nonengineering

Nonengineering refers to activities, disciplines, and approaches that do not primarily involve the practice of engineering or the creation of engineered artifacts. It is used to distinguish fields that rely on different methods, aims, or forms of validation from those associated with engineering disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering.

The scope of nonengineering is broad. It includes the humanities (for example, literature, history, philosophy), the social sciences (sociology, anthropology, political science), the natural sciences not centered on engineering applications (certain areas of physics or chemistry), the arts, medicine, law, education, and many business disciplines. It also covers organizational and policy functions not focused on designing or building engineered systems, such as governance, ethics oversight, administration, and user research.

Nonengineering work often uses methods distinct from engineering practice. This can include qualitative research, historical analysis, normative reasoning, theoretical modeling, or critical inquiry. Although nonengineering approaches can be rigorous, they do not typically follow the engineering design cycle of specification, development, testing, and deployment as a primary framework.

Intersections with engineering are common. Nonengineering perspectives contribute to technology development through ethical review, legal compliance, user-centered design, and societal impact assessment. Conversely, many projects involve collaboration across engineering and nonengineering domains, creating interdisciplinary solutions that address technical and human considerations.

The term is not always precise and may be used differently in various contexts. Some uses of nonengineering label activities as nontechnical or administrative, while others highlight the breadth of knowledge and inquiry that lies outside traditional engineering practice.