A Comparison of Licensed Engineers’ Conduct Requirements, the ASCE Code of Ethics, and EAC-ABET Civil Engineering Accreditation Criteria

Matthew Swenty; Brian Swenty

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Civil Engineering Division ASCE Liaison Committee - Accreditation and Curriculums - What Changes Are Occurring?
Page Count: 18
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41198
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/41198
Download Count: 450

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Paper Authors

biography

Matthew Swenty Virginia Military Institute

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Dr. Swenty obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees in Civil Engineering from Missouri S&T and then worked as a bridge designer at the Missouri Department of Transportation. He returned to school to obtain his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech followed by re-search work at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center on concrete bridges. He is currently a professor of civil engineering and the Jackson-Hope Chair in Engineering at the Virginia Military Institute. He teaches engineering mechanics and structural engineering courses and enjoys working with his students on bridge related research projects and the ASCE student chapter.

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Brian Swenty University of Evansville

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Brian J. Swenty, Ph.D., P.E. is a professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at the University of Evansville. He earned his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (Missouri S&T) and his M.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Florida. He is a licensed professional engineer in California, Florida, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois. He has held positions as an active duty Army officer, a senior civil engineer with a consulting firm, and the director of Missouri's Dam and Reservoir Safety Program. Since 1993, he has been at the University of Evansville, serving as department chair for 21 years and interim dean of the college of engineering for 1.5 years. He continues to work as a consultant on projects involving the design and construction of new dams, modifications to existing dams, and the investigation of dam failures.

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Abstract

The 2021-2022 EAC-ABET civil engineering program criteria (CEPC) requires programs to have curriculums that prepare graduates to “analyze issues in professional ethics and explain the importance of professional licensure.” Accredited civil engineering programs are at liberty to determine how they meet these criteria. Many civil engineering programs require students to study the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics (COE) to meet the CEPC criteria; however, these ethical standards only apply to ASCE members and are not legally enforceable. Professional conduct responsibilities enumerated in state licensure laws and rules are legally enforceable standards that apply to anyone who practices engineering in the state’s jurisdiction regardless of whether they are licensed. States require compliance with licensure laws to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Every state has the prerogative to develop their own professional conduct laws and rules which may or may not include content from sources such as the ASCE COE or the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Model Rules. A study was conducted to compare the responsibilities in the ASCE COE and the NCEES Model Rules with the professional conduct requirements in the fifty state licensure laws and rules.

The thirty-six ethical responsibilities listed in the 2020 ASCE COE were used as a baseline for comparison. Thirteen COE Ethical Responsibilities were found in most licensure laws and rules, an additional six COE Ethical Responsibilities were found in at least 10% of the licensure laws and rules, and seventeen COE Ethical Responsibilities were found in fewer than 10% of the state licensure laws and rules. In addition, the study revealed that there are 36 professional conduct requirements listed in state laws and rules that are not included in the ASCE COE. In every case but one, the professional conduct requirements most often listed in state laws and rules were also listed in the NCEES Model Rules. In most cases, licensure violations occur due to a lack of knowledge of the laws and rules associated with the practice of engineering. The challenge facing the civil engineering profession is ensuring that civil engineering programs provide students with sufficient licensure law education to meet the CEPC and prepare them for professional practice as required by EAC-ABET Criterion 5. The study concludes that civil engineering curriculums that do not include key professional conduct topics found in most state licensure laws and rules risk not complying with EAC-ABET criteria.

Citation
Format

Swenty, M., & Swenty, B. (2022, August), A Comparison of Licensed Engineers’ Conduct Requirements, the ASCE Code of Ethics, and EAC-ABET Civil Engineering Accreditation Criteria Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41198

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The 2021-2022 EAC-ABET civil engineering program criteria (CEPC) requires programs to have curriculums that prepare graduates to “analyze issues in professional ethics and explain the importance of professional licensure.”  Accredited civil engineering programs are at liberty to determine how they meet these criteria.  Many civil engineering programs require students to study the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics (COE) to meet the CEPC criteria; however, these ethical standards only apply to ASCE members and are not legally enforceable.  Professional conduct responsibilities enumerated in state licensure laws and rules are legally enforceable standards that apply to anyone who practices engineering in the state’s jurisdiction regardless of whether they are licensed. States require compliance with licensure laws to protect public health, safety, and welfare.  Every state has the prerogative to develop their own professional conduct laws and rules which may or may not include content from sources such as the ASCE COE or the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Model Rules.  A study was conducted to compare the responsibilities in the ASCE COE and the NCEES Model Rules with the professional conduct requirements in the fifty state licensure laws and rules.

The thirty-six ethical responsibilities listed in the 2020 ASCE COE were used as a baseline for comparison. Thirteen COE Ethical Responsibilities were found in most licensure laws and rules, an additional six COE Ethical Responsibilities were found in at least 10% of the licensure laws and rules, and seventeen COE Ethical Responsibilities were found in fewer than 10% of the state licensure laws and rules. In addition, the study revealed that there are 36 professional conduct requirements listed in state laws and rules that are not included in the ASCE COE.  In every case but one, the professional conduct requirements most often listed in state laws and rules were also listed in the NCEES Model Rules.  In most cases, licensure violations occur due to a lack of knowledge of the laws and rules associated with the practice of engineering. The challenge facing the civil engineering profession is ensuring that civil engineering programs provide students with sufficient licensure law education to meet the CEPC and prepare them for professional practice as required by EAC-ABET Criterion 5.  The study concludes that civil engineering curriculums that do not include key professional conduct topics found in most state licensure laws and rules risk not complying with EAC-ABET criteria. 

AU  - Matthew Swenty
AU  - Brian Swenty
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - A Comparison of Licensed Engineers’ Conduct Requirements, the ASCE Code of Ethics, and EAC-ABET Civil Engineering Accreditation Criteria
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/41198
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41198
ER  -