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08.08
Changes
for Becoming a Licensed Engineer
Today’s Engineer sits
down for a Q&A with Richard Schwarz, P.E., chair
of IEEE-USA's Licensure & Registration
Committee, to talk about recent changes to the
requirements for becoming a licensed engineer.
Q:
Does every engineer need to become a licensed
engineer?
A: No,
you only need to be licensed as a Professional
Engineer (P.E.) if you want or need to become a
consulting engineer, sign and seal documents for
public agencies or establish your own firm. If
you offer your engineering services to the
public, you must be licensed in that state.
Q:
What is currently required to become a licensed
engineer?
A: In
the United States, although the requirements for
licensure may differ between states, becoming a
licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) is
generally a four-step process:
-
Graduation from an
accredited bachelor of science (BS)
engineering program
-
Passing the Fundamentals of
Engineering exam (FE)
-
Obtaining four years of
relevant work experience
-
Passing the Principles and
Practice of Engineering (PE) exam
Q:
What has recently changed in the process to
become a licensed engineer?
A: In
September 2006, The National Council of
Examiners in Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
approved an amendment to the NCEES Model Law
that will require engineers with bachelor’s
degrees to earn an additional 30 credits of
acceptable undergraduate or graduate-level
coursework from approved course providers before
they can take the Principles and Practices of
Engineering (PE) examination.
Q:
When will this change go into effect?
A: The
effective date is 1 January 2015. However, it is
important to note that although NCEES writes,
produces and scores the PE exam nationally, the
Model Law is advisory only — it’s just a
guideline intended to encourage greater
uniformity of qualifications, raise standards to
a higher level and facilitate interstate
mobility. Laws governing the qualifications
required to become licensed are established by
the legislature in each state that regulates the
practice of engineering. Therefore, this model
educational requirement must be adopted by
individual states and territories before it
becomes law.
Q:
If the Model Law is just a guideline, why does
it matter?
A:
NCEES Model Laws are passed by a vote of the
entire Council of State P.E. Boards and thus is
meant to reflect current or future thinking.
Uniformity is assured when states pass Model
Laws into legislation.
Q:
Have any states adopted the new law?
A: At
this point, no states have adopted the new law.
It is unclear how many or how quickly individual
states will amend their laws to mandate
additional education beyond a baccalaureate
degree to sit for the PE exam.
Q:
Why was this change made?
A:
Some engineering organizations and disciplines
argued that engineers need more education than a
BS degree in engineering before becoming a
licensed Professional Engineer.
Q:
Does IEEE-USA support this change to the Model
Law?
A:
IEEE-USA neither supports nor opposes the NCEES
decision to recommend that engineers who have
successfully completed accredited
baccalaureate-degree educational programs be
required to take 30 additional hours of
engineering education to become licensed,
beginning in 2015.
Q:
Who will be affected by this change?
A:
This requirement will impact newly enrolled
engineering students. For example, if a new
engineering student starts a BS degree program
in 2008, they will graduate in 2012.With four
more years of experience, he or she can sit for
the PE exam in 2016. Currently licensed
engineers will not be affected in any way.
Q:
What are the requirements for the 30 extra
credits?
A: A
master’s degree in engineering at an institution
with any ABET-accredited engineering program
will automatically satisfy the requirements. The
NCEES has assigned a working committee to
analyze and define these requirements in further
detail.
Q:
Will specific courses need to be taken to
satisfy the 30 credits?
A: At
least half of the 30 credits must consist of
coursework in technical topic areas. The other
credits can be in areas important for
professional practice including project
management, leadership, ethics, communications,
finance and business administration.
Q:
Are these 30 credits the same as the continuing
education required to maintain one’s
Professional Engineer license?
A:
Currently, about 30 jurisdictions in the United
States have continuing professional competency
(CPC) requirements for licensed engineers, but
this is not the same as this new requirement.
The additional 30 credits required in the Model
Law must be taken before one is eligible to take
the PE exam.
Richard Schwarz, P.E.,
currently serves as chair of the IEEE-USA
Licensure & Registration Committee. He has
worked as a volunteer with the NCEES Electrical
& Computer PE Exam Committee for over 25 years.
Comments may
be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.
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