engineering

National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies

National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies rather than just read about it. In short: The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) is an organization that was established in 1961 to create a recognized certification for engineering technicians and technologists within the United States. A 1981 study by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), requested by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' SubCommittee On Construct…

Key takeaways

National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) is an organization that was established in 1961 to create a recognized certification for engineering technicians and technologists within the United States. A 1981 study by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), requested by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' SubCommittee On Construction (AASHTO SCOC), prompted the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) to merge two certification bodies; the Institute for the Certification of Engineering Technicians (ICET) and the Engineering Technologist Certification Institute. The result is a nonprofit organization that provides a nationally recognized and accepted procedure for recognition of qualified engineering technicians and technologists. NICET is a not for profit division of the NSPE. The NICET registration process is separated into two class distinctions with subcategories and several specialized areas of focus. The titles of the "Certified Engineering Technician" and "Certified Engineering Technologist" are the primary designations. The subcategories are further specialized by focus. The titles chosen for these subcategories are known as Civil Engineering or Electrical/Mechanical Systems. Within the subcategories the disciplines are refined to address a selected area of expertise and are limited by categories that do not cover all areas of Technology.

The purpose of certification programs NICET's nationally recognized certification programs lay out a path for career advancement from entry to senior level responsibilities. Designed by industry experts to provide engineering technology fields with a qualified workforce, programs are used by employers and specifiers to measure job skills and knowledge.

Technician certification Technician certification requires testing (written, multiple choice) and documentation including a work history, recommendations, and, for most programs, supervisor verification of specific experience.

Technologist certification Technologist certification requires a 4-year engineering technology degree (no testing required), and at the advanced level, documentation including a work history and endorsements.

Training certificates NICET's professional certification is based on testing that covers a broad range of job knowledge, verification of job performance, and an evaluation of work experience. NICET certification represents a career level (i.e., not a course outcome). NICET's certification cannot be gained by attendance only.

Credibility

There are competing ideologies from societies with different perspectives on what represents the qualities of a Technologist. The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has a different technologist certification criteria than either NICET or the National Association of Industrial Technologist. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) has a different approach from the other certification bodies for Technologist. It is therefore appropriate to determine that a unified definition for certification is not apparent. The Technologist title from NICET does not require an examination for registration at the Technologist level. However, individuals sit for examination at the Technician levels. The Technologist registration requires that an individual will have graduated from a university that is ABET/TAC accredited and provide evidence of appropriate experience. The Technologist Certification level is not achievable by non-ABET graduates. Open knowledge based testing for graduates of applied science programs and non-ABET accredited education is currently not allowed. The NICET Engineering Technologist Certification is therefore a limited access membership.

Exclusions NICET excludes Technologist registration for individuals who have graduated from applied science programs or those who obtained valid education from non-ABET/TAC universities recognized by CHEA or the US Department of Education. Open registration concepts that may rely on examinations and/or experiential qualifications would improve the acceptance of the NICET certifications. Some program accreditations that are excluded from the NICET program are the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT), the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT), or other non-ABET/TAC institutions that are exclusively regionally accredited such as the Thomas Edison Engineering Technology program, but they do accept ABET/TAC accredited programs from that University such as Electronic Systems Engineering Technology.

Job placement A Technologist curriculum may focus on specialized issues such as technical management, service, processes, or production improvements. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) acknowledges the different accreditations in technology and engineering as independent career paths which cannot be compared. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics had the following to say about technologist.

“Many 4-year colleges offer bachelor’s degrees in engineering technology, but graduates of these programs often are hired to work as technologists or applied engineers, not technicians." (BLS, 2006) Use of NICET certification varies according to needs determined by employers, specifiers, and local government. Specific certification requirements established throughout the United States vary by engineering technology fields in various states and localities. Some areas may require a NICET or similar certification as condition for employment. Often an engineering technology degree is used in lieu of a technician certification in areas where they deem a four year engineering technology degree to have more value than a technician certification earned through work history and testing requirements. Unlike Professional Engineers who are licensed by the States, Technologists are not protected or licensed by States. A government sponsored registration is opposed by the NCEES and NSPE.

References

2.)Thomas Edison State College. (2014). Online Degrees. Retrieved from the Thomas Edison State College website on 05/27/14 at http://www.tesc.edu/academics/online-degrees.cfm

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies

In research: National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American organizations established in 1961, Engineering societies based in the United States, Professional certification in engineering, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies in simple terms?

Why does National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies.