Civil Engineering
Body of Knowledge:
Status and Lessons Learned
Frontiers in Environmental Engineering Education
January 8 – 10, 2007
Tempe, AZ
Stuart G. Walesh, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE
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Today’s CE professional track:
BOK (Implicit)
Bacc.
Educ.
Exper.
Exam/
Licen.
Professional
practice and
life-long learning
Tomorrow’s CE professional track:
BOK (Explicit)
Bacc.
Educ.
Modified
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M/30
Exper.
More
focused
Master’s degree or
approx. 30 credits
Exam/
Licen.
More
comprehensive
2
Professional
practice and
life-long learning
With specialty
certification
option
CHANGE!
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TOPICS
WHERE ARE WE?
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
RECAP
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TOPICS
WHERE ARE WE?
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
RECAP
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A profession’s foundation
includes a body of knowledge
Profession
Social
responsibility
BOK
Corporateness
Sources: See Huntington, 1975; Lawson, 2004
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BOK is defined as:
the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
necessary to enter
the practice of civil engineering
at the professional level
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In the BIG picture, the CE BOK
calls for:
• More fundamentals—math/science/
engineering science
• Maintaining technical breadth
• More breadth in humanities and social
sciences
• Additional professional practice breadth
• Greater technical depth
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The BOK consists of 26
outcomes
Encourage accountability and creativity
Discourage prescription
Technical: 16
Professional: 10
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Technical outcomes
1. Mathematics
2. Physics
3. Chemistry
4. Breadth in basic
science
5. Mechanics
6. Materials
7. Breadth in civil
engineering
8. Engineering tools
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9. Engineering problem
recognition and
solving
10. Design
11. Experiments
12. Contemporary issues
13. Risk/uncertainty
14. Sustainability
15. Project management
16. Technical
specialization
10
Professional outcomes
17. Communication
18. History and heritage
19. Globalization
20. Professional and
ethical responsibility
21. Public policy
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22. Business and public
administration
23. Teamwork
24. Leadership
25. Life-long learning
26. Attitudes
11
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How to define
desired
level of achievement
?
Bloom’s Taxonomy
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Bloom’s Taxonomy
Level of
achievement
Illustrative
verbs
6. Evaluation
Critique, decide, judge
5. Synthesis
Combine, create, plan
4. Analysis
Analyze, break down, subdivide
3. Application
Apply, conduct, solve
2. Comprehension
Describe, discuss, explain
1. Knowledge
Define, identify, list
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Levels of achievement for outcomes
