The Case for a Master's Degree for Civil Engineering Licensure

Abstract

For nearly fifty years, different organizations and authors engaged in engineering practice and education have grappled with the adequacy of the baccalaureate degree as preparation for a career in engineering, especially licensed professional practice. Technological advances and expanding societal needs demand that coursework cover more content, while the credit hours required to obtain a bachelor's degree continue to decline. Up until the early 1960's the average engineering curriculum required 145-150 credit hours of coursework. Many programs today have curricula approaching 120 credit hours for a baccalaureate degree.

Implementing Civil Engineering-specific Requirements for Professional Licensure

“…After AICPA adopted this policy, most jurisdictions adopted the 150 credit hour standard by the year 2000. The long term results did not indicate a decline in pass rates or in the number of accountants taking the test [30].…”