Ultimate Guide to Engineering Ethics

Engineering ethics is a set of ethical standards for engineers to follow which can apply to most circumstances that arise on the job. These standards may vary depending on the jurisdiction or discipline at hand. These ethical standards are the engineers’ obligations towards the public, employers and the profession. Some of the codes of ethics date back to the early decades of the twentieth century. The purpose of engineering ethics is to identify specific ethical issues that may arise in order to avoid a potential problem. Past ethical or technical issues can help engineers to learn from both previous failures and successes.

In Ohio University’s online Master of Engineering Management degree program, students explore ethical boundaries in courses such as Engineering Law and Foundations of Engineering Management.  Students can also apply these ethical practices to a capstone project that they will complete by choosing a topic from their current workplace.  For more information on this renowned, professional and respected student-centered program, please fill out the form on the right to learn more.

Also, please see below for additional resources on engineering ethics:
Current Codes of Ethics

• National Society of Professional Engineers: Code of ethics for engineers.
• The Engineering Code of Ethics: Principles and canons of engineer code of ethics.
• Software Engineering Code of Ethics: A brief copy of software engineering code of ethics.
• Online Ethics Center: Ethical standard and guidelines for engineering.
• Code of Ethics: Code of ethics for chemical engineers.
• Civil Engineering: Code of ethics for civil engineering.
• Naval Engineers: Code of ethics for Naval engineers by the American Society of Naval Engineers.
• Mechanical Engineers: Code of ethics geared towards all engineers. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers provides interpretation of the codes for mechanical engineers.
• Electrical Engineers: Code of ethics applicable to engineers of all disciplines.
• Chemical Engineers: Code of ethics for chemical engineers.
• Professional Engineers: Code for registered professional engineers.

General Principles

• Ethical Principles: Statement of ethical principles.
• Ethics Principles: The National Institute for Engineering Ethics statement of ethical principles.
• Christianity and Engineering Ethics: Karl Stephan examines combining Christianity and engineering ethics.
• Bribery and Corruption: The paper observes the significance of bribery and corruption in engineering.
• Ethical Aspects Of Bribing: Ethical implications of corruption of engineering in other countries.
• Learning from Failure: Engineering principles that have been learned and adapted from engineering disasters.
• Whistle blowing: Vivian Weil of the Illinois Institute of Technology explores what engineering has learned from the Challenger disaster.
• Principles: The ethics of engineering in business.

Background & History

• History and Ethics of Genetic Engineering: Dr. T.D. Singh provides a concise history behind the ethics of genetic engineering.
• History of Engineering: An in-depth history of engineering from pre-scientific revolution through information revolution.
• American Institute of Electrical Engineers: The American Institute of Electrical Engineers became the forefront for ethical societies in 1884.
• American Institute of Mining Engineers: In 1871 this society was started by 22 mining engineers and now has 127,000 influential engineering members.
• Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster: This railroad disaster in 1876 is one of the many engineering disasters that sparked ethical debates.
• Boston Molasses Disaster: A detailed account of the molasses disaster and the ethical repercussions of the molasses case.
• Quebec City Bridge Collapse: The collapse of the biggest cantilever bridge in the world in 1907 that played a significant part in engineering ethics.
• Tay Bridge Disaster: The 1879 disaster of the iron railway bridge shocked the nation and played a central part in creating ethical implications for engineers.

Current Ethical Issues

• Ethical Issues: This resource examines professional ethics, morality and law in engineering.
• Moral Concepts And Theories: Investigates morality and law in considering ethical dilemmas.
• Ethics and Genetic Engineering: A consultation paper by the Voice Of Irish Concern for the Environment on ethics and genetic engineering.
• Genetic Engineering and Transgenics: A look at ethical issues related to genetic engineering and transgenics.
• Ethical Dilemmas: Explores the problems engineers face in the workplace.
• Reverse Engineering: The ethical implications of reverse engineering.
• Microethics & Macroethics: Joseph Herkert explains how professional engineering can implement microethical and macroethical practices in social ethics.
• Software Engineering: Engineers examines the ethical issues in software engineering.

Case Studies & Key Individuals

• Product Safety Case Studies: Studies of five case scenarios of product safety engineers.
• High Voltage Lines: A discussion case study that explores the numerical problems of electrical energy.
• C-5A Galaxy Case Study: An Air Force case study of the application systems engineering of the C-5.
• Engineering Ethics Cases: Over 30 engineering ethical cases with background, commentary and scenario discussion.
• Goodrich Case: A brief synopsis of the B.F. Goodrich Air Force A7-D Brake Problem Case.
• TV Antenna Collapse: A recap of the TV antenna malfunction manufactured by Antenna Engineering, Inc and the ethical issues presented in the case.
• Space Shuttle Challenger Case: A detailed look at the surroundings of the space Shuttle Challenger case.
• Gilbane Gold: An ethical discussion of the ZCORP manufactures environmental obligation in Gilbane.