What is a PE? Do I need this license to be an Engineer?

What is a PE?
Do I need this license to be an Engineer?

December 19, 2020

By: Lisandro Vazquez, PE

Interested in Engineering? Not sure what a PE is, or if you need to be one, or if your chosen engineering discipline even offers a PE (Professional Engineer) license? Engineer Q&A has you covered. In this article we’ll give you the basics—What a PE is; Who can be a PE; Why you’d want to be a PE; and much more!

What is a PE?

To quote the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), “PE [Professional Engineer] licensure is the engineering profession’s highest standard of competence, a symbol of achievement and assurance of quality.”

More specifically, a Professional Engineer is an engineer who has earned a license from a board of professional registration/licensure to legally practice engineering and/or consultation as defined by the respective legal code regulating that board. This legal authority to practice engineering is limited to only those areas within the political boundaries governed by said legal code.

It may be a surprise to many that in the United States engineering licensure is governed by the states rather than a single national licensure standard. And as you might imagine, there are tons of caveats as to whether you actually need a PE license to do your job as an “engineer,” but we’ll touch on these a little later.

Why do we need PE’s?

A PE license, like professional licensure in general, provides a certain minimum level of “trust” between a practitioner and his/her respective stakeholders (i.e. clients, owners, the public, financiers etc.). Someone seeking engineering design services or consultation can hire a Professional Engineer, or accept a PE’s technical opinion, and be assured of a reasonable level of competency because he/she possesses a license.

This expectation is backed by the fact that in order to obtain and maintain licensure an engineer must demonstrate technical comprehension of key concepts through formal examination, must meet a minimum requirement of years of industry experience, and must adhere to ethics criteria as mandated by the respective licensing board.

Before widespread licensure anybody could claim to be an engineer with potentially serious ramifications financially, functionally, and with respect to public safety. This was a serious problem which resulted in countless examples of catastrophic failure and loss of life. Gas line explosions, dam bursts, and bridge & building collapses are just some of the many disasters caused by incompetent design.

Photo by Charles Keyes, courtesy of the Lee County Historical & Genealogical Society and the Loveland Community House, Dixon, IL. – Public domain, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60911232

If you were alive over a hundred years ago you couldn’t truly trust that the infrastructure you were using was safe.

Fortunately, this plague of malfeasance began to abate when the US State of Wyoming enacted the nation’s first engineering licensing law in 1907. Within quick succession a slew of other states followed suit until engineering licensure became legislated among all states.

Today, though it may be more difficult to simply “claim” to be an engineer in our interconnected world without being exposed, there are other related concerns. For example, just possessing a degree with “engineer” or “engineering” in its title doesn’t necessarily mean somebody is technically—or ethically—qualified to work on your project. This is especially important for transactions in which the client does not personally know the engineer (i.e. most projects). The PE license alleviates some of this uncertainty.

But licensure isn’t exactly a silver bullet, and standards for licensure—or even the legal need for it—vary greatly worldwide. Moreover, even within the US a PE isn’t obligatory across-the-board. Many highly regulated industries (think aviation or nuclear) have countless federal or governmental standards/regulations which render a PE license less vital for everyday business.

That being said, a PE can “fill the gap” where regulations/standards are weak or ambiguous by providing formal design direction. Further, many engineering drawings, specifications, affidavits or other legal documentation are required to be sealed (i.e. signed & stamped) by a licensed PE.

Click on the link below to read more proof on the need for Professional Engineer licensing from NSPE (includes examples of disasters & damage to the public good due to inadequate engineering and oversight).

https://www.nspe.org/resources/licensure/why-pes-matter

Will I need a PE license to do engineering design?

In most cases you do NOT need to be a licensed PE to perform engineering design duties. If you work at a medium or large engineering firm you could work your entire career without earning licensure. Most firms will have some minimum number of engineers with a PE license who serve as final technical approval authority for engineering documentation and will sign & seal the deliverables. So long as you aren’t that final approval authority you can probably get by without a license.

