Learn the Steps of Getting Your Professional Engineer License

Becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (abbreviated as PE for short) is an extremely valuable decision every engineer can make to substantially help their professional career. Very much comparable to other professional licensure processes, being licensed takes time, hard work, and attention to detail. The following are the general steps toward obtaining your engineer license. Even though each state will have their unique variant during the licensure procedures, the essential steps to becoming a PE will be the same.

The first step will be to finish undergraduate study in an ABET (Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology) accredited engineering or engineering related program. Usually these are four-year collegiate programs in a specific discipline of engineering such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, or chemical engineering. Engineering degrees are fantastic fields of study any young person can go into. Not only can engineering graduates generate considerable salaries over their lifetime, but the engineering discipline is undoubtedly growing at a speedy pace in the decades ahead. With such high demand, an engineer will have many career opportunities.

The second step is to successfully pass the FE exam (Fundamentals of Engineering exam). The FE exam was developed in order to assess an engineer’s base mathematics knowledge, analytical thinking skills, and scientific problem solving. These types of skills are key competencies one would expect to have knowledge in after graduating from an accredited undergrad engineering curriculum.

In order to ultimately apply for licensure, an engineer is required to have work experience, in most cases, for at least four years. The key is that this experience must be engineering in nature and not at a sub-professional level. Thus project requirements such as structural design work, assessing electronic equipment requirements, or carrying out technical troubleshooting on mechanical devices would be sufficient. This practical experience will also need to be documented in a way that explains your individual contributions in your role.

In addition to your working experience document, you will need to submit a formal application with your state’s engineering board. In addition, you will have to supply various important pieces of data such as official college transcripts and reference letters from other professional engineers. Check your state board’s website to confirm the specific requirements.

The PE Exam (stands for Professional Engineering examination) the last and final step. The PE exam is different in that you must show practical knowledge exclusively within your individual part of engineering (i.e. civil, electrical, etc). This test tends to be more difficult as well and thus is open book. Once you’ve successfully passed, you’re finished!

Getting your PE license will take self-discipline and a strong work ethic. But it is well worth it. Professional engineers stand for technical knowledge and professionalism. In addition, they can be rewarding and lucrative careers. Thus it is a valuable credential any engineer can decide to pursue.

Looking to find the best way to get a FE Exam review, then find the best advice on becoming a professional engineer here.