Vermont PE Board rejects proposal to raise minimum education standard

On September 4, 2014, Vermont State Representative Robert Krebs, P.E., L.L.S., presented to the State of Vermont Professional Engineering Board draft language for a statute change that would require additional education for Civil, Environmental and Structural Engineers seeking licensure in Vermont, starting with graduates after January 1, 2020.  Krebs indicated that he would not introduce a Bill in the Vermont Legislature if the board did not support it.

The draft language reads as follows:  

Amend the current statute for the minimum education to read:

1182b.1 (F)  to read: Individuals seeking licensure, environmental or structural disciplines, who obtain their bachelor's degree after January 1, 2020 shall complete a master's degree curriculum in engineering accredited by ABET or an acceptable amount of additional coursework as defined by board rule, to meet the educational requirements for licensure.

1182b.3 (F) individuals seeking licensure in civil, environmental or structural disciplines, who obtain their bachelor's degree after January 1, 2020 shall complete a master's degree curriculum in engineering accredited by ABET or an acceptable amount of additional coursework as defined by board rule, to meet the educational requirements for licensure.

On May 7, 2015, after conducting a public hearing, considering follow-up testimony, and reviewing written testimony from both licensees and other interested parties, the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering voted by a 4-to-1 margin to approve the following motion:

The Vermont Board of Professional Engineering, after receiving testimony and researching the topic, does not support amending Chapter 20 of Title 26 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated to increase the minimum level of education required for licensure as a Professional Engineer to a master's degree or equivalent.

Board discussion

At the May 7th meeting, Board members deliberated on the proposal.  In summary, the general issues discussed were:

• Public Health, Safety, and Welfare and whether there is any evidence of a current problem that it is affected by the current minimum standard
• Review of current and historical enforcement actions in Vermont and Surrounding states
• Current Bachelors programs vs. Historical Bachelors programs
• Credit hour comparisons vs. Coursework comparisons
• Current exams and how they fit into entry into the profession
• The Structural Engineers choice on changing the examination
• The importance of Accreditation ABET's transition from credit hour assessment to outcome based assessment
• The Professional Engineering standards vs. other professions
• Board implementation issues if it were decided that the Master's or equivalent should move forward
• Potential legislative issues if it were to come before the legislature. (Cost, barring entry into the profession, lack or engineers, designer licensing)