An article in the upcoming August/September issue of PE magazine highlights the ongoing confusion over the meaning of "professional engineer" and "professional engineering." Here's the text of the article:
NSPE Objects to NASA’s Use of ‘Professional Engineering’
The improper use of engineering titles by one of the federal government’s top engineering agencies recently prompted NSPE to take action.
In July, NSPE advised NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr. that the agency’s use of the phrase “Professional Engineering Positions” to recruit unlicensed individuals conflicts with state law. NASA has been using the phrase in its recruitment ads on the Web site USAJobs.gov.
NSPE’s letter to Bolden notes that the term “professional engineer” means “licensed engineer” under every state and territorial law. NSPE Past President Sam Grossman, P.E., F.NSPE, wrote: “NSPE believes that the use of term ‘Professional Engineering Positions’ within the federal government to include unlicensed graduate engineers is both misleading and deceptive to the public and will greatly contribute to confusion over engineering titles both inside and outside of the federal government.”
The letter, which requests that NASA develop an alternate phrase to describe its jobs, was also sent to the director of the Office of Management and Budget and the director of the Office of Personnel Management.
NASA’s improper use of “professional engineering” stands in direct contrast to a recent directive from the Department of the Interior, according to NSPE’s letter. Following the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the department issued a directive requiring a professional engineer’s approval before an oil lessee or operating company begins any new drilling operation or related activity.
“Clearly,” the letter states, “the Department of the Interior recognizes the important role licensed professional engineers play in protecting the public health and safety and has used the term ‘professional engineer’ properly to describe ‘licensed engineers’ (and not engineering graduates).”
According to NSPE Professional Policy No. 58 on employment practices, engineering titles should be conferred only upon those individuals who have earned them by virtue of: 1) licensure under a jurisdiction engineering licensure law, 2) graduation from an ABET-EAC program or an equivalent program, or 3) an official ruling under the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended, which defines engineers as learned professionals.
