Positions include leads as well as team members in the avionics software organization. Licensing software engineers is in the works ieee spectrum. Two articles featured in the institute on the licensing of professional software engineers in the united statesi licensing software engineers is in the worksand answers to faqs about software licensing i attracted a large number of comments with many opposing licensing, some in support or neutral, and several emotionally charged. Software engineers tend to agree that mandates will have the most impact on those who develop embedded software systems. Ncees is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers and surveyors. Licensing software engineers, communications of the acm 10. Each state licensing board has varying educational requirements. Then, only licensed engineers would be legally able to hold certain jobs in companies which the licensing board. Pdf licensing software engineers in canada david parnas. In terms of licensed software engineers, a person would have to take a test demonstrating a certain body of knowledge deemed essential for a software engineer. The debate on licensing of software engineers has been a personal journey for me. Software engineering professionalism is a movement to make software engineering a profession, with aspects such as degree and certification programs, professional associations, professional ethics, and. Generally, the requirements for licensure as a professional software engineer are.
A professional engineer is an individual who has been granted by a governmental authority the right to use that tide and to offer. Check the requirements of your state licensing board. But mandating a pe for software engineers is a huge mistake. Then, only licensed engineers would be legally able to hold certain jobs in companies which the licensing board deemed must be help by a licensed software engineer, similarly to how teaching positions at. Licensing and software engineers louisiana tech university. National council of examiners for engineering and surveying. The legal basics of software licensing techrepublic.
Licensing software engineers in canada november 2002. Based on the unique concept of identitybased licensing, our cloudbased licensing solution provides advanced features in regard to both authentication and licensing. Surprisingly to me, the concept of regulating the practice of software engineering in situations where public safety is involved has been met with significant resistance and controversy. Licensing software engineers in canada, communications of the.
Unfortunately, licensing is a political issue and not a technical one, so finding an answer is difficult, and it will never be possible to prove any course of action is the right one. Issues in licensing and certification of software engineers. In june of 1998, the texas board of professional engineers added software engineering to its list of recognized engineering disciplines, making texas the first state to issue licenses to software. Ncees will discontinue the exam after the april 2019 exam. No, software engineering should not require professional certification. It is a compilation of 10 useful articles that have appeared within the last few years. Find a list of the few states that have proposed legislation or voiced support for licensure. Every customer is required to sign a license agreement at the start of their site license. This doesnt mean that all software engineers will be subject to licensing. What needs to change for software engineering to become a formal. To understand why licensing is rarely applied to software engineering, you first have to understand why it is applied where it is. Our desktop replacement program provides a modern and consistent desktop experience for all administrative staff in the college.
A year in numbers, the official ncees source for engineering and surveying licensure statistics. This article focuses on the licensing of software engineers. Software engineering is the systematic application of engineering approaches to the development of software. Holding a bachelors degree in software engineering from an abetaccredited. Many software engineers hold the view that the software. First, they spend considerable time researching, defining, and analyzing the problem at hand. The acm is not supportive of licensing as proposed in texas. It develops, administers, and scores the examinations used for engineering and surveying licensure in the united states. Reprinted in engineering times 24, 1 national society of professional engineers jan. Software engineer is a professional who applies the principles of software engineering for designing, development, maintenance, testing, and evaluation of computer software whereas software developer is a professional who builds software which runs across various types of computer.
It is designed for engineers who have gained a minimum of four. Software engineers design and guide the development of programs that computers use to. The principles and practice of engineering pe software engineering exam was offered for the first time in april 20. Licensure candidates typically must pass the fundamentals of engineering fe exam and the principles and.
As technology evolves and becomes a bigger part of everyday life, so too does the need for technology professionals. Most of the new licensees are engineers trained in related fields for example, electrical or computer engineering who have crossed into software. Software engineer licensing software engineer insider. Insurance business canada magazine recently ran a feature on victor formerly encon, who this year celebrates their fiftieth anniversary. It is also considered a part of overall systems engineering. The idea for the licensing exam came from five organizations who partnered in 2009 to form the software engineering consortium. This volume is a collection of articles pertaining to the controversial and interesting topic of licensing software engineers in the united statesa topic that has been hotly debated for more than 20 years. The commonwealth of massachusetts is pleased to offer online access to many licensing, permitting and certificate services. The field is a licensed discipline in texas in the united states texas board of professional engineers, since 20, engineers australia. Engineering it offers consultation on hardware and software purchases, and assistance with software licensing for engineering applications. Each state will be responsible for coming up with its own guidelines. But the acm later withdrew its support because the ieee intended the swebok to be required for licensing. He regards licensing as a political issue, and he regards the.
Engineers canada is the national organization of the 12 engineering regulators that license the countrys 300,000 members of the profession. Safety licensing of software engineers software engineering. Jun 16, 2008 but mandating a pe for software engineers is a huge mistake. To become licensed, engineers must complete a fouryear college degree, work under a professional engineer for at least four years, pass two intensive competency exams and earn a license from their states licensure board. Software engineer is a professional who applies the principles of software engineering for designing, development, maintenance, testing, and evaluation of computer. Software engineering professionalism is a movement to make software engineering a profession, with aspects such as degree and certification programs, professional associations, professional ethics, and government licensing. A civil engineer can use wellunderstood analysis to prove that astructure will be safe. Thats not a license, but you do have to have those.
