Board Certification in Noise Control Engineering is offered by the Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA (INCE-USA). The INCE Certification Board (CB), chaired by the INCE Vice President of Board Certification, is responsible for receiving, reviewing, and determining whether an applicant complies with the requirements for Board Certification. The CB is the body that will then certify those applicants who meet the requirements given below. The CB is also responsible for maintaining and administering the INCE-USA Professional Examination.
Submit your forms to ibo@inceusa.org or by mail to:
INCE-USA
401 Edgewater Place
Suite 600
Wakefield, MA 01880
INCE-USA Membership is encouraged, but not required, for those seeking Board Certification in Noise Control Engineering.
Please note that individuals who are Board Certified who are not members of INCE-USA are required to pay an annual fee of $115.00 USD to maintain Board Certification.
Experience required for Board Certification depends upon the educational background of the applicant.
Applicants for Board Certification shall possess a Bachelor of Science (BS), or equivalent, degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited college or university curriculum, or from universities that the CB determines to have a curriculum that is equivalent to an ABET-accredited engineering curriculum.
Applicants shall have successfully completed with a grade of at least a “B” (or equivalent) at least two semester-length courses directly related to acoustics, noise control, and vibration, either as part of undergraduate study or comparable professional courses.
The Applicant shall arrange for delivery of a copy of an official transcript from the degree-awarding institution(s) to the CB.
As an alternative to a BS in engineering from an ABET-accredited curriculum, applicants with a post-graduate (MS or PhD) engineering degree from a college or university with an ABET-accredited undergraduate curriculum (or a university program that the CB determines to be equivalent) shall comply with one or more of the following additional requirements:
The CB will determine whether a non-engineering degree held by any applicant is sufficient to comply with these requirements. This determination is subject to CB review and acceptance of a copy of an official transcript delivered to the Vice President of Board Certification showing award of the degree, as well as a curriculum description from the college or university that awarded the degree.
An applicant for Board Certification shall furnish a copy of a detailed and current curriculum vitae (CV) and other appropriate documentation that demonstrates evidence of having at least the following numbers of years of post-graduate, progressive Professional Experience in acoustics, noise control, and vibration engineering. The copy of the CV shall be provided to the INCE Business Office for the attention of the Vice President of Board Certification. Post-graduate degrees in an acoustics-related field (such as Engineering Acoustics) are equivalent to and will substitute for some of the required Professional Experience as follows:
The Professional Experience required depends upon the candidate’s educational background and is as follows:
|
Degree Held: |
Minimum Years of Post-Graduate |
|
Bachelor of Science (BS) or equivalent in Engineering |
5 years |
|
BS Engineering and MS in acoustical engineering or in engineering with a specialty in acoustics |
4 years |
|
BS Engineering and PhD in acoustical engineering or in engineering with a specialty in acoustics |
3 years |
|
BS or Bachelor of Arts (BA) in non-engineering and MS or PhD (or equivalent) degree in engineering |
5 years |
|
BS in non-ABET-accredited engineering curriculum |
8 years |
|
BS or BA in Architecture |
8 years |
|
BS or BA in Mathematics or Physics |
8 years |
|
BS or BA in any (non-engineering) curriculum |
15 years |
The above minimum requirements for professional experience may involve research, teaching, professional practice, or any combination thereof, and may include the control of noise (and associated vibration) produced by commercial products, transportation vehicles or industrial plants; noise (and associated vibration) in buildings; the development of special acoustical instruments, measurement and analysis techniques, facilities and equipment; teaching, consulting, research, and supervision of professional activities in noise control engineering. Special cases are subject to review and determination by the CB.
The applicant shall arrange for submission of professional references from five (5) individuals who are familiar with the applicant’s professional qualifications and experience. Each reference shall attest to the capability, competence, and character of the applicant by completing and submitting Confidential INCE Reference Forms directly to the INCE Business Office.
Of the five (5) required references, three (3) shall be from full Members of INCE-USA, and two (2) of the three (3) Members shall be Board Certified in Noise Control Engineering. In addition, no more than two (2) references may be from the same firm, institution, or agency.
As an alternative to one (1) of the required references from a Member that is Board Certified in Noise Control Engineering, the CB may consider a reference from an INCE Distinguished International Member, if there are appropriate reasons why references from two INCE Members with Board Certification are not attainable.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to assure that the individuals chosen as confidential references comply with the above requirements and that all five reference forms are returned to the INCE Business Office by the application submission deadline.
As noted above, the Board Certification process requires five recommendations of which at least two (2) must be from INCE-USA Members with current INCE Board Certification. The Board Certification Committee realizes that this latter requirement may be an obstacle for some individuals in taking the next step to become Board Certified. A Mentoring Program has been established to offer candidates for Board Certification an option to gain a recommendation from an INCE-USA Member with Board Certification. None of the requirements for Board Certification are changed with the introduction of this program.
