in the united states, most engineers go to a college or university to get an engineering degree. most people go to school for four years to get a bachelor's degree in engineering. a master's degree is an advanced degree, usually requiring two more years of study after the bachelors. a person with a master's degree is eligible to enter a doctoral program in engineering. a graduate of a doctoral program is awarded a doctor of philosophy degree, which is commonly called a phd. a phd in engineering requires three or four years of study after a master's degree, and includes the completion of a long research report called a dissertation. after having gained enough work experience, one can sit for their professional engineer's (pe) license, reinforcing their demonstrated proficiency in their specialty.