NCEES NEWS RELEASE

Release: 8-21-2008
Contact: Jerry T. Carter
jcarter@ncees.org

Message from the Executive Director regarding the education requirements for engineering licensure

Last week at the 2008 NCEES Annual Meeting, Council delegates and representatives of many engineering organizations gathered in Minneapolis to help shape the future direction of engineering licensure. One of the major items of discussion was the ongoing initiative to strengthen the education requirements for licensure.

In 2006, NCEES delegates passed a motion to draft Model Law language requiring candidates to complete 30 academic credits beyond an accredited bachelor’s degree (or earn a master’s degree) as a prerequisite for engineering licensure. Since then, members of the Council have wrestled with the specifics involved in implementing this requirement at the state level. This requirement has gone by several names, most commonly the “bachelor’s plus 30.” NCEES will now begin referring to this requirement more simply as the master’s or equivalent. To promote consistency and simplicity, I encourage all of you to do the same.

While the Council is nearly unanimous in its desire to strengthen the education requirements for engineering licensure, many within the organization and throughout the engineering profession have expressed concern with the specifics of the master’s or equivalent requirement. This prompted a close examination of the work done by the 2007–08 Bachelor’s Plus 30 Task Force, which was charged with investigating potential obstacles to implementing the new requirement. Among the task force motions that passed was a motion to change the date of the requirement’s implementation to 2020.

During this year’s meeting, people on all sides of this debate were able to take a closer look at the higher education issue during various forums and workshops that took place prior to the business sessions. It was an excellent example of engineers working together to solve complex challenges, and it resulted in a decision by the Council to pass a resolution that calls for NCEES leadership to assign a task force to provide the Council with a written analysis of

1) The potential educational, professional, regulatory, and economic impact of the master’s or equivalent; and

2) Any alternative solutions besides the master’s or equivalent that could potentially address the challenge of better preparing engineering licensure candidates to enter the profession.

As we are still in the beginning stages of responding to this resolution, you can expect more information to come in the future about the specific charges that President Henn Rebane, P.E., will assign to the 2008–09 Engineering Education Task Force. On behalf of the entire Council, I applaud your ability to address a potentially delicate issue in such a decisive and efficient manner and look forward to your continued and active involvement.

Jerry T. Carter
NCEES Executive Director

“Make it a point to do something every day that you don’t want to do.  This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.”

MARK TWAIN

American Writer

Movin’ Up! Campaign Encourages Use of Financial Incentive to Become Licensed as an Engineer in Ontario

(TORONTO - August 8, 2008) - Since enabling qualified engineering graduates and newcomers to Canada to apply for an Ontario professional engineer licence at no cost in May 2007, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) reports that fewer than 10 per cent of eligible international engineering graduates and fewer than 20 per cent of graduates from Ontario engineering schools have taken advantage of it.

“Our main goal is to remove the cost barriers and get engineering graduates to apply for the license,” said PEO President J. David Adams, P.Eng., MBA. “We want to ensure that every qualified person can succeed in engineering and encourage recognition of their skills. We have provided the tools and we want all those eligible to use them.”

Under the Engineering Intern Training Financial Credit Program (FCP), international engineering graduates and Canadian university graduates may be eligible to apply free for licensure and be enrolled in the first year of PEO’s Engineering Intern Training Program.  Normally, the cost of application is $230. Enrolment in the EIT program is $70 a year.  “Comprehensive licensure is in the public interest,” said PEO chief executive officer and registrar Kim Allen, P.Eng. “Not only does a license demonstrate that its holder has been rigorously educated, is experienced and committed to a Code of Ethics, it also provides the most effective means to make the holder accountable to the public.”

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The issue of higher education requirements for engineering licensure has played a large role in the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying’s (NCEES) activities in recent years.  This new requirement is generally referred to as “bachelor’s plus 30” or “B+30.” If adopted by your state, it would mean that engineering licensure candidates would have to complete 30 additional hours of approved coursework credits beyond the bachelor’s degree before sitting for the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam

The following are three motions that NCEES members will vote on during this year’s Annual Meeting business sessions (August 13-16, 2008; Minneapolis, MN).

1. Move that a committee be charged with exploring the idea of creating a national clearinghouse to carry out activities needed to implement the B+30
2. Move that a committee be charged with incorporating Model Rules language to define B+30 terms (the full text of the proposed language is included below)
3. Move that the Uniform Procedures and Legislative Guidelines (UPLG) Committee be charged with incorporating the M-ABET concept into the Model Law and Model Rules

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Changing the Conversation: …
Read this FREE online! Full Book | PDF Summary | Podcast

Changing the Conversation:
Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering
Status: Available Now
Size: 164 pages, 6 x 9
Publication Year:2008

PAPERBACK
ISBN-10: 0-309-11934-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-309-11934-4

This new book from the National Academies Press provides actionable strategies and market-tested messages for presenting a richer, more positive image of engineering.  This so the United States can continue to lead the world in innovation. The public understanding of engineering is a key component of the innovation engine. A related concern is how to encourage young people particularly girls and under-represented minorities to consider engineering as a career option.  This book presents and discusses in detail market research about what the public finds most appealing about engineering as well as what turns the public off.

Changing the Conversation is a vital tool for improving the public image of engineering and outreach efforts related to engineering. It can be used by engineers in professional and academic settings including informal learning environments (such as museums and science centers), engineering schools, national engineering societies, technology-based corporations that support education and other outreach to schools and communities, and federal and state agencies and labs that do or promote engineering, technology, and science.

The full text can be read on-line free, and a free podcast is available.  For sale are pdf or print versions.

Engineers Australia is the Australian national forum for the advancement of engineering and the professional development of their members. With over 80,000 members embracing all disciplines of engineering, Engineers Australia is the largest and most diverse professional body for engineers in Australia.  They work with government, industry and tertiary education providers to promote engineering as a discipline.  Their chartered engineers are regarded as trusted professionals not only in Australia, but worldwide.

Engineers Australia stated role includes activities that:

• Advance the science and practice of engineering;
• Cultivate lifelong learning by our members;
• Promote the contribution of the profession as widely as possible;
• Champion professional and ethical conduct;
• Welcome all those who wish to practise engineering;
• Allow members’ aspirations to flourish; and stimulate and learn from their creativity and innovation;
• Celebrate excellence in engineering outcomes;
• Draw inspiration from our engineering heritage;
• Sustain the integrity of the profession; and
• Take the lead in advocacy of the profession.

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