AIME News - Declare Moratorium On New Accreditations

A 2-year moratorium on accreditation of curricula bearing new designations has been declared by Engineers' Council for Professional Development at its Executive Committee meeting on July 29, 1952. Reason: a more definitive description of what the contents of a curriculum should include to be appropriately designated as "engineering" is needed. This action was brought on by the Committee of Evaluation of the American Society of Engineering Education which had become perturbed over the extension of the name "engineering" to numerous fringe curricula. The 2-year period will permit time for the Committee on Evaluation to study the question and make a recommendation for further action by ECPD. ECPD action also provided that the following curricula should only be given provisional accreditation for one year upon either inspection or reinspection; such provisional accreditation to be extended annually for not more than two successive years pending the report: Engineering Physics, Engineering Mechanics, Geological Engineering, Geophysical Engineering, and Textile Engineering. There are 22 such curricula now accredited.