Review Category : Structural Licensure

In 2003, the Structural Engineering Certification Board (SECB) was established with a simple mission with three straightforward goals: Promote structural engineering licensure (SE) in all jurisdictions; determine the unique and additional qualities (beyond a professional engineering license) necessary to practice structural engineering; and provide the engineering profession, the public, and other stakeholders with a way to identify engineers with these unique and additional qualifications. Originally formed through a group of past presidents of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) as an interim step towards SE licensure, SECB eventually became a financially stable organization with certificate holders in all 50 states and a roster of more than 1,200 certified structural engineers. While states would not initially recognize this new SECB certification, the vision was to create momentum within the structural engineering community for higher credentialling that would serve as a model or bridge for SE licensure adoption in more states.

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Beginning in April 2011, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) recommended the 16-hour structural exam as the standard for demonstrating minimum competence in the practice of structural engineering. As a result, structural engineering became the only professional engineering discipline requiring more than an 8-hour exam in many jurisdictions. Prior to this date, some states already had some form of structural engineering legislation and, since 2011, more states have either passed or attempted to pass S.E. legislation. For Georgia, the Structural Engineers Association of Georgia (SEAOG) started looking at developing an easily understandable and compelling reason for structural engineering legislation soon after April 2011. This included making sure complex structures were being designed by qualified engineers and addressing a competitive disadvantage that engineers in Georgia who were designing structures faced, compared to engineers from states that had a P.E., S.E. designation.

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Suggested Language for Partial Practice Restrictions

The Structural Engineering Licensure Coalition (SELC) consists of representatives from the Council of American Structural Engineers (CASE) of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the Structural Engineering Certification Board (SECB). SELC has developed a document that provides a model definition for the term “significant structures,” which is used in structural engineering licensure legislation in several states and is being considered by several others to define partial practice restrictions.

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Why Additional Credentialing is Necessary for Some Structures

Structural engineering licensure is a hotly debated topic within the structural engineering profession. One question that is often raised is “What structures (often referred to as Designated Structures) should structural engineers be required to design?” This article discusses:

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The NCSEA Structural Licensure Committee, like many of us, occasionally “takes stock” to reflect and make resolutions for the future. Over the past few years, the Committee has advocated for structural licensure in various ways: articles, newsletters, member surveys, presentations, and communication with other organizations. Though structural licensure has yet to be established in many jurisdictions, NCSEA continues to believe its implementation would offer better protection to the public and ultimately save lives.
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Lake Wobegon is a fictional Minnesota Town from A Prairie Home Companion, a popular public radio show by Garrison Keillor. One of the show’s famous lines about the town is:

“…the little town that time forgot and the decades cannot improve … where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.”

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At its 2015 Annual Meeting in August, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) voted on Motion 1 submitted by the Advisory Committee on Council Activities (ACCA) (see the full text of the committee’s charge and rationale). If passed, Motion 1 would have ultimately modified the Model Law and Model Rules to limit both the use of the structural engineer title and the practice of structural engineering.
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Looking Back, Looking Forward

Growing up with a father who was a structural engineer, I learned at an early age about the impressive buildings in Los Angeles that he was responsible for engineering, but never put much thought into his professional title, “S.E.” Following in his footsteps, I quickly learned the academic requirements, and soon after completed the examination and experience that it took to put “S.E.” after my own name.

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The move toward structural licensure is well underway in the state of Florida. The Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA) will be proposing legislation to the Florida Senate and House of Representatives in 2015 to establish the SE license.

Many articles have appeared in various publications making the case for structural licensure.

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STRUCTURE magazine