2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Benchmarking the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK4) Against Other Professional Frameworks

Presented at ASCE CEBOK Updates and Applications

Abstract
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is developing the fourth edition of its Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK4). This revision introduces new outcomes such as Risk & Uncertainty, Resiliency, and AI/Emerging Technologies, alongside traditional competencies in mathematics, science, design, communication, and ethics. To evaluate the robustness of BOK4 and situate it within the broader engineering profession, this study benchmarks BOK4 against seven established Bodies of Knowledge (BOKs): the NSPE Professional Engineering BOK (EBOK), the IEEE Software Engineering BOK (SWEBOK), the INCOSE Systems Engineering BOK (SEBoK), the IISE Industrial & Systems Engineering BOK (ISEBoK), the PMI Project Management BOK (PMBOK), the Construction Competency BOK (CCBOK), and emerging Energy Systems BOK frameworks.

The analysis demonstrates strong alignment across all frameworks in areas such as design, economics, project management, ethics, communication, teamwork, and lifelong learning. ASCE BOK4’s strengths include the use of Bloom’s taxonomy to define achievement levels, explicit outcomes for sustainability and resiliency, and integration of humanities and social sciences. Other BOKs emphasize themes less explicit in BOK4, including safety, licensure and responsible charge, operations and maintenance, quality and reliability, human factors, and policy/regulation.

The findings suggest opportunities for ASCE BOK4 to enhance its framing by explicitly addressing these areas, thereby aligning more closely with cross-disciplinary professional standards while preserving its unique societal orientation. This benchmarking provides a comparative foundation to guide ASCE’s BOK4 development and offers a model for other disciplines considering future revisions to their professional frameworks.

Keywords
Civil Engineering Education; Body of Knowledge; Professional Competencies; Accreditation; Comparative Analysis

Authors

Dr. Jay A. Puckett P.E. University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Puckett is a long-term academic with about 45 years of experience teaching, conducting research, and serving in administrative roles such as department chair, associate dean, and director. He has served several ASCE committees associated with accreditation and technical committees. He is an ASCE Fellow, author of three national academic reports, the primary textbook in bridge engineering (Fourth edition), and software that is used nationally in a host of bridge engineering applications.

He is an emeritus professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is technically active through his consulting firm, Puckett Research LLC. Web search for pubs and stuff.
Dr. Brock E. Barry P.E. United States Military Academy [biography]

Dr. Brock E. Barry, P.E. is Professor of Engineering Education in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.
Ms. Leslie Nolen American Society of Civil Engineers [biography]

Leslie Nolen, CAE, serves as director, educational activities for the American Society of Civil Engineers. She brings over 20 years of association management experience to her work with ASCE's Committee on Education on issues of importance to the undergraduate education of civil engineers.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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