Washington Accord

Washington Accord, Sydney Accord and Dublin Accord are three major international accreditation agreements for professional engineering degrees. The Washington Accord was established in 1989. The signatories of Washington Accord as of 2010 are Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The accord recognizes that there is substantial equivalency of programs accredited by those signatories. Graduates of accredited programs in any of the signatory countries are recognized by the other signatory countries as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering. Recognition of accredited programs is not retroactive but takes effect only from the date of admission of the country to signatory status. The Washington Accord covers undergraduate engineering degrees. It does not cover the Engineering technology and postgraduate programs. Some engineering technology programs are covered under the Sydney Accord and the Dublin Accord. The Sydney Accord was signed in 2001. Dublin Accord, signed in 2007 is an agreement for the international recognition of Engineering Technician qualifications.