Engineers' Curriculum May Gain Accreditation

Policy changes of the Engineer's Council for Professional Development may lead to recertification of the University's Mechanical and Civil Engineering areas, according to a spokesman for the Council.

The Council, which periodically inspects and certifies those which meet its minimum requirements, last March refused to reaccredit the University's two areas because of "insufficient laboratory facilities and insufficient emphasis on design."

The policy changes, which were adopted last October, provide for more flexible standards, which will allow "well considered experiments in education." The Council will thus permit engineering education to "express an institution's own individuality and ideals."

No Drastic Change

The University is not contemplating any drastic changes in its approach to Engineering, Dean Van Vieck of the School of Engineering and Applied Physics, said, however. "Although we are not so unorthodox as some might believe, we are not going to return to the rigid engineering education of 50 years ago," he said.

"The Council's new policy is more in line with the University's views on liberal education," he pointed out, since the University had always followed a pattern of maximum flexibility in its Engineering curricula.

No Immediate Action

He added, however, that no action would be taken on recertification until the spring of 1957. The University will not request reinspection until that time when the new laboratories in Pierce Hall are completed.

"There are also certain elements of our curriculum which we are endeavoring to improve," Van Vleck stated. He pointed out that several new courses in design and materials would be added.