Program Overview: A recommendation shall be provided by an INCE Board Certified Member as part of this mentoring program. In order to gain the recommendation, the candidate shall provide examples of work product to the mentor for a period of three to six months (to be determined by the mentor). The candidate shall provide some type of in-person, voice, or email discussion of the work. The intention of the communication is for the mentor to get to know the candidate’s work product, technical aptitude and reasoning in the field of noise control engineering. Candidates may use the mentoring program for one or both or the required recommendations from Board Certified Members. To obtain two recommendations, an applicant must work with two different mentors.
What INCE-USA Will Do: INCE-USA will provide a list of Board Certified Members to the applicant. INCE Certification Board members shall not serve as mentors. Beyond providing the list of mentors and the guidelines below, INCE takes no further part in the mentoring program. Any issues or questions should be brought to the attention of the Vice President of Board Certification.
What the Candidate Must Do: The candidate for Board Certification must select an appropriate mentor from the provided list and contact the mentor. The mentor has the option of accepting or refusing the mentoring request. The candidate should select a mentor that does not present any conflicts of interest to the mentor, the candidate, or their respective firms. INCE-USA recommends that the candidate select a mentor who resides outside the candidate’s local geographic area, and outside the candidate's professional specialty, as applicable. The candidate should be prepared to address the mentor's requests during the duration of the program. During this period, the candidate shall provide, on a regular basis, a summary of professional activities and copies of work product for review and discussion with the mentor. Maintaining confidentiality of proprietary material is the sole responsibility of the candidate.
What the Mentor Must Do: The mentor will review the candidate's summaries on a regular basis. Mentors review the candidate's activities after-the-fact: they shall not have any role in helping with actual projects, solving problems, or any other direct involvement in the candidate’s work. The mentor will provide the recommendation only after the agreed period of mentoring is complete. The mentor shall indicate on the INCE Board Certification form that the recommendation was provided as a result of the mentoring program. Any other assistance in the Board Certification process (i.e. exam preparation) is between the mentor and the candidate; such continued interaction is beyond the scope of this program. Board Certified Members shall mentor no more than two candidates at a time. Participation in the Mentoring Program will provide points toward INCE Board Re-Certification for the mentor.
Each applicant for Board Certification shall complete and provide the Application for Board Certification along with an Application Fee of $200.00 USD. The applications shall be submitted and be complete (including references) no later than the posted submission deadline. This application shall be reviewed by the CB for completeness and compliance with the requirements for Board Certification. Those applicants who, in the opinion of the majority of the members of the Certification Board, comply with the requirements for Board Certification shall be permitted to sit for the next available offering of the INCE Professional Examination.
For applicants who are approved to sit for the INCE Professional Examination, granting of the status of Board Certification in Noise Control Engineering requires achievement of a satisfactory grade on that examination as determined by the CB. The INCE Professional Examination shall evaluate and test the applicant's detailed knowledge and experience in applications of noise control engineering, as well as the ability of the applicant to assume senior-level professional responsibilities in the practice of noise control engineering. The examination period is eight hours.
An applicant who initially sits for the INCE Professional Examination but fails to achieve a satisfactory grade on the examination is permitted to sit for up to two (2) of the next administrations of the examination without formally re-applying and without payment of an additional application fee. After the third attempt to achieve a satisfactory grade on the examination, a candidate shall re-submit a new application (including payment of the application fee in effect at that time) prior to subsequent attempts to take the examination. References originally submitted with the initial application may be used for subsequent applications if the reference has been submitted within the previous five (5) years.
The application dossier for each applicant who achieves a passing grade on the Professional Examination shall be reviewed by the CB for determination by majority vote of whether to recommend granting the status of Board Certification to the applicant. The INCE Vice President of Board Certification shall advise the successful applicant in writing of the granting of Board Certification.
The INCE Professional Exam is offered at least once a year, usually in conjunction with NOISE-CON conferences or those INTER-NOISE congresses held in North America. Another site/city for the exam may be requested by an applicant that is already approved by the Certification Board to sit for the Professional Exam. The site will be at the choosing of the applicant for their convenience. However, the exam must be taken at a neutral location. It cannot be at the applicant’s home or their office space/cubical. It may be another room at their place of work (such as a conference room). The applicant must find another INCE Member that is Board Certified to proctor the exam. The time period to take the exam must be within two weeks of the officially administered exam that is being given at NOISE-CON or INTER-NOISE. A fee of $250.00 USD per examinee will be assessed for offering the INCE Professional Examination at an optional site. Such requests are subject to the approval of the INCE Board Certification Committee and the Vice President of Board Certification.
An INCE member may have the professional examination waived under either one of the following two conditions:
For a member who has been licensed by the State of Oregon as a Professional Engineer (PE) in Acoustical Engineering, the examination is waived as long as the following requirements are met:
For an applicant who has successfully completed all three courses in Noise Control Engineering offered by INCE-USA, the examination is waived as long as the following requirements are met:
The applicant must submit the following:
Those persons who achieve Board Certification in Noise Control Engineering are entitled to use the title “INCE Board Certified” or the abbreviation “INCE Bd. Cert.” following their names in professional correspondence, on calling cards, and in curriculum vitae. No other designations or abbreviations signifying Board Certification are approved or authorized. No other levels of membership are entitled to use this designation, either expressed or implied. INCE offers no other forms of certification, other than Board Certification.
