University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa

College of Engineering
Oil and Gas Engineering Department

Engineering Ethics
First Year Class
Lecture #2

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2. The Profession of Engineering.
2.1. Definitions
A. Profession : is defined as any occupation/job/vocation that requires
advanced expertise (skills and knowledge), self-regulation, and
concerted service to the public good. Its brings a high status, socially
and economically. The characteristics of a profession are:
➢ Advanced expertise: Many professions require sophisticated skills and
theoretical knowledge. Formal education, training, continuing
education, updating are needed.
➢ Self-regulation: Professional societies such as (Society of Petroleum
Engineers (SPE)) play important role in setting standards for
admission to the profession, drafting codes of ethics, enforcing
standards for conduct, and representing the profession before the

public and the government. 2

➢ Public good: The occupation provides some important public good, by

concerted efforts to maintain ethical standards. For example, a

physician promotes health, a lawyer protects the legal rights, an

engineer provides a product or project for use by the public towards

their health, welfare, and safety.

B. Professional: is relates to a person or any work that a person does on

profession, and which requires expertise (skills and knowledge), self-

regulation, and results in public good. The term of professional means a

person as well as a status.

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C. Professionalism: it is the status of a professional which implies certain

attitudes or typical qualities that are expected of a professional.

Or

Is defines as the services related to achieving the public good, in

addition to the practices of the knowledge or moral ideals.

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 From Student to Professional
FROM: TO:

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2.2. What are the characteristics of a profession Engineering?
1- Engineering requires extensive and sophisticated skills.

✓ Four years of undergraduate training leading to a bachelor’s degree in

an engineering program.

✓ Followed by work under the supervision of an experienced engineer.

✓ Use the available materials, components, and devices to reach a
specific objective.

2- A Primary concern of an engineer is the safety of the public that will

use the products and devices he designs.
✓ Trade-off between safety and other engineering issues in a design,
requiring discretion on the part of the engineer to ensure that the
design serves its purpose and fills its market niche safely.

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3 Engineers are required to keep their employers’ or clients’ intellectual
property and business information confidential.

4 Autonomy in Workplace
Professionals engaged in private practice have considerable freedom in
choosing their clients or patients. Even the professionals working in
large organizations exercise a large degree of impartiality, creativity
and discretion (care with decision and communication) in carrying their
responsibilities. Besides this, professionals are empowered with certain
rights to establish their autonomy.

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2.3. What are the models of professional roles?
There are several role models to whom the engineers are attracted.
1. Savior.
The engineer as a savior, save the society from poverty, illiteracy, wastage,
inefficiency, ill health, human (labor) dignity and lead it to prosperity,
through technological development and social planning.
2. Guardian.
He guards the interests of the poor and general public. As one who is
conversant with technology development, is given the authority befitting
his expertise to determine what is best suited to the society.

3. Bureaucratic Servant.
He serves the organization and employers. The management of an
enterprise fixes its goals and assigns the job of problem solving to the

engineer, who accepts the challenge and shapes them into concrete
achievements. 8
4. Social Servant.
It is one who exhibits social responsibility. The engineer translates the
interest and aspirations of the society into a reality, remembering that his
true master is the society at large.

5. Social Enabler and Catalyst.

One who changes society through technology. The engineer must assist the
management and the society to understand their needs and make
informed decisions on the desirable technological development and
minimize the negative effects of technology on people and their living
environment. Thus, he shines as a social enabler and a catalyst for further
growth.

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6. Game Player
He is neither a servant nor master. An engineer is an assertive player, not
a passive player who may carry out his master’s voice. He plays a unique
role successfully within the organization, enjoying the excitement of the
profession and having the satisfaction of surging ahead in a competitive
world.

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2.4. What differences between Engineering and Other Professions?
Our examples of professions.
✓ medicine (physicians).
✓ Law (lawyers).
law and medicine are professions, and their practices are regulated by
strong societies such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the
American Bar Association (ABA). Engineering is a profession, but differs
from law and medicine in the following ways:

❖ Most engineers are not self-employed, but work for large companies (the
exceptions include civil engineers and consulting engineers).
❖ Education is different: only a BSC. degree is required to practice
engineering.
❖ Engineering societies are not as powerful as the AMA or ABA, since BSc.
degree holders can practice engineering without a professional license.
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