Engineering education, accreditation and the Bologna declaration: a New Zealand view

This paper briefly describes professional engineering education in New Zealand concentrating on four year professional degrees. The role of the Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ) in the accreditation of degrees and as the national signatory of the Washington Accord is explained. The Bologna process and its implications for New Zealand are briefly considered in the context of the current situation. This leads to the conclusion that the rapid development of the Bologna process and the consequent need to reconcile and relate this to the Washington Accord standards may afford a timely opportunity for review and reform of engineering education in New Zealand and beyond.