Raising the Bar

In the past few years, the field of civil engineering has introduced a new movement. This movement is called Raise the Bar. This initiative is meant to promote state licensure laws to change so that future civil engineers can better serve the public and protect the public’s safety and welfare. This movement is backed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (Figure 1), the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.

Figure 1:  ASCE supports Raise the Bar

The goal of this movement is to create higher standards for civil engineers when they apply for their engineering license so that civil engineers will be better prepared to protect the public and more equipped to handle future challenges. Currently, to be licensed as a civil engineer, you need to have a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from an accredited college. Raise the Bar urges state licensure laws to require, in addition to the bachelor’s degree, either a master’s degree in engineering, or an additional 30 credits of graduate or upper level undergraduate classes.

Those who support Raise the Bar have several reasons for wanting states to require higher standards. The field of engineering is growing rapidly. There are more subfields of civil engineering than there were when the state licensure laws were made. There is also much deeper knowledge in these subfields than there used to be. A growing society, with old infrastructure creates many challenges that future engineers will have to face. Society requires engineers to improve and restore our infrastructure. Engineers have to maintain our infrastructure in several ways, including repairing and trying to avoid underground pipe damage. New challenges that could be appearing in the near future include making transportation more efficient, create aesthetically pleasing structures, and inventing new sewage systems for new cities. Another challenge for future civil engineers is to decide when to just repair a system or when to completely replace it. All of these challenges will affect the public and it’s the duty of civil engineers to keep the public safe and healthy (Figure 2).

Figure 2
Source: wonderfulengineering.com

These new challenges in addition to old knowledge are considered to be too much to possibly learn within four years. Because civil engineers directly impact the public’s welfare, society also expects more from them. Further education would help civil engineers to be more capable of protecting the public. In addition to greater knowledge, extended education would also lead to better developed leadership skills so engineers could direct teams more efficiently on a project.

The Raise the Bar movement indicates that in the future, prospective engineers might be required to become masters of planning, designing, construction, sustainability, integrating and inventing new technology, managing risk, and leading in public policy. The impact of this initiative may be longer schooling and more money spent by future civil engineers. A longer education is reasonable, given the direct impact on the public. In comparison, becoming a doctor takes many years of schooling because the public wants their doctors to have vast knowledge to ensure society’s safety. Civil engineering has a similar effect, just not as noticeable by the public. Raise the Bar ultimately leads to safer communities.