And as mentioned earlier, some fields, like aerospace engineering, are strictly regulated to such a degree that a PE license may not really be needed unless you are charged with the overall technical oversight/responsibility for certain engineering plans or if your job requires writing formal engineering opinions/judgements, to name just a couple of examples.

Other fields where a PE license may be less common are chemical engineering, automotive engineering, and industrial engineering. This is not to say that having a license in these fields isn’t required in all cases (example: a chemical engineer working on a set of drawings to be submitted to a public authority for construction approval); nor does this imply that having a license isn’t a good idea.

There are MANY benefits to having a PE license—even in these fields—but the point is that you likely won’t need a license to perform your day-to-day engineering design work. On the flipside, if you’re interested in advancement, senior level management and/or technical expert status, then earning a license may be a great tool to help you achieve your goals.

One thing to keep in mind though is that in some states (like Florida) you can’t technically call yourself an “ENGINEER” unless you are a licensed PE (there are exceptions of course). So despite the fact that you may be conducting engineering design work, your job title may actually be “technician” or “designer” rather than “engineer.” Check out your own state’s legal code to see if this might apply to you.

Why would I want to get my PE license?

Professional licensure in general opens doors to new and diverse opportunities. This applies to more than just the technical province of engineering work. Beyond the personal sense of achievement & pride, this legal validation of your competency as a proven practitioner in your field can serve to boost your standing amongst peers, competitors, and clients. In some cases this can be the deciding factor for a potential client as to whether they will solicit and/or accept a bid from you or your firm.

In this context, having a license makes you less expendable when times are tough and more valuable with respect to flexibility in roles, services, and image to clients.

Additional areas where having your PE may be beneficial are:

Entrepreneurship (licensure may be required by your state)
Career Advancement
Better Pay
Improved Marketability
Personal Satisfaction
Furtherance of Knowledge from Continuing Education Requirements (CEs)

If you’d like to see these topics discussed in detail with specific examples & studies check out Engineer Q&A’s article “Should I get my Professional Engineer (PE) license? Is it really worth it?” In that article we look at data from national professional engineering societies in addition to real world personal experiences to evaluate the benefits vs. costs of licensure.

Though the discussion is catered more to those already in the engineering field, there’s plenty of great information to glean even if you’re still in school.

What steps are required to earn my PE?

While there may be some unique requirements or exceptions depending upon in which state you intend on earning your initial licensure (US only), they all follow a similar overall set of guidelines:

1. Earn a 4-year degree (Bachelor of Science) in an engineering field from an ABET accredited educational institution (click this link to search ABET’s site by ‘discipline’ to see which engineering programs are ABET accredited https://amspub.abet.org/aps/category-search ). Refer to your own state’s guidelines for additional requirements regarding which specific types of engineering degrees are accepted, equivalency standards for degrees earned from non-ABET schools and/or foreign colleges & universities, and possible exemptions from the 4-year degree requirement (may not be available in many states).

If you’re not sure where to start looking for these requirements, check out the link below from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). This page provides links to state licensing boards and information about their respective requirements for taking the PE exam.

https://ncees.org/member-licensing-boards/

2. Successfully pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam offered by NCEES. Apply for and receive certification as an Engineering Intern (EI) by your respective state’s licensing board.

3. Accrue a requisite number of years of applicable engineering experience under the supervision of a licensed PE. This time requirement is typically 4 years, but like everything else there are exceptions. Some states have multi-tiered experience requirements dependent upon various factors such as degree type or in some cases an absence of a college degree.

An additional exception to this qualified work experience is that it may not all have to be under the supervision of a PE. For fields in which there are few PE’s or highly regulated fields such as public utilities or military/defense industries your work experience can be under the supervision of a “practicing” engineer as is the label applied by some licensing boards.

Again, check with your own state’s board for specifics.

4. Successfully pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam (AKA “the PE”) which is offered by NCEES. In most cases one additional step prior to licensure is to successfully pass some sort of ethics course or exam approved by your state’s cognizant engineering licensing authority. Once you have passed the PE exam & ethics requirements, apply for and receive certification as a Professional Engineer (PE) by your state’s licensing board.

