Three months after graduating, the University of Evansville’s Class of 2008 are setting school records and making their mark in the real world.

Late last week, the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers notified UE that its Class of 2008 Civil Engineering alums had scored a 100 percent pass rate on their Fundamentals of Engineering exam. The rare feat, achieved for the first time by a UE class, means that each of these 12 students has successfully completed the first step toward becoming a registered professional engineer.

The test is administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), and is taken by civil engineering students across the country.

"This is a major milestone for the civil engineering program at the University of Evansville," said Brian Swenty, chair of the University’s Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering. "I am extremely proud of these students, most of whom have graduated and either entered the practice of civil engineering, or are pursuing advanced degrees in graduate school.

"These students have stood on the shoulders of our civil engineering alumni, who blazed a trail of success for these students to follow. They have made us very, very proud."

While this marks the first time UE has scored the rare 100 percent pass rate, this marks the 10th time in the past 12 years that UE’s students have exceeded the national pass rate. This year’s national rate was 71 percent. Historically, more than 80 percent of UE graduates have passed the FE exam since the program’s accreditation by EAC-ABET, Inc., in 1997.

The eight-hour exam tests students in mathematics, chemistry, engineering topics (such as electrical circuits, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics), and discipline-specific topics (e.g. structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydraulic engineering, and transportation engineering).

After graduating from UE’s accredited program, alums must obtain four years of professional experience and pass the eight-hour Principles and Practices examination to become registered professional engineers in the state in which they practice.

Passing the FE exam was the first post-graduate step along that path.

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