Washington Accord
(Engineering Programs)
Overview: This multinational agreement set in motion the progression toward the mutual recognition of engineering accreditation. Initiated in the UK by the Engineering Council, the Washington Accord, signed in 1989, is an international agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programs. It recognizes the substantial equivalency of programs accredited by those bodies and recommends that graduates of programs accredited by any of the signatory bodies be recognized by the other bodies as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering.
Signatories: Signatories have full rights of participation in the Accord; qualifications accredited or recognized by other signatories are recognized by each signatory as being substantially equivalent to accredited or recognized qualifications within its own jurisdiction.
- Australia - Represented by Engineers Australia (EA) (1989)
- Bangladesh - Represented by The Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) (2023)
- Canada - Represented by Engineers Canada (EC) (1989)
- China - Represented by China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) (2016)
- Chinese Taipei (a.k.a “Taiwan”) - Represented by Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan (IEET) (2007)
- Costa Rica - Represented by Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y de Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CFIA) (2020)
- Hong Kong China - Represented by The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) (1995)
- India - Represented by National Board of Accreditation (NBA) (2014)
- Indonesia - Represented by Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia (PII) (2022)
- Ireland - Represented by Engineers Ireland (EI) (1989)
- Japan - Represented by JABEE (2005)
- Korea - Represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea (ABEEK) (2007)
- Malaysia - Represented by Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) (2009)
- Mexico - Represented by Consejo de Acreditación de la Enseñanza de la Ingeniería (CACEI) (2022)
- New Zealand - Represented by Engineering New Zealand (EngNZ) (1989)
- Pakistan - Represented by Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) (2017)
- Peru - Represented by Instituto de Calidad y Acreditacion de Programas de Computacion, Ingenieria y Tecnologia (ICACIT) (2018)
- Philippines - Represented by Philippine Technological Council (PTC) (2023)
- Russia - Represented by Association for Engineering Education of Russia (AEER) (2012)
- Singapore - Represented by Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES) (2006)
- South Africa - Represented by Engineering Council South Africa (ECSA) (1999)
- Sri Lanka - Represented by Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) (2014)
- Turkey - Represented by Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programs (MÜDEK) (2011)
- United Kingdom - Represented by Engineering Council United Kingdom (ECUK) (1989)
- United States - Represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) (1989)
Organizations holding provisional status have been identified as having qualification accreditation or recognition procedures that are potentially suitable for the purposes of the Accord; those organizations are further developing those procedures with the goal of achieving signatory status in due course; qualifications accredited or recognized by organizations holding provisional status are not recognized by the signatories.
- Chile - Represented by Agencia Acreditadora Colegio De Ingenieros De Chile S A (ACREDITA CI) (Provisional Status Approved in 2018)
- Mauritius - Represented by Institution of Engineering Mauritius (IEM)
- Myanmar - Represented by Myanmar Engineering Council (MEngC) (Provisional Status Approved in 2019)
- NIgeria - Represented by Council for the Regulation of Engineering in NIgeria (COREN) (Provisional Status Approved in 2023)
- Saudi Arabia - Represented by Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) (Provisional Status Approved in 2022)
- Thailand - Represented by Council of Engineers Thailand (COET) (Provisional Status Approved in 2019)
Mission, Goals, and Achievements: The Washington Accord set the criteria, policies and procedures for accrediting engineering academic programs. Its signatories agreed to accept each other's accreditation decisions and to publish statements certifying their intent to do so. Thus, the signatories agreed to recognize the "substantial equivalence" of their respective programs in terms of meeting academic requirements for engineering programs. The signatories pledged to exchange information exchange and conduct mutual monitoring, to observe each other's accreditation visits, and to encourage best practices. The Washington Accord provides for admission of new members and a biennial general meeting. Thus, this accord promotes the effective mutual recognition of accredited Engineering Degree courses in each of the signatory countries. Australia and United States continued to be Chairman and Secretariat of the Accord.
