BURNABY, BC: On June 24, thirteen Civil Engineering students from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) made Canadian history as they graduated from BCIT’s newly accredited degree program in Civil Engineering. For the first time, the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) has granted accreditation to a non-university Civil Engineering program and the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering program is the recipient.
The program has received full accreditation for three years, which is the maximum accreditation period attainable for new programs. This significant achievement confirms the program’s acceptance within the professional community while allowing program graduates to directly apply to their professional association for registration.
“We are very proud to be recognized by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board,” says Don Wright, BCIT president. “This is a very important milestone for Civil Engineering at BCIT, one that will help our grads to continue contributing to the prosperity of British Columbia and indeed, to the country.”
The BCIT Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (B.Eng.) is the first engineering program at BCIT to be accredited, evolving from an earlier two-year diploma program. The now-accredited four-year Civil Engineering B.Eng. program allows students to leave after two years with a diploma of technology and enter the workforce as a technologist.
“This achievement is the result of the efforts of many faculty, staff, and students at BCIT, in particular, the members of the Department of Civil Engineering,” says Rod Goy, Acting Dean for BCIT’s School of Construction and the Environment. “They have all worked extremely hard in developing and delivering an exceptional program whose graduates are highly regarded by industry.”
Engineers Canada is the national organization that accredits undergraduate engineering programs across Canada through the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). Accreditation means that engineering graduates from the program have the academic qualifications necessary for registration as Engineers-In-Training (EIT) on their way to full licensure as practicing Professional Engineers (P.Eng.).
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For further information, media can contact:
Kelly Friday
Manager, Media Relations
British Columbia Institute of Technology
Tel: 604.432.8773
Cell: 604.836.6700
kelly_friday@bcit.ca