Licensing for software engineers

Afterall, most software projects are pretty benign. It is a compilation of 10 useful articles that have appeared within the last few years. The first was a book about the tumultuous history of implementing medical licensing in the u. Should there be professional licensure for software engineers. Ian bogost is a contributing writer at the atlantic and the ivan allen. But mandating a pe for software engineers is a huge mistake. A professional engineer is an individual who has been granted by a governmental.

More than 60% of ieee computer society members supported a professional engineering exam for software. National council of examiners for engineering and surveying. Learn about what some of the requirements for licensure wuld be and why states are considering licensure of their software engineers. Software engineers create or customize existing software programs to meet the needs of a particular business or industry. 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. Ncees will discontinue the exam after the april 2019 exam. 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. Acm determined that the state of knowledge and practice in software engineering was too immature to warrant licensing, and that. Pdf why software developers should be licensed researchgate. The principles and practice of engineering pe exam tests for a minimum level of competency in a particular engineering discipline. He regards licensing as a political issue, and he regards the. This doesnt mean that all software engineers will be subject to licensing. 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. The legal basics of software licensing techrepublic.

Reprinted in engineering times 24, 1 national society of professional. The idea for the licensing exam came from five organizations who partnered in 2009 to form the software engineering consortium. Software engineering canadas association of information. 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. Licensing software engineers december 1999 communications.

I have been a licensed software engineer in canada where its the law that you have to be licensed to use the title. 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. The software engineering code of ethics and professional practice was developed by a computer professionals for social responsibility. Licensing software engineers communications of the acm. 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. Licensing and software engineers louisiana tech university. Software engineering is a direct subfield of engineering and has an overlap with computer science and management science. First, they spend considerable time researching, defining, and analyzing the problem at hand. When licensing is imposed, the claim is almost always that its. Licensing software engineers in canada, communications of the. Should there be professional licensure for software.

Together, we work to advance the profession in the public. But the acm later withdrew its support because the ieee intended the swebok to be required for licensing. Most of the new licensees are engineers trained in related fields for example, electrical or computer engineering who have crossed into software. Licensing software engineers, communications of the acm 10. The texas scheme has been criticised, however, because it does not take into account the differences between software engineering and. 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. To understand why licensing is rarely applied to software engineering, you first have to understand why it is applied where it is. Licensing improving software quality stanford computer science. 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.

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. Many software engineers hold the view that the software. Software engineers design and guide the development of programs that computers use to. Do you need a license to work as a software engineer. The field is a licensed discipline in texas in the united states texas board of professional engineers, since 20, engineers australia. 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.

Engineering it offers consultation on hardware and software purchases, and assistance with software licensing for engineering applications. It is also considered a part of overall systems engineering. This article focuses on the licensing of software engineers. Our desktop replacement program provides a modern and consistent desktop experience for all administrative staff in the college. Reprinted in engineering times 24, 1 national society of professional engineers jan. Holding a bachelors degree in software engineering from an abetaccredited. Frailey sees comments on software engineering licensing as deja vu, recalling the debate on the go to statement that raged three decades ago. Why doesnt software engineering have a licensing exam to.

Software engineering is a direct subfield of engineering and has an overlap with computer. This article focuses on the licensing of software engineers in canada. Surprisingly to me, the concept of regulating the practice of software engineering. Then, to retain their licenses, pes must continually maintain and improve their skills throughout their careers. Pdf licensing software engineers in canada david parnas. 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. While the ieeecs was in favor of licensing software engineers, the acm was not. Read the latest issue of licensure exchange, the ncees publication dedicated to opinions and ideas regarding the licensure of engineers and surveyors. 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.

A civil engineer can use wellunderstood analysis to prove that astructure will be safe. Software engineer is a professional who applies the principles of software engineering for designing, development, maintenance, testing, and evaluation of computer. Issues in licensing and certification of software engineers. Proper practice requires the practitioner understand an organized body of knowledge and have learned. Licensing software engineers in canada by david lorge parnas engineering are selfregulating. 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. Read the latest issue of licensure exchange, the ncees publication. 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. As technology evolves and becomes a bigger part of everyday life, so too does the need for technology professionals. Then, only licensed engineers would be legally able to hold certain jobs in companies which the licensing board.

Engineers canada is the national organization of the 12 engineering regulators that license the countrys 300,000 members of the profession. 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. Generally, the requirements for licensure as a professional software engineer are. Ncees is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers and surveyors. As yet there are no analogous techniques forsoftware. Software engineering is the systematic application of engineering approaches to the development of software. Each state will be responsible for coming up with its own guidelines. It is designed for engineers who have gained a minimum of four years postcollege work experience in their chosen engineering discipline. The acm is not supportive of licensing as proposed in texas. Every customer is required to sign a license agreement at the start of their site license. Licensing software engineers is in the works ieee spectrum. It develops, administers, and scores the examinations used for engineering and surveying licensure in the united states.

It is up to companies to determine who does engineering work for them. 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. Check the requirements of your state licensing board. People searching for how to become a software engineer. He regards licensing as a political issue, and he regards the debate about licensing in software engineering as noble, but shallow. Software engineers tend to agree that mandates will have the most impact on those who develop embedded software systems. Jun 16, 2008 but mandating a pe for software engineers is a huge mistake. In other states, software engineers may not use the title engineer. It is designed for engineers who have gained a minimum of four. The commonwealth of massachusetts is pleased to offer online access to many licensing, permitting and certificate services.

What needs to change for software engineering to become a formal. Licensing software engineers licensing software engineers frailey, dennis j. If you are not familiar with the subject of professional licensing for software engineers, you can read a good synopsis here. 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.

Find a list of the few states that have proposed legislation or voiced support for licensure. Licensing asme s license agreement is a legal document protecting the rights of our customers and asme. Safety licensing of software engineers software engineering. Software engineering texas board of professional engineers. Based on the unique concept of identitybased licensing, our cloudbased licensing solution provides advanced features in regard to both authentication and licensing.

Serve as a subject matter expert for software domains, systemspecific issues, processes and regulations. Should software engineering require professional certification. However, the debate ended in 20, when 30 states began offering a path to licensure for software engineers. By definition, licensing is required for those whose work impacts safety, health, or welfare. Prepared for the acmieee steering committee on software engineering as a. Licensure candidates typically must pass the fundamentals of engineering fe exam and the principles and.

A professional engineer is an individual who has been granted by a governmental authority the right to use that tide and to offer. Other provinces have been actively licensing software developers as well. First, they spend considerable time researching, defining, and analyzing the. Ncees will discontinue the exam after the april 2019 exam administration. Thats not a license, but you do have to have those. The principles and practice of engineering pe software engineering exam was offered for the first time in april 20. 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. Apply for, renew, or amend a license, permit or certificate application. Positions include leads as well as team members in the avionics software organization.

Each state licensing board has varying educational requirements. Nov 01, 2002 licensing software engineers in canada by david lorge parnas engineering are selfregulating. The ontario authorities have licensed about 300 engineers who specialize in software. Licensing software engineers in canada communications of. I dont think you can call yourself an engineer legally if you dont have an official engineering degree. The pe software exam is an 8hour exam with 80 questions. The debate on licensing of software engineers has been a personal journey for me. Aug 12, 2014 no, software engineering should not require professional certification. 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. Together, we work to advance the profession in the public interest. With eplace, the commonwealth hopes to deliver more efficient, convenient, and. Read the latest on the movement to require licensure of software engineers. Then, they develop software programs to resolve the problem on the computer.