SHAPING THE FUTURE OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION

which stated “The American Society of Civil Engineers (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 (ASCE, 2001). ” The fundamental objective of Policy 465 was not a specification for the educational requirements for licensure but instead a recognition “that the current four-year bachelor’s degree is becoming inadequate formal education preparation for the practice of civil engineering at the professional level in the 21st century (ASCE, 2001). ” To better emphasize its fundamental objective, Policy 465 was revised and renamed “Academic Prerequisites for Licensure and Professional Practice ” and introduced the concept of a specific body of knowledge (BOK) that needs to be attained to practice civil engineering at the professional level. The catalyst for Policy 465 and the development of a body of knowledge was the recognition that: • Existing civil engineering curriculums do not adequately prepare engineers for a rapidly changing work environment and for leadership roles. • There is an ongoing gradual historic reduction in credit hours required for the baccalaureate civil engineering degree. • The education, experience, licensing, certification and continuing professional development process for civil engineers has failed to maintain status compared to other professions. • The compensation received by civil engineers relative to other engineering disciplines and other professions is lower. • Civil engineering is losing its appeal to highly motivated young people. The long-term, considered in the range of 10 to 15 years, implementation of Policy 465 is guided by the Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice (CAP3), formerly called the Task Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice (TCAP3). Within th