All BEng programs at the Faculty of Engineering are designed to meet the standards set by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). ECSA conducts a comprehensive review of all NWU engineering programs every five years, ensuring that our graduates meet its stringent requirements in line with international standards under the Washington Accord. The most recent review was completed in 2024.

The latest addition to our offerings, the Mechatronic Engineering program, received final accreditation from ECSA in 2024.

Our programs are internationally recognized through the Washington Accord, which ensures the mutual recognition of engineering degrees among signatory countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK, the USA, and others. This guarantees that our graduates' qualifications are globally comparable and respected. The current signatories and the Graduate Attributes can be found at http://www.ieagreements.org.

All applicable engineering societies in South Africa recognize the bachelor’s degree awarded in the Faculty of Engineering.
 

International comparability

International comparability of this whole qualification standard is ensured through the Washington Accord, an agreement for the mutual recognition of professionally oriented bachelor’s degrees in engineering. The standards are comparable with the Washington Accord Graduate Attributes. Washington Accord signatories are: Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, India, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Russia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Comparability is audited on a six-yearly cycle by a visiting Washington Accord team.

The current signatories and the Graduate Attributes can be found at http://www.ieagreements.org.

Please note:
ECSA requires that a graduate engineer has to undergo in-service training for a period of three years under the guidance of a professional engineer before registration as a Professional Engineer is possible. This period may be shortened by one year after obtaining an advanced university degree (In terms of the Engineering Profession Act).

Our Faculty CPD numbers are as follows:

• ECSA CPD Licensed Body Ref Number LB_052/2026
• ECSA CPD Service Provider Ref Number SP_040/2026
• Contact:  Ms Vanda Pretorius at vanda.pretorius@nwu.ac.za

NWU FACULTY OF ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES ACCREDITATION CONFIRMATION