The role of professional registration in engineering academia

Even though there exists no formal minimum requirements for tenure track faculty, the generally accepted basic credentials are a PhD and a track record of contributions within a given field of expertise. To become tenured, faculty must demonstrate a high level of performance in each of teaching, research and service. In turn, the quality of an engineering department is dependent on faculty achieving excellence in all three aspects of the faculty position. While a PhD and a strong academic background are excellent preparation for research, they don't prepare well for contributions in service. Engineering departments are in continual need to bring the know-how that exists in industry into the classroom, to develop stronger connections with industry, and to conduct research that can contribute directly to industry. This paper investigates the role of professional registration among engineering faculty. Does professional registration among engineering faculty members increase their success as faculty? Would engineering departments be better if faculty were required to be professionally registered? Professional registration may be the catalyst to strengthen the bonds between industry, education and research. A survey was conducted to investigate the levels of quality, communication and success among engineering departments with and without professionally registered faculty. Results are presented and conclusions drawn which indicate a role for professional registration in engineering academia.