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The Design of a Four-Year ASCE BOK Compliant Program Tract

Michael Robinson, P.E., Kevin Sutterer, P.E. Department of Civil Engineering Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Introduction

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Task Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice (TCAP3) developed a body of knowledge (BOK) that defines the knowledge, skills and attitudes (termed outcomes in the BOK) and their associated level of competency considered necessary to practice as a licensed professional civil engineer.[1] The BOK is to be achieved through both formal education and work experience with formal education occurring both at the baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate level. However, the BOK does not explicitly divide formal education into baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate levels. Therefore, each civil engineering program will determine what part of formal education can be achieved in their baccalaureate program and what part should be met in a post- baccalaureate program. Based on an earlier analysis of the civil engineering program at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology we have concluded that outcome 12 of the BOK, an ability to apply knowledge in a specialized area related to civil engineering, was not attainable within our current four-year baccalaureate program. In addition, we concluded that modification of the curriculum to meet the complete formal education component was not in the best interest of either the department or our students. Therefore, outcome 12 would need to be attained in a post-baccalaureate program.[2]

Many students enter their first-year at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with credit hours earned through advanced placement, college transfer credit, or Rose-Hulman’s summer Fast- Track Calculus program. In addition, students are encouraged by faculty to take a humanities course during summer breaks to earn transfer credit. These credit hours are termed “off- curriculum” in that they are earned outside our curriculum. Students with off-curriculum credit hours frequently earn non-engineering related minors, reduce their course-load, or take courses of interest not related to an academic degree program. Many civil engineering students graduate with credit hours in excess of the current requirement of 194 quarter hours. For example, for the three civil engineering classes graduating between 2001 and 2003 the median number of credit hours at graduation was 200 with five students graduating with 230 or more credit hours. We expect to see both the number of students earning off-curriculum hours and the number of off- curriculum credit hours earned to increase.

“Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society for Engineering Education

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Robinson, M., & Sutterer, K. (2005, June), Designing A Four Year Asce Bok Compliant Program Tract Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14608