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I am a praticing engineer
in another country. I want to become licensed in the United States. What is
my first step?
In the US, engineering licensing
is administered by each individual state, not by a federal agency. So the first
step is to determine the state in which you want to become licensed and practice.
Then contact that state's licensing
board. Each state acts independently to set its own education, experience,
and residency requirements, so you will need to find out what is required by the
state you have selected.
My engineering degree is from
an institution outside the United States. Will the state board accept this degree?
States have different requirements
in this regard. In nearly all cases, however, you will need to have your academic
credentials evaluated.
How do I have my degree(s)
evaluated?
Contact Engineering Credential
Evaluation International (ECEI) at www.ecei.org.
The ECEI is part of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET),
which is responsible for accrediting US engineering programs.
What will I be required to
produce for this evaluation?
ECEI requires the following:
- A completed application form (available on their website) that has been
signed and notarized
- Official transcripts and degree verification sent directly from the institution
- Original diploma and transcript issued to you when you graduated
- An official English word-for-word translation if the original documents
are not in English
- Syllabi or course descriptions
- A processing fee (in US funds)
Once I submit all these things
to ECEI, how long will the evaluation process take?
The ECEI states that the
evaluation generally takes about six weeks from the time all the required documents
are received.
What will the ECEI evaluation
say?
The evaluation will indicate
whether your academic degree(s) are "substantially equivalent" to ABET-accredited
engineering degree(s) in the United States.
Will all states accept my
academic credentials if they are approved by ECEI?
Not necessarily. You must
check with your state board to determine whether this will satisfy the education
requirement.
May I sit for the exam outside
the United States?
As a rule, no. You may speak
with your state board about alternate arrangements, but most states do not make
provisions for administering the exam outside the United States.
FAQs for Foreign Engineers Seeking US Licensure
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