1. Accreditation of civil engineering degrees in the UK
Simon Wheeler
University of Glasgow, UK

2. Award of Chartered Engineer title
Award of the title of Chartered Engineer is legally in the power of the Engineering Council
The Engineering Council has delegated this power to individual engineering institutions, such as:
- Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
- Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
- Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE)
- Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
- Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)
- ………..

3. Grades of professional engineers
Chartered Engineer (CEng)
Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
Engineering Technician (Eng Tech)

4. Routes to Chartered Engineer status
Accredited MEng degree
- 3-4 years of approved training and professional experience
- Chartered professional review
Accredited BEng degree
- Further learning equivalent to 1 year of further study (either MSc or short courses)
- Approved training and professional experience

5. In England, Wales and N. Ireland most students start university aged 18-19, whereas in Scotland most students start university aged 17-18
In England, Wales and N. Ireland:
- MEng is 4 years duration
- BEng is 3 years duration
In Scotland:
- MEng is 5 years duration
- BEng is 4 years duration

6. Some universities provide only MEng degrees
Some universities (such as Glasgow) provide both MEng and BEng degrees (MEng and BEng bifurcate prior to final year of BEng)
Some universities provide only BEng degrees and degrees leading to Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status

7. For candidates wishing to gain Chartered Engineer status without an accredited degree:
Candidates with a suitable, but non-accredited Civil Engineering degree from another country may have to sit all or part of the ICE Part 1 exams
It is possible to ultimately gain CEng status without an accredited degree or sitting the Part 1 exams. But this is very difficult and very long (at least 15 years). This route is extremely rare!
As a consequence, MEng and BEng degrees which fail to gain accreditation are unviable and will be terminated by their university

8. Accreditation of MEng and BEng degrees
Accreditation is by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)
The members of the JBM are appointed by the Councils of ICE and IStructE and consist of 50% academics and 50% practising civil engineers
Accreditation takes place every 5 years (with additional interim reviews if necessary)

9. Requirements for accreditation
Suitable curriculum: must include appropriate course in mathematics, mechanics, structures, materials, geotechnics and water engineering, but there is no national curriculum
Design as an integrating thread
Incorporation of management, financial and legal issues
Incorporation of health and safety issues, risk analysis and environmental and sustainability issues
Development of communication skills (written, oral and graphical)
Use of individual and group projects
Appropriate methods and standards of assessment

10. The accreditation process
The university department submits a lengthy submission document following a standard format
There is a 2-day visit to the university by a JBM Visit Team (2 academic members, 2 practising members, 1 JBM administrator)
The Visit Team submit a report recommending:
- whether the degree should be accredited
- whether the accreditation should be for the full years
- any points of concern and any actions required by the university
The full JBM approve (normally) the recommendations of the Visit Team

11. Content of the submission document:
Introduction (including aims of the degree programme)
Course content
Student numbers and entry standards
Teaching staff
Professional contacts
Examination and assessment methods and standards
Teaching facilities
Research, consultancy and postgraduate courses
Financial situation
Graduate employment
Future plans and intentions

12. The 2-day visit
Meeting with Head of Department and Director of Teaching
Tour of departmental facilities
Inspection of students’ coursework
Meeting with students
Meeting with academic staff
Meeting with teaching assistants
Meeting with Industrial Advisory Group
Meeting with University Principal
Private meeting of Visit Team
Final meeting with Head of Department