The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) is soliciting feedback on revisions to accreditation criteria 3.1, 3.4.4.6, and 3.5.4, and on the removal of criteria 3.4.4.1, 3.4.4.4, and 3.5.5. It is to be noted that other accreditation criteria related to licensure expectations and requirements (3.5.3 – licensure of leadership and 3.5.8 – licensure of curriculum committee voting members) are out of scope for this consultation and may be considered in a subsequent phase of this project.
Problem/issue definition
In October 2025, the Engineers Canada Board mandated the CEAB, under the Realizing Futures of Engineering Accreditation (RFEA) project, to develop and recommend changes to accreditation criteria associated with Recommendations 7, 8, and 9 of the FEA Path Forward Report, which relate to faculty licensure requirements.
Under the current CEAB accreditation criteria, “Specific AUs” refer to minimum curriculum-hour requirements (Accreditation Units, or AUs) that must be delivered by faculty members who hold, or are progressing toward, professional engineering licensure in Canada. Specific AUs are calculated based on direct contact time between students and licensed instructors and are therefore an input measure.
Over time, several challenges have emerged regarding the reliance on Specific AUs:
- Contact hours do not measure student outcomes; furthermore, contact hours instruction does not reflect current and evolving teaching practices;
- Specific AU requirements do not ensure that the intended benefits of having registered professional engineers are achieved;
- Specific AU requirements can constrain Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in optimal assignment of instructors to courses and limit pedagogical flexibility; and
- Provincial and territorial legislative differences on whether teaching engineering constitutes the practice of engineering complicate national consistency.
Proposal
It is proposed that criteria 3.1, 3.4.4.6, and 3.5.4 be refined and that criteria 3.4.4.1, 3.4.4.4, and 3.5.5 be removed from the CEAB Accreditation Criteria and Procedures. Corresponding updates to the Interpretive statement on licensure expectations and requirements will also be made to ensure consistency with the proposed changes to the criteria.
Engagement to-date
Prior to the Engineers Canada Board’s formal mandate, the CEAB’s Policies and Procedures (P&P) Committee and the Engineering Deans Canada (EDC)’s Deans’ Liaison Committee (DLC) had been engaging on this topic for several years, as Specific AUs and related faculty licensure requirements for accreditation have long been recognized as constraints within the education system. This work included an initial exchange with the Chief Executive Officers (CEO) Group of Engineers Canada in July 2025.
Over the past several months, P&P and DLC members have worked closely to clarify the purpose and intended outcomes of “substantial and meaningful” involvement of licensed engineers with students, and to identify criteria changes that support an outcomes-focused approach while maintaining alignment with Washington Accord requirements. Both committees concluded that this objective is better achieved through an outcomes-focused approach than through a simple count of Specific AUs.
On April 13, 2026, all provincial and territorial regulators were invited to a virtual workshop to discuss potential changes to accreditation criteria that require faculty licensure, as well as the role of licensed professional engineers in student education. The session gathered input and helped clarify similarities and differences in legislative and regulatory approaches across jurisdictions regarding the licensure status of staff and faculty members associated with engineering programs. On April 26, 2026, P&P and DLC members finalized the proposed changes presented for consultation.
The CEAB approved the launch of this national consultation during their May 2026 meeting.
Underlying principle of professional engineers' involvement in student education
P&P and DLC members began their co-design work by clarifying the underlying purpose of the accreditation criteria related to faculty licensure. They agreed that the purpose is to ensure specific student outcomes resulting from substantial and meaningful student engagement with licensed professional engineers. The following proposed purpose statement has therefore guided decisions about which criteria should be removed or revised to better support outcomes previously inferred indirectly through Specific AU contact time calculations between students and licensed professionals.
Purpose statement
The purpose of having substantial and meaningful involvement of professional engineers in the education of students is to ensure that graduates understand that the profession’s foremost responsibility, within the context of a regulated profession in Canada, is to the public good. Graduates must understand that licensure requires:
- technical competence,
- professionalism, and
- personal accountability.
Furthermore, graduates must understand that a self-regulating engineering profession must serve the public interest and that professional engineers must recognize their responsibilities and the expectations of government and society, thereby fostering an inclusive, ethically responsible professional community.
Definitions
Meaningful involvement is characterized by a clear and intentional educational approach that supports the students’ understanding.
Substantial involvement refers to engagement that is meaningful, sustained, and integral to the educational experience.
Consultation period
The consultation period will take place from June 22, 2026, to August 3, 2026.
Document for consultation
This document presents the proposed changes and the rationale supporting them.
Contextual material
This document provides an illustrative list of activities related to the purpose statement to help clarify the concepts of meaningful and substantial involvement of professional engineers in student education. These activities are intended as examples only and should not be interpreted as prescriptive requirements.
Consultation questions
- What are the implications of the proposal in terms of clarity, relevance, and overall impact?
- What aspects of the proposal may be missing or require further clarification?
- What challenges or opportunities might arise from applying these criteria changes in meeting the accreditation requirements?
- What risks will be incurred by this implementation? How can these risks be mitigated?
Interest holders being consulted
- CEAB members
- Chief Executive Officers (CEO) Group
- National Admissions Officials Group (NAOG)
- Engineering Deans Canada (EDC)
- Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
- Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES)
How to participate
- Attend the introduction webinar – general session for all interest holders
Any individual within your organization who is interested is invited to attend one of the scheduled introductory webinars, offered in English and French. Participants may register by selecting their preferred session below:
- June 22, 2026: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern (English). Click here to register.
- June 23, 2026: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern (French). Click here to register.
Those who are unable to attend either live session will be able to view the recordings on this webpage once they become available.
- Schedule a meeting
Should you or your colleagues wish to organize a web meeting to discuss the proposal, please email accreditation@engineerscanada.ca to schedule the meeting.
- Submit written feedback
We invite you to submit written feedback to accreditation@engineerscanada.ca by August 3, 2026.
How your feedback will be used
All feedback received will be compiled, analyzed, and presented to the P&P Committee, the DLC, the CEAB and the Engineers Canada Board. A consultation report summarizing the feedback, highlighting common themes, areas of consensus, and key considerations for next steps, will be posted on the Engineers Canada website. The report will identify the interest holders, their roles in the ecosystem, the method by which feedback was provided, and the date on which it was received. Information gathered through this consultation may also be used in the context of the broader RFEA project and/or Engineers Canada’s Realizing Accreditation and Academic Assessments strategic project.
On behalf of the Accreditation Board and Engineers Canada, thank you for considering this invitation. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Roselyne Lampron (roselyne.lampron@engineerscanada.ca or at 1-877-408-9273 extension 222).