Some states require that you have a BS degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program, with no exceptions. Other states permit you to take the PE exam with an engineering technology, physics, math, or chemistry degree, or without any degree at all, providing you meet experience requirements. These requirements are nearly always greater for applicants without an accredited engineering degree.
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, or ABET, periodically reviews, surveys, and visits U.S. institutions with engineering and engineering technology degree programs. If ABET's criteria are met, the degree program becomes accredited for a certain number of years.
The Engineering Accreditation Commission, or EAC, is the body within ABET that performs the accreditation function and determines acreditation actions for engineering.
ABET lists EAC-accredited programs on their web site. Your state board is also aware of which programs are accredited and might be willing to tell you over the phone.
If your degree program became accredited after you graduated, your degree is unaccredited.
Your degree is unaccredited.
Degrees from foreign universities are accepted in some states. However, no foreign university is ABET-accredited. In most instances, it is difficult to convince your state board that your foreign degree is equivalent to a ABET-accredited degree. Some states are more liberal than others, permitting an outside organization to validate the foreign degree.
To learn more about receiving an evaluation of your foreign engineering credentials, contact Engineering Credential Evaluation International (ECEI) at www.ecei.org.
Contact your state board. States handle this situation differently.
In some states, yes; in others, no. Contact your state board. The experience requirement may be greater than for someone with an ABET-accredited 4-year engineering degree.
In some states, yes; in others, no. Contact your state board. The experience requirement may be greater than for someone with an ABET-accredited 4-year engineering degree.
In some states, yes; in others, no. Contact your state board. The experience requirement will usually greater than for someone with an ABET-accredited 4-year engineering degree.
It depends on what is meant by "military education." A 4-year engineering degree from West Point or the Naval Academy is probably accredited. However, AIT-type "military training" that is more trade-oriented is essentially the same as no degree at all. Contact your state board. The experience requirement may be greater than for someone with an ABET-accredited 4-year engineering degree.
Contact your state board. A few states have residency requirements. Most do not, however, since it is common for consulting engineers to be registered in adjoining states.
The state bases its decision on the descriptions of your work experience that you and your references provide.
Only experience wherein you have made use of your engineering knowledge will count.
It can be. It depends on what you did. If you only did academic research in the library or on the Internet, it won't count. If you were working in the lab, it could very well count.
No.
Probably not.
Most states will give some credit for teaching engineering courses. Generally, the full experience requirement cannot be satisfied with just teaching.
All branches of the military have engineers doing genuine engineering work. In this regard, the military is just like any other employer, and the engineering work experience counts. However, work performed by "combat engineers", electronic repair technicians, and so on is generally not true engineering work.
The following activities are generally not considered to be engineering work: drafting, customer service, marketing, inspection, clerical and administrative support, construction and construction site work, site cleanup, safety coordination, newsletter writing, quality control/inspection, management and supervision of nonengineers, writing policies and procedures, accounting, writing (reading, or interpreting) manufacturers' literature, compliance checking, plan checking, field verification, code compliance, contract administration, and architectural detailing.
Oops.
If you have been checking the work of others, you have been doing engineering. However, this basically requires you to recalculate the design. If all you did was "check the numbers" by punching them into a calculator, then you haven't been doing engineering.
While impressive titles are often misleading, low-level titles (e.g. "junior engineer," "draftsperson," "sales associate," "inspector") are usually indicative of the true nature of the job.
Most engineers spend a portion of our time doing nonengineering work. Don't try to hide or misrepresent your nontechnical work. If it is substantial, you can assign a percentage to your experience, and that will be accepted by the state. For example, if you have 6 years of work experience and you spent 33% of your time drafting the designs that you developed, then you really have only 4 years of work experience.
There certainly are exceptions, but the state board is going to wonder how you could be doing engineering work without the benefit of an engineering education. Just how were you able to design that roller coaster?
The work experience does not have to be in the United States. However, it is more difficult to document such experience.
The work experience does not have to be based on U.S. codes.
Never. For one thing, one part of becoming a PE is adopting high ethical standards. However, consider what would happen if you were found out during the application process? Do you think you'd be allowed to take the PE exam during your lifetime?
The purpose of getting references is primarily to verify the length of your work experience and the nature of your work experience (i.e., whether it is engineering or something else). Character, ethics, and morality are not the primary issues, if they are issues at all.
The reference/recommendation forms are sent directly by your references to your state board. If the state board does not provide the return envelopes, you should provide your references with stamped envelopes preaddressed to your state board.
No. However, all states require some--usually 4 to 6.
Your state will be very specific about how many references you need. You will need at least one reference from every engagement for which you are claiming as qualifying work experience.
