ASCE Press Release

Civil Engineers Define a New Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century. The proposal is the first among engineering disciplines to call for advanced
studies, work experience, in addition to bachelor’s degree. WASHINGTON, D.C. – Many Americans would be surprised – if not alarmed –
to learn that the people responsible for designing their roads, bridges,
buildings and drinking water are only required to hold a bachelor’s degree
while doctors, lawyers, physical therapists, accountants and even elementary
school teachers are expected to hold professional and graduate degrees.
Despite practicing a profession where technology and techniques are ever- evolving, the educational requirements for today’s young engineers are less
than their counterparts’ of 150 years ago. The American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE) released a report today, Civil Engineering Body of
Knowledge for the 21st Century: Preparing the Civil Engineer for the Future,
outlining a plan to broaden and deepen the “Body Knowledge” required for
future civil engineers. The knowledge, skills and attitudes that will be
required of an individual entering the civil engineering profession in the 21st
century must be broadened emphasizing leadership principles and technical
specialization.
“Civil engineering must restructure its 150-year-old educational model to
meet the challenges of the 21st century,” said ASCE President Patricia D.
Galloway, P.E., F.ASCE. “The next generation of civil engineering
professionals will be engaged in increasingly complex work, requiring
knowledge both broader and deeper than the current engineering education
provides.”
At the turn of the last century, civil engineering graduates completed 155
credit hours, compared to the 125 credit hours earned by most of today’s
students. Civil engineering students take at least 20 fewer credits than did
counterparts in the 1920s and they take a whole semester less of technical
and professional engineering courses at a time when the complexity of civil
engineering is escalating. In comparison, law and medical students at the
turn of the last century had no more than one to four years of training,
compared to the average eight years of undergraduate and graduate work
today.
“Most professions – business, law and medicine – do not consider the
bachelor’s degree a professional degree, yet engineering does,” said National
Academy of Engineering President William A. Wulf. “With growing global
competition and the explosion of new technology changing the shape of the
profession, we must restructure the way we educate engineers.”
The first of any engineering discipline to develop a proposal to elevate
educational prerequisites for future practicing engineers, the report
recommends that a graduate degree, or the equivalent of 30 credits, and
practical experience be required in addition to an undergraduate degree
before a civil engineer can sit for the licensure exam and practice
professionally. The plan will lead to the revision of current undergraduate and
graduate programs to reflect the basic skills and knowledge that will be
expected of professional civil engineers, and may eventually lead to the
creation of new programs. The Body of Knowledge is developed to be flexible
in how future civil engineering students pursue their education. The trend
towards distance learning programs and high-quality corporate and
government agency education will not be ignored and can be cultivated as an
optional to traditional graduate school programs for future civil engineering
student.
“As the steward of the civil engineering profession, ASCE must lead the
development and implementation of this new educational model,” said ASCE
Task Committee Chair Jeffrey S. Russell, Ph.D., “The current four-year
bachelor’s degree is becoming inadequate formal preparation for the practice
of civil engineering in the 21st century.”
ASCE’s Committee on the Academic Prerequisites for the Professional Practice
of Civil Engineering developed the recommended new Body of Knowledge that
will serve as the foundation for the education of civil engineers in the future.
Through this new Body of Knowledge, ASCE can influence changes to the civil
engineering curricula, as well as necessary changes in licensure requirements,
to ensure that the profession will meet its obligations to serve public health
and safety in the increasingly complex technological world of the future.
Knowledge, skills and attitudes that comprise the Body of Knowledge include
the abilities to:
1) Apply knowledge of math, science and engineering;
2) Design and conduct experiments as well as to analyze and interpret data;
3) Design a system, component or process to meet desired needs;
4) Function on multidisplinary teams;
5) Identify, formulate and solve engineering problems;
6) Understand of professional and ethical responsibility;
7) Communicate effectively;
8) Understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal
context;
9) Recognize the need for and engage in lifelong learning;
10) Know contemporary issues;
11) Use techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for
engineering practice;
12) Apply knowledge in a specialized area related to civil engineering;
13) Understand the elements of project, construction and asset management;
14) Understand business, public policy and administration fundamentals; and
15) Understand the role of a leader and leadership principles and attitudes.
For Additional Information Contact:
Norida Torriente
202-326-5129 (office)
202-253-5058 (cell)
ntorriente@asce.org