Vesali, N., & Batouli, M. (2025, March), The Case for a Separate FE Exam for Construction Engineering: Addressing Curriculum Discrepancies and Student Performance  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi. 10.18260/1-2--54205

\bibitem{asee_peer_54205}
  Vesali, N., \& Batouli, M. (2025, March), \emph{The Case for a Separate FE Exam for Construction Engineering: Addressing Curriculum Discrepancies and Student Performance}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi.
  10.18260/1-2--54205

Nahid Vesali and Mostafa Batouli.  "The Case for a Separate FE Exam for Construction Engineering: Addressing Curriculum Discrepancies and Student Performance".  2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 2025, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/54205 Internet.  26 Apr, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_54205}
  Nahid Vesali and Mostafa Batouli.
  "The Case for a Separate FE Exam for Construction Engineering: Addressing Curriculum Discrepancies and Student Performance".
  \emph{2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 2025, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/54205 Internet.  26 Apr, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_54205
author = "Nahid Vesali and Mostafa Batouli"
title = "The Case for a Separate FE Exam for Construction Engineering: Addressing Curriculum Discrepancies and Student Performance"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE Southeast Conference "
year = "2025"
month = "March"
address = "Mississippi State University, Mississippi"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/54205}
number = {10.18260/1-2--54205}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Construction Engineering (CONE) has emerged as a distinct and vital discipline within the engineering profession, yet graduates from ABET-accredited Construction Engineering programs are currently required to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Civil exam, despite substantial differences between Civil and Construction Engineering curricula. At our institution, Construction Engineering students have consistently exhibited lower pass rates on the FE Civil exam compared to their Civil Engineering (CIVL) counterparts. This performance gap has led to the introduction of an additional FE preparatory course for CONE students, who now take two FE prep courses, unlike their CIVL peers. However, even with this added preparation, CONE students continue to demonstrate lower pass rates than CIVL students. To explore the reasons behind this persistent gap, we conducted a comprehensive review of the curricula of all ABET-accredited Construction Engineering programs and compared them to the content of the FE Civil exam. Our findings revealed significant discrepancies between the topics covered in the FE Civil exam and those emphasized in typical CONE programs. Key areas tested in the FE Civil exam, such as structural analysis, geotechnical engineering, and environmental engineering, are either minimally addressed or absent in most CONE curricula. Conversely, essential topics for Construction Engineers, including construction management, estimating, scheduling, project controls, and safety, are not adequately represented in the FE Civil exam. Given the growing importance of Construction Engineering in managing complex construction projects and infrastructure, we argue for the creation of a separate FE Construction Engineering exam. Such an exam would better align with the specialized knowledge required by Construction Engineers and would reflect the distinct competencies of this critical field. A specialized FE exam would not only ensure fairer testing but also recognize Construction Engineering as an independent and increasingly significant profession within the engineering industry.
AU  - Nahid Vesali
AU  - Mostafa Batouli
CY  - Mississippi State University, Mississippi
DA  - 2025/03/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Case for a Separate FE Exam for Construction Engineering: Addressing Curriculum Discrepancies and Student Performance
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/54205
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--54205
ER  -