Professional engineers ontario, mayjune 2001, 3639. Software engineering is a direct subfield of engineering and has an overlap with computer science and management science. Should there be professional licensure for software. Frailey sees comments on software engineering licensing as deja vu, recalling the debate on the go to statement that raged three decades ago. Hotly debated but plainly inevitable, the topic of licensing software engineers in the united states is examined in a new ebook, the best of ieeeusa insight. Licensing software engineers communications of the acm. Software engineering is a direct subfield of engineering and has an overlap with computer. I dont think you can call yourself an engineer legally if you dont have an official engineering degree. The texas scheme has been criticised, however, because it does not take into account the differences between software engineering and.
In states that offer licensing, the worst case scenario is disciplinary action, sanctions, or loss of your license should a client or employer file a complaint. If you are not familiar with the subject of professional licensing for software engineers, you can read a good synopsis here. A professional engineer is an individual who has been granted by a governmental. The pe software exam is an 8hour exam with 80 questions. This exam is the only missing item in the path to licensure for software engineers, says ieee fellow philip laplante, who chairs the consortiums software engineering licensure examination. People searching for how to become a software engineer. Pdf why software developers should be licensed researchgate. Prepared for the acmieee steering committee on software engineering as a. Ian bogost is a contributing writer at the atlantic and the ivan allen. Reprinted in engineering times 24, 1 national society of professional. Aug 12, 2014 no, software engineering should not require professional certification. I have been a licensed software engineer in canada where its the law that you have to be licensed to use the title engineer for almost 10 years. Software engineering canadas association of information.
Together, we work to advance the profession in the public. The ontario authorities have licensed about 300 engineers who specialize in software. While the ieeecs was in favor of licensing software engineers, the acm was not. Then, only licensed engineers would be legally able to hold certain jobs in companies which the licensing board deemed must be help by a licensed software engineer, similarly to how teaching positions at your local public school can only be help by licensed teachers. Licensing software engineers licensing software engineers frailey, dennis j. This article focuses on the licensing of software engineers in canada. With eplace, the commonwealth hopes to deliver more efficient, convenient, and. Together, we work to advance the profession in the public interest. Professional licensure for computer engineers and software. As i read the many comments on a software engineering licensing i m reminded of the debate on the merits of the go to statement that raged in this publication three decades ago.
Afterall, most software projects are pretty benign. The software engineering code of ethics and professional practice was developed by a computer professionals for social responsibility. Professional licensure for computer engineers and software engineers. Read the latest issue of licensure exchange, the ncees publication. Licensing asme s license agreement is a legal document protecting the rights of our customers and asme. Software engineering texas board of professional engineers. More than 60% of ieee computer society members supported a professional engineering exam for software. Licensing software engineers in canada by david lorge parnas engineering are selfregulating. Licensing software engineers december 1999 communications. Serve as a subject matter expert for software domains, systemspecific issues, processes and regulations.
The texas scheme has been criticised, however, because it does not take into account the differences between software engineering and other engineering discipines. By definition, licensing is required for those whose work impacts safety, health, or welfare. Your engineers, being part of that open source community project, would know that and would automatically choose gplv2 in the absence of such a mandate. Ncees will discontinue the exam after the april 2019 exam administration. I have been a licensed software engineer in canada where its the law that you have to be licensed to use the title. Should software engineering require professional certification. He regards licensing as a political issue, and he regards the debate about licensing in software engineering as noble, but shallow.
Apply for, renew, or amend a license, permit or certificate application. In june of 1998, the texas board of professional engineers added software engineering to its list of recognized engineering disciplines, making texas the first state to issue licenses to software engineers. In other states, software engineers may not use the title engineer. Do you need a license to work as a software engineer. Read the latest on the movement to require licensure of software engineers. Licensing software engineers in canada communications of. As yet there are no analogous techniques forsoftware. Certification and licensing raise confidence but do not guarantee certainty of the outcome 7. When licensing is imposed, the claim is almost always that its. Should there be professional licensure for software engineers.
With eplace, the commonwealth hopes to deliver more efficient, convenient, and interactive egovernment services. Other provinces have been actively licensing software developers as well. Read the latest issue of licensure exchange, the ncees publication dedicated to opinions and ideas regarding the licensure of engineers and surveyors. Software engineers create or customize existing software programs to meet the needs of a particular business or industry. First, they spend considerable time researching, defining, and analyzing the. Nov 01, 2002 licensing software engineers in canada by david lorge parnas engineering are selfregulating. The first was a book about the tumultuous history of implementing medical licensing in the u. The principles and practice of engineering pe exam tests for a minimum level of competency in a particular engineering discipline. Learn about what some of the requirements for licensure wuld be and why states are considering licensure of their software engineers. Then, to retain their licenses, pes must continually maintain and improve their skills throughout their careers. Surprisingly to me, the concept of regulating the practice of software engineering. Practitioners deal directly with the general public, most of whom cannot determine whether or not a selfproclaimed expert is qualified to provide the required service. Proper practice requires the practitioner understand an organized body of knowledge and have learned.
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