Why become a Licensed Professional Engineer? What is a Licensed Professional Engineer? How do you become a Licensed Professional Engineer?

2. Welcome
• Introduction
– Why become a Licensed
Professional Engineer?
– What is a Licensed Professional
Engineer?
– How do you become a Licensed
Professional Engineer?

3. Introduction
• Samuel G. Wilson, P.E., F.NSPE
– Purdue University, BSE
– Licensed District of Columbia
– Past President
• District of Columbia Society of
Professional Engineers
• DC Council of Engineering &
Architectural Societies
– Member
• American Society of Civil Engineers
• National Society of Professional
Engineers
• National Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying
• Chairman, DC Board of Professional
Engineering

4. Why Become a Licensed
Professional Engineer?
• What is a professional engineer?
– A professional engineer ( P.E.) is a
person who is licensed to practice
engineering in a particular state or
US territory after meeting all
requirements of the law. To
practice in multiple states or
territories, the P.E. must be
licensed in each state in which he
or she wishes to practice.

5. What makes a Professional
Engineer different from an
engineer?
• Only a licensed engineer may prepare, sign and
seal, and submit engineering plans and drawings
to a public authority for approval, or seal
engineering work for public and private clients.
• PEs shoulder the responsibility for not only their
work, but also for the lives affected by that work
and must hold themselves to high ethical
standards of practice.

6. Licensure vs. Certification
• License, the state’s grant of legal authority
– Prerequisite for certain activities
• Drivers license
• Business License
– Licensure, is the Legal requirement to practice
engineering
• Certification is:
– voluntary process;
– by a private organization;
– for the purpose of providing the public information
on those individuals who have successfully
completed the certification process

7. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
• All States and Jurisdictions have Registration Laws
Governing the Practice of Engineering
• Most States prohibit persons who are not registered PE’s
from:
– advertising, using a business card, or otherwise
indicating to the public that they are an engineer
– assuming the title of engineer
– practicing, offering to practice or holding themselves out
as qualified to practice as an engineer
• Current Exemptions for Industrial Practice

8. History
• 1907 Wyoming
– Maps were required for access to water
• The State Engineer saw a large variance in the
quality of the maps
• Dramatic improvement was seen immediately
• 1908 Louisiana
• 1915 Florida & Illinois, followed soon by
Iowa, Colorado, Michigan, Idaho, Nevada,
and Oregon
• 1947 Wyoming
• 1950 All states plus Alaska, Hawaii, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico now
have engineering registration law

9. National Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying
• 1920 In Chicago, the Council of State Boards of Engineering Examiners
is founded
• 1932 NCSBEE approves the Model Law for Registration of Engineers
and Land Surveyors. The Council’s National Bureau of Engineering
Registration is created
• 1965 First Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination is
administered
• 1966 First Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) examination is
administered
• 1984 All member licensing boards now use uniform national engineering
examinations.
• 1989 The organization’s name is changed to National Council of
Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

10. NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering
(FE) examination
• Fundamentals: what you learned in
college
• Computer-based exams
• Offered year-round at approved
Pearson VUE test centers

11. NCEES Principles and Practice of
Engineering (PE) examination
• 7 freestanding discipline-specific exams
–Chemical, Civil, Computer and Electrical,
Environmental, Industrial, Mechanical, Other
Disciplines
• 110 multiple-choice questions
• Exam specifications (what’s on the exam)
–Available at ncees.org/exams
• PE Reference Handbook
• Practice exams

12. • Reflects real-world practice
• Tests for minimal competency
• Given twice a year, pencil-and-paper format
• Developed by licensed engineers
• Open-book: reference materials permitted
• Specifications and exam prep materials
available
at NCEES.org
NCEES Principles and Practice of
Engineering (PE) examination

13. Summary
• To use the PE Seal, engineers must
complete several steps:
• Earn a four-year degree in engineering
from an accredited engineering program
• Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering
(FE) exam
• Complete four years of progressive
engineering experience under a PE
• Pass the Principles and Practice of
Engineering (PE) exam

14. WHY Become a PE?
• PE’s earn more than non PE’s, at least 5%
• Entrepreneurial spirit?
– You cannot sell your engineering services to the
public without a license
• Graduate Degree?
• Prestige
– You stand out among your peers with a clear
accomplishment
• Flexibility
– Many opportunities with government and
consultants require the PE

15. What can you do?
• What do hiring firms look for?
• Degrees, work references, technical
skills
• A universal standard that is
recognized throughout the
profession?

16. DO IT!
• It’s tough–for a reason.
• Keep your eye on the target.
• There are resources that can
help you get there.

17. Benefits
• As a Professional Engineer
– It opens career doors.
– In a stack of resumes, yours stands out.
– You belong to a licensed profession.
– You serve the public–not just your
employer.
– You typically earn more than peers
without a P.E.

18. QUESTIONS
• Samuel G. Wilson, P.E., F.NSPE
–@SGWENGINEERS