Master’s or Equivalent
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is working to implement changes to its Model Law to increase the mandatory educational requirements for professional licensure (See http://theprofessionalengineer.com/2008/09/09/masters-or-equivalent/ ).
While some engineering organizations support this change (e.g. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE)), several others do not, including:
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
- Institute of Industrial Engineers
- Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society
- Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration
- Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
- The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society
A web site ( LicensingThatWorks.org ) was created by those organizations opposed to the change for members of the engineering community to share information and collaborate on the need to maintain the current educational requirements. The “Partnering Organizations” coordinate resources, participate in Coalitions and share information.
The stated purpose of the website is “ to serve as a resource, providing a means for common support and interaction to individuals with an interest or involvement in maintaining the integrity of the professional engineering licensing process.”
The web site includes the “ASME General Position Statement on Mandatory Educational Requirements for Engineering Licensure” which includes the reasons why they do not support the “master’s or equivalent” (aka Bachelor +30).
A couple of their key points include:
- “ASME believes that the typical scope of an ABET Accredited bachelor’s degree can be and has been demonstrated to accommodate technical breadth and flexibility and the intellectual skills necessary for engineering graduates to attain licensure as a Professional Engineer.”
- “The engineering degree is one of the most challenging programs of study that one may undertake at the university and requiring an additional 30+ will make it even more difficult to attract the highly capable students we need to ensure our technological growth. Increasing the professional licensing requirements has the potential to reduce the supply of licensed engineers who are able to practice and therefore reduce our Nation’s technological competitiveness.”
