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States license engineers to protect the public.
That is the goal.
Structures don’t collapse and maim and kill.
Contaminated water doesn’t kill.
Polluted air doesn’t kill.
Highways don’t maim and kill.
The BSCE and PE are attempts to put some structure to meeting the goal.
But they don’t take the place of the goal.
The amount of money or time spent is not relevant.
Whatever it takes to protect the public.
The work of civil engineers is used by people, the public.
That’s why social humanistic courses are necessary in this field of engineering.
Those not prepared to spend the time and money should follow a different career.
Summer jobs should be related to the field, assisting a PM, construction laborer, etc, but not flipping burgers.
Reducing the requirements for the BSCE is not in the public interest.
An arbitrary 4 years of practical application may or may not be sufficient. Passing the PE should be dependent on learned experience, not simply studying for a test.
Reducing the requirements for practical application reduces the value of the PE license, giving justification to state legislatures of lay persons consideration of eliminating PE licensure.