ASME-Led Coalition Opposes Proposals Requiring a Master’s Degree for Licensure

Nov. 4, 2016

The Licensing That Works Coalition, an ASME-led coalition of engineering societies representing thousands of engineers in New Jersey and more than 300,000 engineers across the United States, recently urged the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors to oppose any legislative or regulatory proposals requiring anyone seeking licensure as a professional engineer (PE) to obtain a master’s degree in engineering or its equivalent first.

The coalition supports a four-year bachelor’s degree from an EAC/ABET accredited college or university bachelor’s degree program as the mandatory baseline educational requirement for PE licensure as a professional engineer. Continuing education throughout an individual’s career is also supported to supplement an engineer’s degree and experience with current technological and regulatory information and training.

There is no evidence that the present requirements for licensure — quality of engineering graduates, relevancy of the licensing examinations, effectiveness of the required experience under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer, the regular and required career-long continuing education, or the professional attributes of the practicing engineers themselves — are in any way inadequate. Therefore, any additional mandatory requirements will only serve to deter students from considering engineering as a career — particularly one connected to public service and infrastructure. If enacted, New Jersey could see a stunting of its technological growth and competitiveness and the ability of the state, its agencies and municipalities to attract the needed engineering talent they require, the coalition believes.

A similar scenario took place previously when New Jersey passed legislation raising the educational requirements for obtaining a land surveying license and New Jersey saw a significant drop in students entering the profession.

To read the full letter from the Licensing That Works Coalition, visit http://bit.ly/2eDqXa7. ASME members and student members in New Jersey who are interested in volunteering to support the coalition’s initiative should contact David Soukup, managing director, Governance, at (212) 591-7397 or by e-mail at soukupd@asme.org.

Ellen Kuo, Government Relations