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OCR for page 37
Thomas Lenox, Senior Managing Director of Education,
Geographic Services, & Diversity
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
POLICY
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) supports the concept
of the master's degree or equivalent as a prerequisite for licensure and the
practice of civil engineering at a professional level.
ASCE encourages institutions of higher education, governmental
units, employers, civil engineers, and other appropriate organizations to
endorse, support, and promote the concept of mandatory postbaccalau-
reate education for the practice of civil engineering at a professional level.
The implementation of this effort should occur through establishing ap-
propriate curricula in the formal education experience, appropriate rec-
ognition and compensation in the workplace, and congruent standards
for licensure.
ISSUE
The practice of civil engineering at the professional level means prac-
tice as a licensed professional engineer. Admission to the practice of civil
engineering at the professional level means professional engineering li-
censing, which requires:
· A body of specialized knowledge as reflected by a combination of a
baccalaureate degree and a master's or equivalent
· Appropriate experience
· Commitment to lifelong learning
OCR for page 38
PAN-~CANIZAHONAL SUMMIT
The required body of specialized knowledge includes a technical core,
technical electives, a nontechnical core, and technical and nontechnical
courses to support individual career objectives. The current baccalaureate
civil engineering degree is an entry-level degree that may no longer be
adequate preparation for the practice of civil engineering at the profes-
sional level.
The civil engineering profession is undergoing significant, rapid, and
revolutionary changes that have increased the body of knowledge re-
auired of the nrofe.~.sion. These changes include the following:
· Globalization has challenged the worldwide geographic bound-
aries normally recognized in the past, primarily as a result of enhanced
communication systems.
· Information technology has made, and continues to make, more
information available; however, the analysis and application of this infor-
mation is becoming more challenging.
· The diversity of society is challenging our traditional views and
people skills.
· New technologies in engineering and construction are emerging at
an accelerating rate.
· Enhanced public awareness of technical issues is creating more in-
formed inquiry by the public of the technical, environmental, societal,
political, legal, aesthetic, and financial implications of engineering
projects.
· Civil infrastructure systems within the United States are rapidly
changing from decades of development and operation to the renewal,
maintenance, and improvement of these systems.
These changes have created a market requiring civil engineers to have
simultaneously greater breadth of capability and specialized technical
competence than that required of previous generations. For example,
many civil engineers must increasingly assume a different primary role
from that of designer to that of team leader. The knowledge required to
support this new market is found in the combination of an appropriate
baccalaureate education and the completion of postgraduate courses suf-
ficient to attain a master's degree or its equivalent.
RATIONALE
Requiring education beyond the baccalaureate degree for the practice
of civil engineering at the professional level is consistent with other
OCR for page 39
~MERICAN SOCILTY OF CIV~ FNGIl~S
learned professions. The body of knowledge gained and the skills devel-
oped in the formal civil engineering education process are not significantly
less than the comparable knowledge and skills required in these other
professions. It is not reasonable in such complex and rapidly changing
times to think that we can impart the specialized body of knowledge and
skills required of professional engineers in 4 years of formal schooling
while other learned professions take 7 or 8 years. Four years of formal
schooling were considered the standard for three professions (medicine,
law, and engineering) 100 years ago, and, whereas medicine and law edu-
cation lengthened with the growing demands of their respective profes-
sions, engineering education did not. Perhaps this retention of a 4-year
undergraduate engineering education has contributed to the lowered es-
teem of engineering in the eyes of society, and the commensurate decline
in compensation of engineers relative to medical doctors and lawyers.
Current baccalaureate programs, while constantly undergoing review
and revisions, still retain a nominal 4-year education process. This length
of time limits the ability of these programs to provide a formal education
consistent with the increasing demands of the practice of civil engineer-
ing at the professional level. There are diametrically opposed forces try-
ing to squeeze more content into the baccalaureate curriculum while at
the same time reducing the credit hours necessary for the baccalaureate
degree. The result is a production-line baccalaureate civil engineering
(BSCE) degree that is satisfactory for an entry-level position but which
may be inadequate for the professional practice of civil engineering. The
4-year internship period (engineer-in-training) after receipt of the BSCE
degree cannot make up for the formal educational material that would be
gained from a master's degree or equivalent program.
This concept will not be implemented overnight. Although ASCE can-
not mandate that it be done in a specified time period or manner, ASCE
will be an active partner with other groups and organizations to institute
this policy. The ultimate full implementation may not occur for 20 or more
years. Appropriate grandfathering for existing registered and degreed
engineers would be a part of the implementation process. This concept is
a legacy for future generations of civil engineers. However, perhaps the
most important aspect of the implementation of this policy is already in
place. Within the U.S. system of higher education, high-quality, innova-
tive, and diverse master's degree programs currently exist in colleges and
universities to support this concept. A growing number of organizations
now offer high-quality on-site and distance learning educational oppor-
tunities. The active support of this policy by all of the stakeholders in this
process, such as the educational institutions, the registration boards, and
the various employers of civil engineers, will be required to develop and
promote the elements necessary to eventually implement this concept.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
professional level