Outcome
Level of achievement
1
Knowledge
Technical
1. Mathematics
2. Physics
3. Chemistry
4. Breadth in basic science
5. Mechanics
6. Materials
7. Breadth in civil engineering areas
8. Engineering tools
9. Engineering problem recog./sol.
10. Design
11. Experiments
12. Contemporary issues
13. Risks/uncertainty
14. Sustainability
15. Project management
16. Technical specialization
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2
Comprehension
3
Application
4
Analysis
5
Synthesis
6
Evaluation
Outcome
Level of achievement
1
Knowledge
Professional
17. Communication
18. History and heritage
19. Globalization
20. Professional & ethical responsibility
21. Public policy
22. Business and public administration
23. Teamwork
24. Leadership
25. Life-long learning
26. Attitudes
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2
Comprehension
3
Application
4
Analysis
5
Synthesis
6
Evaluation
Allocation of responsibility for
outcomes
Outcome
Technical
1. Mathematics
2. Physics
3. Chemistry
4. Breadth in basic science
5. Mechanics
6. Materials
7. Breadth in civil engineering areas
8. Engineering tools
9. Engineering problem recog./sol.
10. Design
11. Experiments
12. Contemporary issues
13. Risks/uncertainty
14. Sustainability
15. Project management
16. Technical specialization
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Level of achievement
1
Knowledge
2
Comprehension
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
M/30
17
3
Application
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
M/30
4
Analysis
5
Synthesis
6
Evaluation
B
B
M/30
M/30
B
B
E
E
E
E
M/30
B
M/30
E
M/30
E
Outcome
Level of achievement
Professional
17. Communication
18. History and heritage
19. Globalization
20. Professional & ethical responsibility
21. Public policy
22. Business and public administration
23. Teamwork
24. Leadership
25. Life-long learning
26. Attitudes
Key:
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Knowledge
2
Comprehension
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
3
Application
4
Analysis
5
Synthesis
B
B
E
B
B
E
E
B
B
B
E
B
B
E
E
E
E
E
6
Evaluation
E
B
Level of achievement fulfilled through
the Bachelor’s Degree
M/30
Level of achievement fulfilled through
the Master’s Degree or approximately
30 credits
E
Level of achievement fulfilled through
pre-licensure experience
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Example Rubric
Level of cognitive achievement
Outcome
Title
1
Knowledge
2
Comprehension
3
Application
4
Analysis
5
Synthesis
6
Evaluation
To enter the practice of civil engineering at the professional level,
an individual must be able to demonstrate this level of achievement
T e c h n i c a l
16
Technical
specialization
O u t c o m e s
Define key
aspects of
advanced
technical
specialization
appropriate
to civil
engineering
Explain key
concepts and
problem-solving
processes in a
traditional or
emerging
specialized
technical area
appropriate to
civil
engineering.
Apply
specialized
tools,
technology or
technologies to
solve simple
problems in a
traditional or
emerging
specialized
technical area of
civil
engineering.
Analyze a
complex
system or
process in a
traditional or
emerging
specialized
technical area
appropriate to
civil
engineering.
Design a
complex system
or process or
create new
knowledge or
technologies in
a traditional or
emerging
specialized
technical area
appropriate to
civil
engineering.
Evaluate the
design of a
complex system
or process, or
evaluate the
validity of newlycreated
knowledge or
technologies in a
traditional or
emerging
advanced
specialized
technical area
appropriate to
civil engineering.
(B)
(M/30)
(M/30)
(M/30)
(M/30)
(E)
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Implications for:
CE students
and interns
Faculty and
practitioners
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CURRICULA – The BOK has been
compared to existing curricula by
curricula design partners
“BOK cannot
fit into today’s
BSCE”
Wyoming
Wisconsin
Madison Western
Michigan
Iowa State
Norwich
Wentworth
Bucknell
US Military
Academy
Case Western
Penn State
Nebraska
Colorado State
Illinois
West Virginia
Rose-Hulman
Urbana-Champaign
Louisville
California State - L.A.
Northern Arizona
Oklahoma
Tennessee Tech
Georgia Tech
Texas-Tyler
Texas-Austin
Florida
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ACCREDITATION – 10 years
needed for implementation
• July 2006: CE Program Criteria approved by
ABET EAC
• 2006-2007: Public review period
• Fall 2008: First visits under new criteria
• 2012: First graduates of undergrad programs
accredited under new criteria
• 2016: First graduates of these programs seek
licensure
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LICENSURE – NCEES approved
“additional 30 credits” for
Model Law at the September
2006 Annual Meeting
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TOPICS
WHERE ARE WE?
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
RECAP
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28
CE
BOK
Start
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CE
BOK
Start
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1. Communicate-Communicate-
Communicate
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2. Get ducks in a row: organize
for success
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ASCE Board of Direction
Ad hoc
BOK
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Leadership/
Coordination/
Continuity
Committee on Academic Prerequisites
for Professional Practice
(CAP3)
Charge: Implement PS 465
Curricula
Accreditation
33
Licensure
Fulfillment
and
Validation
Etc.
3.
First
things
first
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Civil Engineering Vision
Entrusted by society
to
create a sustainable world
and
enhance the global quality of life,
civil engineers
serve competently, collaboratively, and ethically as master:
 planners, designers, constructors, and operators of society’s
economic and social engine, the built environment;
 stewards of the natural environment and its resources;
 innovators and integrators of ideas and technology across the
public, private, and academic sectors;
 managers of risk and uncertainty caused by natural events,
accidents, and other threats; and
 leaders in discussions and decisions shaping public environmental
and infrastructure policy.
