Status of New Metallurgical and Materials Professional Engineering Examination: Importance of Engineering Licensure to the Engineering College / University Accreditation ProcessDr. Henry J. White - Haynes International
This presentation will consist of four parts:
1) Status of Materials Science in the US
2) Pathway to Engineering Licensure in Material Eng/Sci.
3) Accreditation Process of Institution of Higher Learning
4) ASM / AMP Materials viewpoint (upcoming article)
[The view slides Dr. White showed contain multitudes of specific tabular data. Here only the summary comments and trends will be verbalized.]
1) Status of Materials Science in the US.
During the recent couple decades there have been big losses in numbers of R&D employees in the US business community (often exceeding 50% in many sectors).
There has been a hollowing of the Professional societies.
Students go as research dollars go, and recently there has been high emphasis on everything "bio" and "medical" in the sciences, but few dollars granted for materials. Part of this is because scientists tend to be very poor lobbyists. Currently in the few (~130) institutions offering a materials program the total department size is only 20 students on average.
In the US, a very low fraction of Sci. and Eng. degrees are in materials disciplines. Foreign students (particularly Chinese and Korean) feel they can get better education in these fields by staying home. Students are attracted to the US for Medical and Business programs instead.
The rest of the industrialized world is publishing much more than the US in materials area.
2) Steps to Licensure.
Of first importance is to be attending or graduated from an institution that is ABET (Accreditation Board of Engineering Technology) accredited. Generally, the degree completed from an ABET program off-sets multiple years of required industrial experience to apply for a Professional Engineering License.
There are actually two examinations to be taken on the path to becoming a certified Professional Engineer. The FE examination concentrates on engineering fundamentals. This exam can be (and should be) taken while still in the academic environment. Its name, content, and price vary somewhat from State to State. It has been found that the likelihood of passing a FE examination is greatest while studying or shortly after degree completion, and decreases rapidly during the 3 - 5 years since University attendance.
The PE examination is an 8 hour, open book, "no choice" exam of 80 questions. The amount of experience required before sitting for this exam depends highly on the accreditation of the institute issuing your degree. Fees and other conditions for the PE vary from State to State. To maintain PE licensure and renew, there are continuing education requirements that must be met.
The "metallurgical" part of the examination is prepared by TMS (The Metallurgical Society). Since 1984, 1422 persons have attempted the PE (Materials Engineering) and only 751 have passed. Due to relatively low numbers (relative to other Engineering disciplines) the Materials PE is currently "on probation". If things do not turn around the Materials PE is headed for extinction. "Ceramic" and "Manufacturing" PEs are already extinct. To address the probation an extensive "Activity and Knowledge Skill Study" has been conducted. Questions for the exam are rated with metrics such a P+ and P-Bi-Serial statistics, which ensure the questions are neither to difficult nor too easy for the examinees. The Materials questions have gotten consistently better from 2002 - 2007 as measured by these stats. On Friday October 24, 2008 the newest, improved version of the exam will be administered for the first time.
3) The Accreditation Process for Mat. Sci. & Engineering Educational Programs.
There are eight specific criteria used by ABET to accredit a school's engineering program. Among these are: addressing improvement, publishing, faculty, facilities, and program. An ABET team visits the institution at least every 8 years and essentially performs an audit of the school's performance against the eight criteria. The visit involves 3 intense days of auditing. Auditing includes not only checking records but also sitting in on actual classes, and interviewing instructors and students. Regrettably, very few Materials Instructors and Professors hold PE licenses. Most institutions do not see this as important to their operations, and (as Materials Department sizes are small) give little attention to these programs. The outcome of an audit can either be continued (or initial) accreditation for the full 8 year period, or can be to review deficiencies via. and "interim report" or "interim visit" in a shorter time frame, or more severe actions; up to and including loss of accreditation.
4) ASM / Advanced Materials and Processes Article
Sometime this coming Spring Dr. White's article "Will Materials Engineering / Materials Science Exist in 2020" will be published in Advanced Materials and Processes. Basically the article will review much of what has been discussed this evening. IF ME/MS is to remain as learned profession in the US there must be increased interest and activity in it, and the current trend of decline must be reversed. It is hoped that the new examination (first given October 24, 2008) will help. Material Science is vital to our nation's security. Improved efforts in obtaining research funding are needed to attract interest of students.