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| Washington Accord : |
RECOGNITION
OF EQUIVALENCY OF ACCREDITED ENGINEERING EDUCATION
PROGRAMS
LEADING TO THE ENGINEERING DEGREE
AGREEMENT
The signatories have exchanged information on, and have examined, their respective processes, policies and procedures for granting accreditation to engineering academic programs, and have concluded that these are comparable. Through the Washington Accord, which comprises this Agreement, the Rules and Procedures and the Transitional Provisions, the signatories recognise the substantial equivalence of such programs in satisfying the academic requirements for the practice of engineering at the professional level.
1. Accreditation of engineering academic programs is a key foundation for the practice of engineering at the professional level in each of the countries or territories covered by the Accord. The signatories therefore agree: that the criteria, policies and procedures used by the signatories in accrediting engineering academic programs are comparable; that the accreditation decisions rendered by one signatory are acceptable to the other signatories, and that those signatories will so indicate by publishing statements to that effect in an appropriate manner; to identify, and to encourage the implementation of, best practice, as agreed from time to time amongst the signatories, for the academic preparation of engineers intending to practice at the professional level; to continue mutual monitoring and information exchange by whatever means are considered most appropriate, including: regular communication and sharing of information concerning their accreditation criteria, systems, procedures, manuals, publications and lists of accredited programs; invitations to observe accreditation visits; and invitations to observe meetings of any boards and/or commissions responsible for implementing key aspects of the accreditation process, and meetings of the governing bodies of the signatories.
2. Each signatory will make every reasonable effort to ensure that the bodies responsible for registering or licensing professional engineers to practice in its country or territory accept the substantial equivalence of engineering academic programs accredited by the signatories to this agreement.
3. The Accord applies only to accreditations conducted by the signatories within their respective national or territorial boundaries.
4. The admission of new signatories to the Accord will require the unanimous approval of the existing signatories, and will be preceded by a prescribed period of provisional status, during which the accreditation criteria and procedures established by the applicant, and the manner in which those procedures and criteria are implemented, will be subject to comprehensive examination. Applicants for provisional status must be nominated by two of the existing signatories, and will be accepted only through a positive vote by at least two-thirds of the existing signatories.
5. Appropriate Rules and Procedures will be established by the signatories to ensure that this Agreement can be implemented in a satisfactory and expeditious manner. The adoption of, or amendment to, such Rules and Procedures will proceed only through a positive vote by at least two-thirds of the signatories.
6. There shall be biennial general meetings of the representatives of the signatories to review the Rules and Procedures, effect such amendments as may be considered necessary, and deal with applications for provisional status, and for admission.
7. The administration of the Accord will be facilitated by a secretariat established and operated in accordance with the Rules and Procedures made under the provisions of this Agreement.
The Accord will remain in effect for so long as it is acceptable and desirable to the signatories. Any signatory wishing to withdraw from the Accord must give at least one year's notice to the secretariat. Removal of any signatory will require the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the signatories.