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Master Plan
Example
curricula
BOK
Body of
Knowledge
(BOK)
Accreditation
criteria
Experience
guidelines
Accredited
programs
State
licensing
rules
B + 30
Guidelines
Model
law
Policy 465
implemented
in 55
jurisdictions
Curricula
Example
language
Licensure
Accreditation
Fulfillment & Validation
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ASCE Policy 465
(Adopted by the BOD October 1998)
The ASCE supports the concept of the
Master’s degree as the First Professional
Degree for the practice of civil
engineering at a professional level
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ASCE Policy 465
(Adopted by the BOD October 2001)
The ASCE supports the concept of the
Master’s degree or Equivalent as a
prerequisite for licensure and the
practice of civil engineering at a
professional level
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ASCE Policy 465
(Adopted by the BOD October 2004)
The ASCE supports the attainment of a
Body of Knowledge for entry into the
practice of civil engineering at a
professional level
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4. Stand–respectfully and
thankfully—on the shoulders of
others
Mann: 1918
Wickenden: 1928
Grinter: 1955
National Research Council: 1985
ASCE Education Conferences: 1974, 1979, 1985, 1990,
1995
Many papers, articles, and other documents from within
and outside of civil engineering
Engineering the Future of CE (ASCE): 2001
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5. Function inclusively and
transparently
• Issue agendas and minutes
• Report activities
• Post documents on website
• Establish correspondent members
• Encourage e-mail discussions
• Invite opponents to join committees
• “Meet” anywhere with anyone
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6. Adopt a change model, such as:
Awareness
Understanding
Commitment
Action
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7. Persevere and practice
principled compromise
• Expect complexity and
setbacks
• Resist lowest common
denominator temptation
• Compromise on means, not
the vision
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8. “Live” with ambiguity/iteration
Ideal
BOK
Accred.
crit.
Licensure
Specialty
certif.
Actual
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BOK
Accred.
crit.
Specialty
certif.
Licensure
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9. Recognize and act on
serendipity
“…the exploding body
of science and
engineering
knowledge cannot be
accommodated within
the context of the
four-year
baccalaureate
degree.”
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TOPICS
WHERE ARE WE?
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
RECAP
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48
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
Articles, Papers, Books, and Reports
Aktan, A. E. and J. M. Roesset. 2006. “The Need for a Renaissance in
Civil Engineering to Effectively Address Our Societal Concerns
Related to Infrastructures,” presented at the CEE EDU Reform
Workshop, Istanbul, Turkey. October 4 - 7, 2006. (Contrasts civil
engineering with other engineering disciplines noting two
differences. The first is “the disconnected manner in which their [civil
engineers] products are planned, financed, designed, constructed,
and operated” and the second is “over life cycles far exceeding those
of manufactured systems.” Argues that continued “adjustments to
the common 4-year curricula” are no longer realistic given the
increasing complexity of interconnected “engineered, natural, and
human systems.”)
Anderson, R. O., J. S. Russell, and S. G. Walesh. 2006. “The
Reformation of Civil Engineering Education in the United States,”
presented at CEE EDU Reform Workshop, Istanbul, Turkey. October 4
- 7, 2006. (Provides a historic overview.)
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
ASCE. 1995. Summary Report – 1995 Civil Engineering Education
Conference (CEEC ’95).
ASCE Body of Knowledge Committee of the Task Committee on
Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice. 2004. Civil
Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century. (Available on
the ASCE website at http://www.asce.org/raisethebar.)
ASCE Body of Knowledge Fulfillment and Validation Committee of
the Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice.
2005. Fulfillment and Validation of the Attainment of the Civil
Engineering Body of Knowledge. (Available on the ASCE website at
http://www.asce.org/raisethebar.)
