All this and engineering too: history of accreditation requirements for nontechnical curriculum content in U.S. Engineering Education 1933-2000

Abstract

A concern for the non-technical side of engineering education has been a part of the accreditation process in the U. S. since the founding of the Engineering Council for Professional Development (ECPD) in 1932. The first accreditation policy published in 1933 left the specific criteria for curriculum content up to the discretion of the members of the accrediting panel. In 1955, a minimum of one-half year of "humanistic-social studies" was required for the first time. This requirement remained substantially unchanged until it was dropped as part of the changes associated with the adoption of EC 2000. The current criteria call for engineering students to have "an understanding of ... ethical, social, economic, and safety considerations," but whether curricula will emphasize these areas more in the future remains to be seen.