College ABET Accreditation

[JoelTXCive]

I have a resume from someone that just graduated from a USA civil engineering program at a NON-accredited school.

The school is "in-process" on their ABET accreditation, but does not have it yet.

Am I correct that the job candidate will NOT be able to sit for the FE and PE exams? They will not be eligible for licensure until they have 8 years experience.

Even if the school gets accredited tomorrow, the candidate graduated when the school was not accredited.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[GregLocock]

That's really a question for your state board isn't it? Having said that my degree was retrospectively blessed by the IMechE in the UK.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[To Madeira]

Another route would be to have their degree evaluated by NCEES and then have the state licensing board determine whether they would be eligible to site the exam. When I had my non ABET-accredited degree evaluated by them, it was determined to be not equivalent as I was short 3hrs in chemistry or biology but I had no issue with sitting both the FE and PE.

 

[JLNJ]

At worst, these folks need 8 years of experience to sit for the PE rather than getting 4 years of credit for undergrad work and needing just 4 years of experience to sit for the PE.

 

[DaveAtkins]

At worst, these folks need 8 years of experience to sit for the PE rather than getting 4 years of credit for undergrad work and needing just 4 years of experience to sit for the PE.

That may be true, but I would check with each State Licensing Board. I think some (maybe most?) states have moved toward requiring an ABET accredited degree, no exceptions.

DaveAtkins

 

[JoelTXCive]

Thank you all for the input. Somehow, I had it in my head that it would be an NCEES item, but as many have stated; it's actually a Texas licensing rule.

I'll doublecheck with them.

I think Texas allows anyone to be a PE if they have worked in the industry for 8 years, can pass the PE exam, and can get the required references from licensed PE's.

 

[phamENG]

I'm curious - why does it matter to you? Whether their degree has that accreditation or not, do they have the basic education to be able to accept the training you'll give them to do the job? Or are you concerned about them not having a designation at the end of their name? I wouldn't be too concerned about that. As one who was thrust into a client facing position waaayyyy too early, it should probably be a few years before anyone outside your office is aware of their existence beyond some initials on a drawing.

I know of one firm in my area - their President is an unlicensed graduate of a non-accredited CET program. He never bothered to take either exam. I don't necessarily condone that (license = good), but it also goes to show that they're really only as limited as you limit yourself. Also, my supervisor's supervisor when I was an intern graduated from the same non-accredited CET program. He did get his PE after the extended experience period. Last I checked, he'd moved up to regional design director for one of the largest environmental engineering firms in the country.

 

[RPGs]

I think some (maybe most?) states have moved toward requiring an ABET accredited degree, no exceptions.

I know NY is in the process of doing this, or has already done it. It varies state to state.

 

[JoshPlumSE]

Even if the school gets accredited tomorrow, the candidate graduated when the school was not accredited.

You can probably look with up with the board. Or, call NCEES. However, I believe the ABET accreditation goes back a few years when the university gets it. All the accreditation says is that the program meets the requirements of ABET. Therefore, it has to have been in place for a few years.

Regardless, I'm am almost certain that there is a process by which an applicant from a non accredited university can sit for the exams. In particular, I'm thinking of an engineer that graduated from a university that was not located in the united states. I've seen guys with degrees from Japan, Chile, India and such that have been allowed to sit for exams.

 

[ChorasDen]

I attended a very new program at my university that was not accredited at the time of my graduation. While the vast majority of the engineering programs at my university were accredited, due to the young age of the program I completed, it took several years to achieve accreditation. With that said, it was widely assumed that accreditation would be achieved. I was able to sit for the FE exam because of expected accreditation of the program. Maybe this is also possible for your hire?

 

[JStephen]

"You must have earned one of the following degrees or degree combinations:...
2) A non-accredited degree as described in subparagraphs A & B of this paragraph:...
B) A Bachelor's or graduate degree in mathematical, physical, or engineering science approved by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers...."

That's the option I would check into. Surely they have had this exact question from this same school come up before?

 

[JoelTXCive]

Pham -

The company I work for wants all the Graduate Engineers & EITs to get licensed as soon as they can.

At this time, my ideal hire is someone that I can train, with the goal of them being able to seal sheets and start to assume client responsibility within a few years.

I don't mind waiting 3-5 years, but 8 years is a long haul.