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Decisions at the ballot box influence policies that support engineering standards and public safety.March/April 2017
Communities: Education
What’s Missing From Class? Licensure Lessons
While engineering educators consistently cover subjects like math, basic sciences, and engineering design, NSPE wants to see one more added to the curriculum: licensure.
As PEs well know, any mention of licensure in college often depends on whether a professor wants to mention it to students. Some professors believe it’s important to career development; many do not.
In January, NSPE wrote to the accrediting body ABET about the importance of teaching the value of engineering licensure. NSPE President Kodi Verhalen, P.E., Esq., F.NSPE, noted in the letter that although not all areas of engineering practice are subject to licensure, it is “critical to protecting the public health, safety, and welfare and is a vital part of the engineering profession.”
Verhalen’s letter continued, “every state requires licensure for certain aspects of the practice of engineering. A critical component of the engineering curriculum should be ensuring that engineering students are aware of the potential that their practice may require a license.”
NSPE believes that all engineering graduates should, at the least, be required to know of and understand licensure’s role in engineering practice and that each state stipulates the requirements and exemptions for licensure.
ABET began revising its criteria for student outcomes and curriculum in 2009, to keep up with the evolution of engineering education and address feedback from schools, industry, and member societies. Over the years, NSPE has provided feedback.
At its meeting last fall, ABET decided to release the latest version of the proposed criteria changes for another public review and comment period. According to the organization, the previous opportunity for public feedback gathered comments from more than 250 individuals. ABET will be gathering feedback in this latest round until June 30.
Learn more about the proposed changes at www.abet.org. Submit your feedback at www.surveymonkey.com/r/FN6GW2D.