Yes. In fact, one or more of your references may fail to complete or send in the recommendation form. So, arranging for one or two extra is always a good idea.
Usually, there is no flexibility in the number of references required. If your state asks for 6, then you should arrange for 6 references. The completeness of your application will be judged at the administrative level, and if you don't have the required number of references, your application will not get any further. So don't send in fewer references than are required.
Most states require all (or a majority) of your references be licensed professional engineers. However, the most important issue to the board is whether the reference has specific first- hand knowledge of the length and nature of your work experience. Another important issue is whether your reference is unbiased. Usually references that are related to you by blood or marriage are not accepted. It is not necessary for all of your references to have supervised you directly, although such a relationship is preferred.
Many applicants have this problem. Electrical and telecommunication engineers are often hard-pressed to find enough PEs references, but the problem is not restricted to these areas. Each state has had to deal with similar problems hundreds of times and has developed its own policies in this regard. The states won't give you any specifics about these policies, either in writing or verbally, but there is some flexibility. Basically, you just have to do the best you can. Always get the required number of references. Always get references from each qualifying engagement. Beyond that, a reference from any engineer with first-hand knowledge of your work experience seems to satisfy the states. Your first alternative (which is almost always accepted), is to use your engineering supervisors, even if they are not PEs. Next best is any staff engineer with a knowledge of your work history.
Usually, a reference from an engineering co-worker (someone who was level with you on the organization chart) will be accepted.
College professors usually won't have any direct knowledge of your work experience (duration or nature).
Only engineers can judge engineering work. References from nonengineers usually have no value.
Unless he has specific first-hand knowledge of the length and nature of your work experience, a recommendation from Michael Lindeburg would not satisfy the requirements of your state.
Only engineers can judge engineering work. References from nonengineers usually have no value.
Your qualifying work experience does not have to be in the state in which you are taking the PE exam.
Unfortunately, it is sometimes impossible to document work experience. You might have some collateral evidence (e.g., publications or project reports) of your work during that time that might get you some experience credit, but this will take one-on-one negotiations with your state board.
Then you will have to get everything translated. Be sure the original foreign-language document is submitted along with the translation. Ask the board if they have translation standards.
The references must cover a span of time equal to or exceeding the qualifying period. If you have enough years in one company, all of your references can come from that single company.
If you're lucky. But some of your most trustworthy friends, co-workers, and supervisors may let you down by not sending in the reference forms that you desperately need. Don't take this personally. Just compensate for the possibility by seeking one or two more references than you need.
Some states send out a notification when your application is complete (including having received all of your references). Other states send out an "incomplete" warning telling you who has not yet sent in their references. Check with your state board in this regard.
Absolutely. You can remind without being too pushy by casually asking, "Any trouble or questions with that form I dropped off a couple of weeks ago?" Most of the time, you will hear, "Oh, no. It was pretty straight forward. I sent it off last week." If you hear anything else, you can offer, "Well, just let me know if there is any information I can help you with."
In most cases, you don't have to do anything. Since the FE exam is the same in all states, it is accepted by all states. When you fill out your PE exam application, just list the state, date, and your EIT certificate number. The exception to this rule is if you received a waiver on your FE exam from anther state. It may not be recognized in any other states.
No. It may be relatively easy to get a reciprocal license, but it isn't automatic.
If you took an 8-hour NCEES PE exam in one state, you won't have to take the same exam in another state. If you got your PE license by some non-examination method (e.g., interview, eminence, grandfathering), if you took a non-NCEES exam, or if you took an NCEES exam in a different discipline, you will have to take an NCEES exam.
Some states have special exams covering topics unique to those states. Many states have "law and ethics" exams covering their state laws and board rules. California has special exams in seismic design and surveying for civil engineers. Exams in cold-regions engineering (Alaska) and high winds (Florida) are also used. The states contract with subject matter experts to have these exams prepared. You will take these exams on a different day from the 8-hour PE exam. Administrative procedures differ from state to state.
No. Some states offer only a generic PE license. Some states register by discipline (e.g., "civil engineer," "mechanical engineer," etc.). Some states offer licenses unique to those states (e.g., "maritime engineer," "traffic engineer," etc.)
No. Most states have a generic PE license.
No. The P.Eng. title is granted without technical examination.
No, even though the PI PE exam is quite rigorous.
No.
With the exception of Texas, states do not currently recognize certifications from other countries.
No states require you to take written examinations to renew your engineering PE license. Ever.
Approximately 24 states and territories have continuing education requirements. For more information, look up your state on the State Board page, and then contact your board for details.
The cost varies from state to state, running from $25 to several hundred dollars per year.