NORTH AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES ON ENGINEERING GEOLOGY TRAINING

North American and European engineering geology academic training programs reflect societal and national priorities. Although these various programs have developed along independent paths, the current globalization trends are causing them to become increasingly similar. The author holds concurrent faculty positions in the USA and The Netherlands and uses this perspective to discuss current program differences and trends.

In the USA and Canada, undergraduate training of four years leading to a Bachelors degree is the norm, and remains the entry-level requirement for professional employment. In Europe programs vary by country and range from 3-5 years duration. However the European Union is strongly promoting greater uniformity to foster student exchanges across Europe. Within a few years most European programs will follow a so-called "Anglo-Saxon" model of three-year Bachelors studies and two-year Masters studies.

Within the USA, there is a differentiation between Geological Engineering programs that are designed as engineering programs that are evaluated by ABET, and other geoscience programs, generally defined as Engineering Geology programs, that are not subject to ABET oversight. Canadian academic programs follow similar, but not identical, paths. Several Canadian Provinces administer professional registration to engineers and geoscientists jointly, but Ontario professional engineers recently objected to such joint professional registration in that province.

Academic programs also differ according to national and societal perceptions and needs. In general, European university studies are more theoretical than those in North America. There is a difference in field training that reflects difference in typical project scopes. Typical western European and North American projects involve different site investigation strategies. In spite of these differences, there is a strong interest in globalization and international training. This can only lead to better-trained engineering geologists.