Principles of Ethics in Engineering
Most engineering educational institutions include discussion of ethics in their curriculum; in fact the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) has mandated that engineering educational programs include ethics in their undergraduate curriculum. Some institutions require a specific course in engineering ethics; others require their students to take a Humanities course (such as Philosophy) on ethics and morals. In my university (Midwestern State University), the McCoy School of Engineering requires all Engineering students to take Philosophy 2033 - Ethics course.
Any professional, student, or person follows rules of ethics throughout their life. Different professional organizations have codes of ethics for their professionals to follow in the workplace. Students seeking degrees to become professionals must learn these rules of ethics so they can be successful in their jobs. Ethical situations can be faced in everyday life, taught throughout life, in educational courses, and the code of the code of ethics can be applied to life now as a student of engineering. As new engineering students and college students we will face many ethical situations. One of the most prominent ethical issues a student might face is the urge to cheat. Cheating is a serious problem, but some students might see it as their only option if they are struggling in a class or falling behind. The work load in college can be intense. Students may struggle to keep a balance between studying and a social life. When this happens they may feel that cheating is the only option left. Not feeling prepared for a test or forgetting about an assignment could also cause a student to feel the overwhelming urge to cheat. Cheating is an ethical issue because it is not tolerated at any institution. Students need to decide to face the consequences of not being prepared instead of resorting to cheating. This can be a hard decision to make because students do not want to take a zero on an assignment or fail a test. Cheating may seem like the better option, but it never is. A zero or a failing grade is typically easier to come back from than being caught cheating since the latter usually results in being permanently expelled.
It is important for engineering students to study engineering ethics so that they will be prepared to make (sometimes difficult) ethical decisions during their professional careers. It is clear that many case studies in engineering ethics do not have a single clear-cut correct answer, but may have many correct solutions, where some solutions are better than others. Therefore, ethical problems can be similar to open-ended engineering design problems, where multiple solutions exist.
Any professional, student, or person follows rules of ethics throughout their life. Different professional organizations have codes of ethics for their professionals to follow in the workplace. Students seeking degrees to become professionals must learn these rules of ethics so they can be successful in their jobs. Ethical situations can be faced in everyday life, taught throughout life, in educational courses, and the code of the code of ethics can be applied to life now as a student of engineering. As new engineering students and college students we will face many ethical situations. One of the most prominent ethical issues a student might face is the urge to cheat. Cheating is a serious problem, but some students might see it as their only option if they are struggling in a class or falling behind. The work load in college can be intense. Students may struggle to keep a balance between studying and a social life. When this happens they may feel that cheating is the only option left. Not feeling prepared for a test or forgetting about an assignment could also cause a student to feel the overwhelming urge to cheat. Cheating is an ethical issue because it is not tolerated at any institution. Students need to decide to face the consequences of not being prepared instead of resorting to cheating. This can be a hard decision to make because students do not want to take a zero on an assignment or fail a test. Cheating may seem like the better option, but it never is. A zero or a failing grade is typically easier to come back from than being caught cheating since the latter usually results in being permanently expelled.
It is important for engineering students to study engineering ethics so that they will be prepared to make (sometimes difficult) ethical decisions during their professional careers. It is clear that many case studies in engineering ethics do not have a single clear-cut correct answer, but may have many correct solutions, where some solutions are better than others. Therefore, ethical problems can be similar to open-ended engineering design problems, where multiple solutions exist.
The Engineering Profession
Engineering practice can be defined as a “profession,” as opposed to an “occupation” or “job.” A profession has the following attributes:
- Work requires sophisticated skills, judgment, and exercise of discretion (work is not routine).
- Membership in the profession requires formal education.
- Special societies (controlled by members of the profession) establish standards for admission into the profession and conduct of its members.
- Significant positive public service results from the practice of the profession.
Obviously, law and medicine are professions, and their practices are regulated by strong societies such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Bar Association (ABA). Engineering is a profession, but differs from law and medicine in the following ways: - Most engineers are not self-employed, but work for large companies (the exceptions include civil engineers and consulting engineers).
- Education is different: only a BS degree is required to practice engineering.
- Engineering societies are not as powerful as the AMA or ABA, since BS degree holders can practice engineering without a Professional License.