ASCE Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional
Practice. 2004 – 2006, “Raise The Bar,” quarterly newsletter of CAP3,
(Available on the ASCE website at http://www.asce.org/raisethebar.)
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
ASCE Levels of Achievement Subcommittee of the Committee on
Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice. 2005. Levels of
Achievement Applicable to the Body of Knowledge Required for Entry
Into the Practice of Civil Engineering at the Professional Level,
September. (Available on the ASCE website at
http://www.asce.org/raisethebar.)
ASCE Task Committee on the First Professional Degree. 2001.
Engineering the Future of Civil Engineering, October 9. (Available on
the ASCE website at http://www.asce.org/raisethebar.)
ASCE Task Committee to Plan a Summit on the Future of the Civil
Engineering Profession. 2007 (Draft). The Vision for Civil Engineering
in 2005, January 5. (Available from Stu Walesh, editor, at
stuwalesh@comcast.net.)
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
Baker, C. and H. Harclerode. 2006. “Strengthening the Education Leg
of Licensure,” Licensure Exchange – NCEES, April. (Describes
NCEES efforts to require additional education for licensure partly
because engineering education is falling behind other professions in
preparing students for practice.)
Barnes, C. E. 2006. “Basic Education for Structural Engineers,”
InFocus column, STRUCTURE Magazine, April, pp. 8-9. (Describes,
using a table, the phase in, through 2010, of more structural courses
and more structured experience. Includes MSCE and notes ASCE
BOK. Takes a “backward” course name, course content, and
“outcome objectives” approach. “Technical writing” is the only NT
topic noted.)
Bloom. B. S., Englehart, M. D., Furst. E. J., Hill, W. H. and Krathwohl,
D. 1956. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, the Classification of
Educational Goals, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. David McKay, New
York, NY.
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
Gronlund, N. E. 1978. Stating Objectives for Classroom, Macmillan,
New York, NY.
Holly, Jr., F. M. 2006. “Should PE Licensure Require Education
Beyond a BS Degree?,” August. (Summarizes recent NAE, NCEES,
and ASCE studies and asks interested individuals to share their views
with the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board.)
Huntington, S. P. 1957. Soldier and the State, Harvard University
Press, Cambridge, MA.
Lawson, W. D. 2004. “Professionalism: The Golden Years,” Journal of
Professional Issues In Engineering – ASCE, January, pp. 26 – 36.
MIT Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons. 2006.
“Summary of the Report and Recommendations of the Task Force on
the Undergraduate Educational Commons,” October. (Recommends
shifts in science courses, shifts in H&SS courses, and expansion of
international experiences. A fine tuning, course-oriented document;
not reform.)
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
National Academy of Engineering. 2004. The Engineer of 2020:
Visions of Engineering in the New Century, Washington, DC.
National Academy of Engineering. 2005. Educating the Engineer of
2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century,
Washington, DC.
National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of
Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine, 2006. Rising Above the
Gathering Storm: Energizing America for a Brighter Future –
Executive Summary, Washington, D.C. (Warns that the U.S.
increasingly risks losing jobs to global competitors and advocates
more mathematics, science, research, and innovation.)
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
(NCEES). 2003. Report of the Engineering Licensure Qualifications
Task Force (ELQTF), March. (Recommended that “…additional
education (bachelor’s plus) be considered as a future prerequisite
licensure as a professional engineer in a 10- to 15-year timeframe.”)
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
(NCEES). 2005. Interim Presentation of the Licensure Qualifications
Oversight Group (LQOG). (Building on the 2003 ELQTF report,
recommends additional engineering education and professional
practice examination. The former is described as “Graduation with a
BS degree from an engineering program of four or more years
accredited by EAC/ABET, or equivalent, plus 30 additional credits
from approved course providers in upper level undergraduate or
graduate level course work in professional practice and/or technical
topic areas…”)
National Society of Professional Engineers. 2006. “ABET
Accreditation Plans Go Global,” PE, May, p. 18. (Indicates that
“engineering programs at foreign universities may soon be able to
earn the same accreditation status as engineering programs at U.S.
universities.” ABET will phase out substantial equivalency
evaluations.)
