Use of the Title "Engineer"

Approved by the IEEE-USA
Board of Directors (June 21, 2001)

IEEE-USA recognizes that the title, Engineer, has a multiplicity of meanings within the context of laws of various U.S. jurisdictions. All jurisdictions protect the titles Professional Engineer, Licensed Engineer, Registered Engineer, or some variation thereof, to refer to individuals licensed in those jurisdictions to practice engineering. In addition, some jurisdictions protect the title, Engineer, with no qualifying words added. The purpose of protecting these titles is to ensure that the public can easily identify those individuals who possess the requisite skill, knowledge and competence to protect public safety, health and welfare in the practice of engineering. Generally, the public interprets the term, Engineer, to mean a person who is qualified to practice engineering by reason of special knowledge and use of the mathematical, physical and engineering sciences, and the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design, acquired by engineering education and engineering experience.

It is our position that the title, Engineer, and its derivatives should be reserved for those individuals whose education and experience qualify them to practice in a manner that protects public safety. Strict use of the title serves the interest of both the IEEE-USA and the public by providing a recognized designation by which those qualified to practice engineering may be identified. The education and experience needed for the title, Engineer, is evidenced by

• Graduation with an Engineering degree from an ABET/EAC accredited program of engineering (or equivalent*), coupled with sufficient experience in the field in which the term, Engineer, is used; and/or

• Licensure by any jurisdiction as a Professional Engineer.

This statement was developed by the Licensure and Registration Committee of the IEEE-United States of America (IEEE-USA) and represents the considered judgment of a group of IEEE U.S. members with expertise in the subject field. IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., created in 1973 to promote the careers and public-policy interests of the more than 230,000 electrical, electronics, computer and software engineers who are U.S. members of the IEEE.

*  A degree from a foreign institution (or the total education when a person holds a graduate degree in engineering but no accredited B.S. in engineering) can be evaluated through a service offered by ABET.

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Last Updated:  14 October, 2004
Staff Contact: Svetlana Durkovic, s.durkovic@ieee.org