Washington Accord
Encyclopedia
The Washington Accord is an international accreditation agreement for professional engineering
academic degree
s, between the bodies responsible for accreditation in its signatory countries. Established in 1989, the signatories as of 2010 are Australia
, Canada
, the Republic of Ireland
, Hong Kong
, Japan
, New Zealand
, Singapore
, South Africa
, South Korea
, Taiwan
, Malaysia, the United Kingdom
and the United States
.
The agreement recognizes that there is substantial equivalency of programs accredited by those signatories. Graduates of accredited programs in any of the signatory countries are recognized by the other signatory countries as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering. Recognition of accredited programs is not retroactive but takes effect only from the date of admission of the country to signatory status.
and the Dublin Accord
. Only qualifications awarded after the signatory country or region became part of the Washington Accord are recognized. The accord is not directly responsible for the licensing or registration of Professional Engineer
s and Chartered Engineers, but it does cover the academic requirements that are part of the licensing processes in signatory countries.
The following countries have provisional signatory status and may become member signatories in the future:
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
academic degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
s, between the bodies responsible for accreditation in its signatory countries. Established in 1989, the signatories as of 2010 are Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Malaysia, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The agreement recognizes that there is substantial equivalency of programs accredited by those signatories. Graduates of accredited programs in any of the signatory countries are recognized by the other signatory countries as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering. Recognition of accredited programs is not retroactive but takes effect only from the date of admission of the country to signatory status.
Scope
The Washington Accord covers undergraduate engineering degrees. Engineering technology and postgraduate programs are not covered by the accord, although some engineering technology programs are covered under the Sydney AccordSydney Accord
The Sydney Accord is an international mutual recognition agreement for qualifications in the fields of engineering technology.-Definition and background:...
and the Dublin Accord
Dublin Accord
The Dublin Accord is an agreement for the international recognition of Engineering Technician qualifications. In May 2002 the national engineering organisations of the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa and Canada signed an agreement mutually recognising the qualifications which underpin the...
. Only qualifications awarded after the signatory country or region became part of the Washington Accord are recognized. The accord is not directly responsible for the licensing or registration of Professional Engineer
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
s and Chartered Engineers, but it does cover the academic requirements that are part of the licensing processes in signatory countries.
Signatories
The following are the signatory accreditation bodies of the Washington Accord, their respective countries and territories, and years of admission:- Accreditation Board for Engineering and TechnologyAccreditation Board for Engineering and TechnologyABET, Inc., formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is a non-profit organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology...
(United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; 1989) - Canadian Council of Professional EngineersCanadian Council of Professional EngineersThe Canadian Council of Professional Engineers , operating with the business name of Engineers Canada, is the national organization of the 12 provincial and territorial associations that regulate the practice of engineering in Canada...
(CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; 1989) - Engineering Council UKEngineering Council UKThe Engineering Council is Britain's regulatory authority for registration of Chartered and Incorporated engineers and technicians, holding a register of these and providing advice to students, engineers, employers and academic institutions on the standards for registration and procedures for...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; 1989) - Institution of Engineers Australia (AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; 1989) - Institution of Engineers of IrelandInstitution of Engineers of IrelandThe Institution of Engineers of Ireland or the IEI, is the second oldest engineering society on the Islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and was established in 1835, the institution primarily represents members based in Ireland....
(Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
; 1989) - Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
; 1989) - Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
; 1995) - Engineering Council of South AfricaEngineering Council of South AfricaThe Engineering Council of South Africa is the Statutory body for the engineering profession in South Africa.Its aims are to promote a high level of education and training of practitioners, professionalism in the engineering profession, and the interests of the profession in the country.In South...
(South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
; 1999) - Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; 2005) - Institution of Engineers Singapore (SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
; 2006) - Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea (South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
; 2007) - Institute of Engineering Education TaiwanInstitute of Engineering Education TaiwanThe Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan is a non-profit, non-governmental; organization committed to accreditation of engineering and technology education programs in Taiwan....
(TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
; 2007) - Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programs (MUDEK) (TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
; 2011) - Board of Engineers, Malaysia (Malaysia; 2009)
The following countries have provisional signatory status and may become member signatories in the future:
- GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
- RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
See also
- Sydney AccordSydney AccordThe Sydney Accord is an international mutual recognition agreement for qualifications in the fields of engineering technology.-Definition and background:...
- Dublin AccordDublin AccordThe Dublin Accord is an agreement for the international recognition of Engineering Technician qualifications. In May 2002 the national engineering organisations of the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa and Canada signed an agreement mutually recognising the qualifications which underpin the...
- Chartered Engineer
- Professional EngineerProfessional EngineerRegulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
External links
- Washington Accord(International Engineering Alliance)