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Introduction

IES is the Singapore signatory to the Washington Accord with effect from June 2006. The Washington Accord is an international agreement which provides a mechanism for mutual recognition of the substantial equivalence of engineering academic programmes in satisfying the academic requirements for the practice of engineering at the professional level. The processes, policies and procedures for granting accreditation to engineering academic programmes by IES is administered by the Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB) which was set up in May 2002 by IES as a body to accredit engineering programmes that are delivered and awarded in Singapore.

The terms of reference of EAB are to:

• implement the accreditation policy of Council;
• formulate guidelines and procedures for accreditation;
• appoint Evaluation Teams to accredit engineering programmes;
• receive and review evaluation reports by the Evaluation Teams, and decide on whether accreditation should be granted, as well as the conditions to be imposed, if there is such a need;
• receive and respond to IES Council on complaints and appeals regarding the accreditation process;
• represent IES in mutual recognition agreements on academic qualifications and professional membership with other countries; and
• report periodically to IES Council on its work.

Objectives of accreditation

• To ensure that accredited programmes satisfy the requirements for corporate membership of the Institution of Engineers Singapore in the area of academic qualifications and are benchmarked to meet the standards of other mutual recognition agreements entered into by EAB, including the Washington Accord;
• To assist stakeholders as well as potential students and their parents, professional societies, and potential employers, in identifying specific engineering programmes that meet the minimum criteria for accreditation; and 
• To provide feedback to the educational institutions for the improvement and development of educational programmes in engineering that can better meet the needs of the local industry.

Washington Accord

Signatories of the Washington Accord are:

• Australia - Represented by Engineers Australia (1989)
• Canada - Represented by Engineers Canada (1989)
• Chinese Taipei - Represented by Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan (2007)
• Hong Kong China - Represented by The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (1995)
• Ireland - Represented by Engineers Ireland (1989)
• Japan - Represented by Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (2005)
• Korea - Represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea (2007)
• New Zealand - Represented by Institution of Professional Engineers NZ (1989)
• Singapore - Represented by Institution of Engineers Singapore (2006)
• South Africa - Represented by Engineering Council of South Africa (1999)
• United Kingdom - Represented by Engineering Council UK (1989)
• United States - Represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (1989)

For more details about Washington Accord, go to the International Engineering Alliance website.

Engineering programmes granted full accreditation by EAB

Accreditation Criteria & Processes

The following manuals on the accreditation processes, policies, criteria and procedures are available for download:

EAB Accreditation Manual (Apr 2008) (475 KB)