Education Awards

Engineering & Surveying Education Awards

The NCEES Engineering and Surveying Education Awards recognize programs that have a broad and robust curriculum and best reflect NCEES’ mission to advance licensure in both fields in order to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The awards are intended to encourage programs to engage their students with other professionals, introduce them to new technology, and promote licensure.

All EAC/ABET-accredited programs from all engineering disciplines are invited to submit projects that integrate professional practice and education.

All entry materials will be submitted electronically. Please include the name, licensee number, and state for each P.E.

Entries will include the following three files:

  1. An abstract (maximum one page PDF)
  2. A project description (maximum seven pages PDF) organized as follows:
    • Project description
    • Collaboration of faculty, students, and licensed professional engineers
    • Protection of health, safety, and/or welfare of the public
    • Multidiscipline and/or allied profession participation
    • Knowledge or skills gained
  1. A visual representation of the project that summarizes the submission should be submitted electronically. The display board must be in a jpg, tif, eps file (minimum 300 dpi) or a PDF file (high-quality print). The display board may include text and/or graphics, but the university name and location and the names of the participants should not be identified in any of these elements.

Competition schedule
Projects must be in progress by March 14, 2024
Projects due May 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (EDT)

Grand prize: $25,000
Seven awards: $10,000 each

The following questions are provided as guidance in preparing submissions; not all questions may apply to a particular project.

Successful collaboration of faculty, students, and licensed professional engineers

  • Were licensed professional engineers (P.E.s) involved?
  • How did the students, faculty, and P.E.s interact?
  • What did the students learn through the collaboration that would not have been learned in the classroom?

Protection of the health, safety, and/or welfare of the public

  • Did the project include aspects that affect the health, safety, and/or welfare of the public?
  • How was public protection addressed?
  • Which project features raised students’ awareness about the impact of engineering decisions?
  • Did the project highlight how engineering can help solve problems faced by communities nationally or worldwide?
  • Did the project foster student self-reliance, cooperation, or responsibility?

Multidiscipline and/or allied profession participation

  • Was more than one engineering discipline involved? (for example, mechanical and electrical engineering)
  • Did the project include other professions? (for example, architecture or accounting)
  • Was more than one branch of a particular engineering discipline involved? (for example, two branches of civil engineering, such as geotechnical and transportation)

Knowledge or skills gained

  • What engineering and other non-technical knowledge/skills did the students gain?
  • How were the knowledge/skills gained important to professional practice?
  • Did the project include consideration of professional practice concepts such as project management, ethics, contracts, or law?

Effectiveness of display board, abstract, and project description

  • Was the display board a useful, engaging supplement to the project description?
  • Were the abstract and project description well written and easy to understand?
  • Were the pertinent facts included?
  • Did the abstract effectively summarize the project description?

One goal of the NCEES Engineering Education Award is to encourage partnerships between the engineering profession and education. There are many ways for students and professionals to collaborate in a variety of engineering disciplines.

Possible areas for collaboration include

  • Professional engineers mentoring students on a design project
  • Students participating in activities of an engineering firm
  • Students, professional engineers, and faculty collaborating on a project with other engineering disciplines or other professions
  • Students and professional engineers collaborating on a community service project
  • Professional engineers working with faculty on the design and/or delivery of academic courses or seminars

The jury is composed of representatives of academia and engineering associations:

University of Wisconsin–Madison wins 2024 NCEES Engineering Education Award

Congratulations to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering on winning the 2024 NCEES Engineering Education Award grand prize. The department received the $25,000 award for its submission, Lakefront Park Improvements.

The following seven programs received awards of $10,000 each:

  • Arizona State University
    Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
    Well-Pump System at the Bondo Teachers Training College in Bondo, Kenya
  • Dartmouth College
    Thayer School of Engineering
    Bike Walk Census Tool Designed for More Inclusive Transportation Planning in College Downtown
  • George Mason University
    Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering
    Water Disinfection Facility, San Pablo De Amali, Ecuador
  • Lawrence Technological University
    Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
    State Fair Transit Center
  • Seattle University
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    Seismic Retrofit and Structural Improvement of a Camp Facility for Children with Life-Altering Medical Conditions
  • University of Nebraska–Lincoln
    Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Ambulatory Care Center
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    Community Manure Treatment Facility

2022

Grand Prize

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
Tarrant County College Student Success Center

Additional Winners

All surveying/geomatics programs are encouraged to submit applications. Other disciplines that offer minimal surveying courses will not be considered.

