STATEMENT:

It is the position of the National Society of Professional Engineers that engineering students and engineering technology students of all disciplines who become licensed professional engineers should attain education outcomes as defined in the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)/Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) or ABET/ Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) baccalaureate level general criteria. If not already met within the ABET/EAC or ABET/ETAC general criteria, the following additional outcomes should also be attained:

• Apply principles of leadership;
• Account for risk and uncertainty in the solution of engineering problems;
• Apply principles of project management;
• Explain where and how public policy is developed and how it influences engineering practice;
• Explain business concepts applicable to engineering practice; and
• Apply principles of sustainability to the design and evaluation of engineering systems.

DISCUSSION:

• Leadership: In an engineering context, leadership incorporates a number of capabilities that are critical to the professional practice of engineering and for the protection of public health, safety, and welfare.  These capabilities include the ability to assess risk and take initiative, make decisions in the face of uncertainty, delivery on time in the face of constraints or obstacles, resourcefulness and flexibility, trust and loyalty in a team setting, and the ability to relate to others.
• Risk and Uncertainty: The assessment of risk and uncertainty is a fundamental component of engineering practice.  Factors of safety are assessed analytically in some disciplines, and subjectively in all areas of practice.  The adequate protection of public health, safety, and welfare demands that the assessment of risk and uncertainty be incorporated in the engineering thought process throughout engineering curricula, beginning with undergraduate engineering education.
• Project Management: Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.  The ability to apply project management principles should be an outcome attained by all engineering graduates to ensure that engineering projects have a positive effect on the public.
• Public Policy: Public policy affects all aspects of our society and can significantly impact the practice of all engineers whether in the private or public sector.  Engineering graduates need to know how public policy is established and who sets it at the various levels of government relative to their discipline as many engineering projects implement public policy and the rest are certainly influenced by it.
• Business Concepts: Engineers in all disciplines function in the private and public sectors, and their effectiveness will, to a significant extent, depend on their ability to function within the organizational context applicable to their practice.  Being knowledgeable of subjects such as contracts, risk management, quality assurance, marketing and sales, direct and indirect labor, overhead, profit, and pricing as well as the balance between business demands and professional ethics are critical for effective practice, best serving the public interest.  Knowledge of subjects such as laws, regulations, governmental structures, funding mechanisms and the professional responsibilities of an engineer in public service are also critical.
• Sustainability: Sustainability applies concepts of meeting human needs while conserving and protecting environmental quality and the natural resource base that is essential for the future, conducted in a manner which incorporates economic viability and long-term operability.  Although sustainability is currently one of eight factors to consider in engineering design as presented in ABET Criterion 3(c), NSPE contends that sustainability is fundamental to all aspects of engineering and merits emphasis in the public interest through establishment of a specific sustainability outcome.

NSPE represents the interests of licensed professional engineers of all disciplines and those who aspire to become licensed professional engineers.  The outcomes, and their applicability, described herein are clearly fundamental to the protection of public health, safety, and welfare.