standards to ensure occupant safety. Building design consists of foundation and structural design to support the loads of the environment and the building itself. 

• Who else do they work with?

Building design engineers work iteratively with clients, building architects, component manufacturers and construction contractors to create the physical system and building that they are designing.

• What to look for during your job search 

Building design engineers are also commonly referred to as MEP engineers, system engineers and building engineers. 

Common design engineer disciplines

Design engineer jobs are not limited to one discipline of engineering. A "design engineering degree" is not commonly found, as true design engineering is a combination of (though not limited to) these disciplines:

• Mechanical engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Architectural engineering
• Civil engineering

To figure out how to highlight your new engineering degree on your resume, check out our Resume Templates.

How to become a design engineer

The first step to becoming a design engineer is to earn a degree in one of the engineering disciplines mentioned above. In some cases, you legally cannot be called an engineer without having a formal engineering degree from an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited university or college.

Regardless of the design engineer job description, all design engineers follow the same process of design:

• Create scientific and math-based input/output models to outline the design criteria.
• Design 2D or 3D models that solve the problem that the design criteria and models outline.
• Ensure that the project meets all time, budget, physical and code requirements.
• Test the model and design to produce simulated results. For certain design engineers, this stage can include prototyping. Prototyping is the creation of a proof-of-concept device that proves the main components of the design are feasible.
• Cooperate with manufacturers and contractors to create or build a physical product. 
• Maintain proper documentation throughout. This step is particularly essential when code requirements are a parameter of a design, so make note in your cover letter if you have experience with documentation. (If you are unsure of how to do this, Check out our tips on how to write a cover letter.) 

Other types of design engineering

Here are a few other disciplines where you can work as a design engineer: 

• Biomedical engineering

Many professionals consider biomedical engineering a subset or combination of mechanical and electrical engineering. Biomedical design engineers focus on product development that involves design-integration with the human body. 

• Aerospace engineering

Aerospace design engineers generally work on a particular system of aerospace equipment. As an example, Ball Aerospace may hire an FPGA Design Engineer that focuses on discrete Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) design for a single subsystem within a larger system.

• Petroleum, nuclear or chemical engineering

These disciplines of engineering generally have design engineering job descriptions that are primarily "system" design engineers. They have a profound understanding of large-scale petroleum, nuclear or chemical processes. Their design engineers create sustainable systems that consist of multiple inputs and outputs that will achieve a variety of design criteria.

To begin applying for design engineering positions, check out our Resume Builder and Cover Letter Builder, and demonstrate to future employers ― via customized, properly formatted application materials ― that you're ready for a career in the field.