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
National Society of Professional Engineers. 2006. PEs Share Their
Outlook on the Profession, PE, August/September, (A 2006 survey of
PEs revealed that 50% agreed or strongly agreed that education
beyond the BS should be required for entry into the profession.)
Russell, J. S., and C. N. Musselman. 2006. “Charting a Course for the
Future,” PE, December 2006, pp. 26-33.
Studt, T. 2006. “U.S. Engineering at Crossroads,” Editorial, R&D
Magazine, p. 7. (Argues that lower compensation of engineers in
other nations and their increasing capability will increase
outsourcing to engineers in other nations. Expresses concern with
complacency of U.S. engineers.)
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
Vest, C. M. 2006. “Educating Engineers for 2020 and Beyond,” NAE
website, based on October 10, 2005 presentation at NAE Annual
Meeting. (Describes where the U.S. was in 1990—as recorded
elsewhere for broad use. Argues that “students are driven by
passion, curiosity, engagement, and dreams,”—not by, or no longer
by, technology. Asks if a “services science” might emerge. Fears U.S.
complacency noting that science and engineering “rule” in Asia.)
Walesh, S. G. 2006. “Body of Knowledge for Civil Engineers: Essential
for Success in the International Arena,” 35th International IGIP
Symposium, Tallinn, Estonia, September.
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APPENDIX A: RESOURCES
Websites
American Academy of Water Resources Engineers,
(http://www.aawre.org/), click on “Requirements” and look for
“Requirements for Certification,” which provides a detailed
description of selection criteria.
American Society of Civil Engineers,
(http://www.asce.org/raisethebar). Click on “Professional Issues” and
the “Body of Knowledge.” Provides PS 465 documents and the “Raise
the Bar” newsletter.
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying,
(http://www.ncees.org/). Click on “NCEES studies of the licensure
process” for access to the 2003 report of the Engineering Licensure
Qualifications Task Force (ELQTF) and 2005 Interim Presentation of
the Licensure Qualifications Oversight Group (LQOG).
National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA),
(http://www.ncsea.com/).
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APPENDIX B: RELEVANCE OF BOK
Relevance of the Civil Engineering
Body of Knowledge
When well-crafted, a profession’s Body of Knowledge (BOK) speaks to
all segments of the profession. While the messages may differ among
the various segments of a profession, all can view the BOK as
common ground. The BOK is a foundation on which a profession’s
members study for and build careers, meet responsibilities, and
pursue opportunities.
So it is with the civil engineering BOK. Consider the relevance of the
civil engineering BOK to various members of and stakeholders in the
civil engineering community. The civil engineering BOK:
• offers prospective civil engineering students, and their parents
and advisors, a glimpse of the importance of civil engineering
and the breadth of opportunities offered to them.
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APPENDIX B: RELEVANCE OF BOK
• assists civil engineering and other faculty in designing curricula,
creating and improving courses, and teaching and counseling
students.
• offers researchers ideas on future directions of civil
engineering and related technical needs and defines the
knowledge, skills, and attitudes that should be offered by
students seeking to engage in research.
• provides current civil engineering students with a framework
against which they can understand the purpose, measure the
progress, and plan the completion of their studies.
• gives ABET leaders a basis for developing appropriate
accreditation criteria.
• informs employers what they can expect in terms of basic
knowledge, skills, and possibly attitudes possessed by civil
engineering graduates.
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APPENDIX B: RELEVANCE OF BOK
• suggests to employers their role, in partnership with individual
civil engineers prior to licensure, in helping young civil
engineers attain the levels of achievement needed to enter the
practice of civil engineering at the professional level.
• provides licensing boards with confidence that the formal
education and pre-licensure experience of civil engineers will
meet the engineering profession’s responsibility to protect
public safety, health, and welfare.
• encourages specialty certification boards to build on the prelicensure BOK in defining their desired mastery level of
achievement.
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