Asce Policy 465 – Progress And Next Steps

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Abstract NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract ASCE Policy 465 - Progress and Next Steps Russell, Galloway, Lenox and O’Brien ASCE Policy 465 – Progress and Next Steps Jeffrey S. Russell, Gerald E. Galloway, Thomas A. Lenox, and James J. O’Brien Abstract For several decades, educators and practitioners in the civil engineering community in the United States have been calling for reform of civil engineering education. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has been working since 1995 on the concept of additional education to practice at the professional level in the future. ASCE’s Board- level committee, the Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice (CAP^3) currently has five different constituent committees actively working across the various domains related to engineering educational reform. The purpose of this paper is to discuss ASCE’s current plan for implementing these actions including its release of the second edition of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK), modified accreditation criteria, improved civil engineering curricula, refined experience guidelines for engineer interns, and licensure issues. Background For several decades, educators and practitioners in the civil engineering community in the United States have been calling for reform of civil engineering education. In 1995, at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Civil Engineering Education Conference (CEEC ’95), some of the educational leaders of the profession believed that the time was right to begin the long road to reformation. In 1998, the call for action from the CEEC ’95 ultimately resulted in the passage of ASCE Policy Statement 465—Academic Prerequisites for Licensure and Professional Practice. ASCE Policy 465 states that, in the future, education beyond the baccalaureate degree will be necessary for entry into the professional practice of civil engineering. In 2002, an ASCE Board-level committee, the Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice (CAP^3), was formed to study and implement the actions that would be necessary to achieve this vision for civil engineering. The last six years have produced significant progress in ASCE’S “Raise the Bar” initiative. The fundamental charge of CAP^3 is to develop, organize, and implement ASCE’s “Raise the Bar” initiative. To accomplish this multi-phased goal, CAP^3 has created a master plan for implementation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss ASCE’s current plan for implementing these actions including its release of the second edition of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK), modified accreditation criteria, improved civil engineering curricula, refined experience guidelines for engineer interns, and licensure issues. Page 1