Spectral lines: Education, registration, certification, validation

In the July issue we opened the question of the role of government in regulating the practice of engineering. Some states in the U.S., we noted, are going so far as to restrict the use of the title “engineer” to those who are registered in the state. Others are pressing in the direction of doing away with the “industrial exemption,” which could require that EEs working for private industry would have to be registered. We concluded on the note that more and more informed observers believe that registration for all engineers, without exception, may be inevitable.