Why Four Years?

The traditional four‐year undergraduate program in civil engineering is constantly under pressure from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), industry, and educators themselves. The idea of a five‐year program is hardly a new one. There are many current factors that point to an increasing pressure to lengthen the current program. At the same time, student preparation and financial burdens have been factors in adding to the average time required to complete an undergraduate degree. This paper deals with the current climate and proposes an idea whose time has come again: a five‐year program leading directly to a master's degree. Those institutions that offered five‐year bach‐elor‐of‐science programs, as recently as the early 1960s, eventually found it difficult to compete for students. The professional program, leading directly to a master's degree, has also been attempted and usually was abandoned. The proposed program is a compromise that tries to address the concerns of everyone associated with civil engineering education.