The application and supporting materials will be submitted electronically.

Competition schedule
Applications due May 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (EDT)

The NCEES Surveying Education Award includes up to seven cash awards.

  • Grand prize: $25,000
  •  Up to three prizes: $15,000
  •  Up to three prizes: $10,000

Program

  • Describe the program type (e.g., certification, two year, four year) and provide the name of the program (e.g., surveying, geomatics). What surveying courses are offered/required in the program?
  • What is unique about the program compared to other surveying programs?
  • What are the qualifications of the instructors? How many are full-time? Adjunct?
  • Is the program accredited? If so, by what commission or association?
  • What surveying tools, equipment, and technologies are used to teach students?
  • How does the program remain current with surveying technology?

Student outcomes

  • What is the primary learning objective for the program?
  • What are the student outcomes, and how are they assessed? Are surveying internships incorporated into your program?
  • Are students engaged in assignments or projects that involve real-world application?
  • Are instructors and/or students involved in research and development activities? Provide brief examples.

Student involvement

  • Are students active in surveying clubs and professional associations? What activities do they do?
  • Have students participated in any surveying competitions in the last two academic years?
  • Are students engaged in community service projects? If so, briefly describe them, differentiating nontechnical humanitarian projects from those that are tied to the curriculum or that required the use of surveying skills

Outreach/Recruitment

  • How, and from where, does the program recruit students?
  • What are the enrollment numbers for the program for the past three years?
  • Are external licensed surveyors involved in the program? If so, how?
  • Does the program seek assistance or support from external associations, societies, or firms?
  • What efforts have been made to grow the program? What efforts are planned for the future?
  • Does your program have marketing materials for outreach/recruitment purposes? If so, please include with the submittal.

Licensure

  • How is professional licensure promoted to students?
  • Are students encouraged or required to take the FS exam before graduation? What support is given to them?
  • How many and what percentage of students take and pass the FS exam before graduation?
  • How do you track if students attain licensure post-graduation? Provide data if available.

Summary/benefits/merits (essay format)

  • Why should the program receive this award?
  • How would this award, if received, benefit the program?
  • How will this award, if received, advance professional licensure for surveyors and promote the surveying profession?

The jury is comprised of seven representatives:

Idaho State University wins 2024 NCEES Surveying Education Award

The NCEES Surveying Education Award jury met virtually on June 11, 2024, and selected the 2024 award winners. Congratulations to the Idaho State University College of Technology for winning the $25,000 NCEES Surveying Education Award grand prize.

The jury selected six programs to receive the following awards:

$15,000 prize

  • Ferris State University
    School of Engineering and Computing Technology
    Surveying Engineering program

  • Florida Atlantic University
    College of Engineering and Computer Science
    Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatics Engineering

  • New Mexico State University
    Department of Engineering Technology and Surveying Engineering
    Geomatics/Surveying Engineering program

$10,000 prize

  • New Jersey Institute of Technology
    School of Applied Engineering and Technology
    Surveying Engineering Technology program

  • Troy University
    College of Arts and Sciences
    Surveying and Geomatics Sciences program

  • University of Maine
    College of Engineering
    Surveying Engineering Technology program

2023

Click on the school name to see their profile.

$25,000 Grand Prize

$15,000 prize

  • Ferris State University
    School of Engineering and Computing Technology
    Surveying Engineering program

  • University of Akron
    Department of Civil Engineering
    Surveying and Mapping program

  • University of Maine
    School of Engineering Technology
    Surveying Engineering Technology program

$10,000 prize

  • Alfred State College
    Civil Engineering Technology Department
    Surveying and Geomatics Engineering Technology program

  • East Tennessee State University
    Department of Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Surveying
    Surveying and Mapping Science program

  • Nicholls State University
    Department of Applied Sciences
    Geomatics program

2022

Click on the school name to see their profile.

$25,000 Grand Prize

$15,000 prize

  • Florida Atlantic University
    College of Engineering and Computer Science
    Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatics Engineering
  • Idaho State University
    College of Technology
    Surveying and Geomatics Engineering Technology program
  • University of Maine
    College of Engineering
    Surveying Engineering Technology program

$10,000 prize

  • North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
    College of Science and Technology
    Department of Built Environment
  • Oregon Institute of Technology
    College of Engineering, Technology, and Management
    Geomatics program
  • University of Akron
    College of Engineering and Polymer Science
    Surveying and Mapping program

Where to Apply

The 2024 NCEES Engineering and Surveying Education Award competitions are now closed.
Winners will be announced in July.