Controversies over the term Engineer

Controversies over the term 'engineer' stem from the traditional uses in design and analysis, as compared to newer uses of the term. Several nations are currently dealing with the definition of the term in both the legal arena and between professional bodies.

Canada

In Canada, it is considered illegal to practice engineering, or use the title "Engineer", without a Professional engineers license P.Eng. The use of the term "engineer" has been an ongoing issue between professional bodies, the IT industry and the security industry, where companies or associations may issue certifications or titles with the word "engineer" as part of that title (such as Security engineer or Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer). Several licensing bodies for professional engineering contend that only licensed professional engineers are legally allowed to use the title "Engineer". The IT industry, on the other hand, counters that

These title holders never presented themselves as "Professional Engineers",

Provincial laws, other than in Quebec and Ontario, regulate only the use of term "Professional Engineer", and not any title with the word "Engineer" in it (In Quebec and Ontario, the term "Engineer" is protected by both the Engineers Act and by section 32 of the Professional Code), and

The IT industry has used the term "engineer" since the dawn of the computing industry in the 60s

Court rulings regarding the usage of the term "engineer" have been mixed. For example, after complaints from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, a court in Quebec fined Microsoft Canada $1,000 for misusing the "engineer" title by referring to MCSE graduates as "engineers". Conversely, an Alberta court dismissed the lawsuit filed by The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA) against Raymond Merhej for using the title "System Engineer", claiming that "The Respondent's situation is such that it cannot be contended that the public is likely to be deceived, confused or jeopardized by his use of the term…"APEGGA also lost the appeal to this decision.

The Canadian Information Processing Society and in particular CIPS Ontario have attempted to strike a balance between the professional engineering licensing bodies and the IT industry over the use of the term "engineer" in the software industry, but so far no major agreements or decisions have been announced.

Additional confusion has taken place over similarly named occupations. One such example would be Power Engineers or Stationary Engineers. Graduates of a 2 year (in Nova Scotia) college level Power Engineering Technology program may use the title Power Engineer or Stationary Engineer. This is conflicting with the title often used in the electrical industry for professional engineers designing related equipment. The incorporation of the word "engineer" in Power Engineer or Stationary Engineer can itself cause confusion.

United Kingdom

In general, there is no restriction on the right to practice as an engineer in the UK. There are a few fields of practice, generally safety related, which are reserved by statute to licensed persons. In the UK, the term "engineer" can be applied to non-degreed vocations such as technologists, technicians, draftsmen, machinists, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, repair people, and semi-skilled occupations.

The UK has Professional Engineering titles registered via the Engineering Council UK (ECUK): Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng). Incorporated Engineer is a first-cycle qualification for Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science degree holders(Sydney Accord, equivalent to Technologist). Chartered Engineer is a second-cycle qualification usually reserved for holders of integrated Master of Engineering degrees or Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Science plus Master of Science degrees. Both IEng and CEng require substantial professional experience (4-8 years post graduate), a professional review and interview.

It is illegal in the UK to hold that one is a Chartered or Incorporated Engineer unless so registered with the ECUK. The title of "engineer" by itself is not regulated in the UK.

While ECUK is the primary body registering Engineers in UK, there are other professional societies that register engineers as well. Under its Royal Charter, the Engineering Council UK grants licences to engineering institutions allowing them to assess candidates for inclusion on its Register of Professional Engineers and Technicians, and to accredit academic programmes and professional development schemes. There are over 30 institutions licensed to register professional engineers with EC UK.

Europe and Latin America

Engineers in Europe Table showing all countries in which this profession is regulated, with the name of the profession as used in the country

In Germany and some other European and Latin American countries, the term Diploma Engineer implies that the person has completed typically one more year of academic work beyond the basic engineering Bachelor's degree. Diploma Engineer is therefore a university degree, and not a professional registration or license. However, in Germany and most other countries where the Diploma Engineer degree exist, there is no professional registration or license in engineering (with a very limited number of exceptions, e.g. civil engineering in Germany). This is the reason why graduates of these degrees are generally allowed to use the legally protected engineer title within these countries.

In France, the Ingénieur title is delivered by Grandes Ecoles. It corresponds to a Highly selective Master degree level, as three selections occurs: in high school, after two years of Classes preparatoires, and for the diploma delivering. This highly selective process, and French poor consideration for Ph.D owners (except in medical or veterinary domains), makes the Ingénieur title very reputated.

In Chile, the Ingeniero (engineer) title is regulated by law, which distinguishes at least three different kinds of professional engineering titles. First, the Ingeniería de Ejecución, which only requires a degree in applied science and a technical degree, from a university or a technical institute (usually four years of formation); Ingeniería, which requires a major degree in basic sciences plus a technical degree, both from a university (usually five years of formation); and Ingeniería Civil, which requires an academic major degree in basic sciences, a minor degree in applied sciences and a technical degree, all from a university (usually six or six and a half years). In all cases, the term refers to a professional degree conceded by an educational institution, yet it can only be given by certain institutions when all legal requirements are met.

In Brazil, the title of Engenheiro (engineer) and in Argentina the title of Ingeniero can only be legally used by someone with a five or six-year engineering degree. In Argentina most universities have a five or six-year engineering degree (Around 3500-4000 hours of classes or aprox 240-250 credits, one credit = 16 contact hours). Both countries conced the degree through universities (most common) and certain institutions (most rarely).

In Puerto Rico, use of the title Ingeniero (engineer) is restricted to those holding an engineer's license registered by the College of Engineers and Land Surveyors of Puerto Rico. These people have the right to add the letters "Ing." before their names on resumes, business cards, and other communication.

United States

In the United States, use of the title Professional Engineer is restricted to those holding a Professional Engineer's license. These people have the right to add the letters "P.E." after their names on resumes, business cards, and other communication. However, each state has its own licensing procedure, and the license is valid only in the state that granted it.

Other uses of the term "engineer" are legally controlled and protected to varying degrees, dependent on the state and the enforcement of its engineering certification board. The term is frequently applied to fields where practitioners may have no engineering background, or the work has no basis in the physical engineering disciplines; for example sanitation engineer. However, in many jurisdictions, the usage of this term is limited to internal use by a company, rather than in a professional or marketing aspect, if said company is not licensed to perform engineering work. This is because what is legally recognized as engineering work (and thus requiring licensure to be practiced) is held to strict criminal liability. 

With regard to the term software engineer, many states, such as Texas and Florida, have license requirements for such a title that are in line with the requirements for more traditional engineering fields. Jurisdictions such as these tend to refer to the position of network engineer as a technician. 

International professional bodies

The AACE, a professional body for Cost Engineers, explains why a technical engineering background is not required for their profession with the following statement:

“ The skills and knowledge required to deal with costs (e.g., cost estimating, planning and scheduling, etc.) are quite different from those required to deal with the physical design dimension. From that difference, the field of cost engineering was born. Cost engineering practitioners work alongside of and are peers with engineers, software analysts, play producers, architects, and other creative career fields to handle the cost dimension, but they do not necessarily have the same background. Whether they have technical, operations, finance and accounting, or other backgrounds, cost engineering practitioners need to share a common understanding, based on “scientific principles and techniques,” with the engineering or other creative career functions.

(source:wikipedia)