5. Continuing Education. Though this last step doesn’t fall under the category of earning your initial license it is needed in order to maintain it. In many states you’ll be required to complete a number of approved Continuing Education (CE) credits over some recurring timeframe to keep your license current.

For a comprehensive roadmap to earning your PE check out Engineer Q&A’s article “17 Steps to Become an Engineer — From High School to Professional Engineer (PE)”

Which PE exams are offered?

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is the organization which offers the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. The following exams are available as of 2020:

Many of the exam categories listed above have multiple sub-specialties available. For example, the Mechanical Engineering exam contains a “breadth” section (~4 hours) which covers a wide array of fundamental mechanical topics (all ME’s take this breadth section), but then there is a second “depth” section (~4 hours) based on your own engineering specialty (HVAC, Machine Design, or Thermal & Fluid Systems… you specify which section you want to take when applying for the exam).

Can I be licensed in more than one state (US)?

Yes, you can be licensed as a PE in more than one state (or country). In fact, in many cases you MUST be licensed in another state if you intend on performing engineering services in that state.

It is quite common for engineers to be licensed in multiple states over the course of their careers. For example, as I write this article I hold licensure in Florida, Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia.

You can get licensed in multiple states by comity or reciprocity. While these two terms seem to mean the same thing, they are slightly different. With reciprocity, a state will grant you a license with almost no additional requirements if you are licensed by another state which has been pre-approved.

Mostly, though, multi-state licensure is by comity. This is essentially where another state will require you to meet some additional administrative or procedural requirements to gain licensure within their jurisdiction. This may include additional ethics courses, technical requirements, or it may even require validation of additional years of qualified engineering experience depending on which requirements were met upon your initial licensing.

Recently, the multi-state licensure application/approval process has been greatly improved by widespread acceptance of electronic applications and by states accepting electronic records from NCEES. The NCEES Records program allows you to maintain a sort of electronic transcript of your engineering experience, exams, and current licensure status. This can be electronically transmitted to another state for application purposes (you used to have to fill out a whole new application by hand… it was a serious PITA for some states).

If you want to learn more about this electronic record check out the following link from NCEES: https://ncees.org/records/

Closing thoughts:

Earning your PE license can be the ticket to better pay, differentiation amongst your peers, and could provide you with more opportunities for professional growth. In many cases it may not be required to do your job. It might not even be common for your specific line of engineering work.

But, I challenge you to give it some serious thought. Read more about what it means to be a PE. Consider what future opportunities you may want to pursue. Ask those who are 5, 10, 15, or 20 years more advanced in their career about their thoughts. Ask for specific pros and cons… not just “what they think.”

Research potential or planned changes to regulations within your industry. Will licensure be required in the future for things in which it is currently not required?

Then, think to yourself: Do YOU want it? Will it make you PROUD? Will you “enjoy” the process? What would it mean to YOU?

If you don’t care about it or if you aren’t doing it for yourself… then why go through the struggle? Conversely, if others say you might be wasting your time but YOU want to be a PE… then by all means, pursue your goal.

If there is even a remote possibility that you might want to earn your PE, I highly encourage you to take the FE exam either during your senior year of college or shortly thereafter. Just go ahead and get it out of the way. Oftentimes, engineers will decide years later that they’re ready to pursue licensure and find that passing the FE is a frustrating obstacle because they’re having to relearn a bunch of things from college which may not be used day-to-day in their specific engineering practice.

Yes, taking one more exam around graduation time may not sound super appealing, but you may end up really appreciating your foresight years later.

I hope you enjoyed this read and I sincerely hope this article is helpful to you in some way as you journey towards a fulfilling future. Thank you for sharing your time with Engineer Q&A!

Related links:

Check out these short testimonials on why others decided to become a PE:

https://www.nspe.org/resources/professional-engineers-day/why-i-became-a-pe

Pass rates for PE exam and general statistics from NCEES:

https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/Squared-2018-for-web.pdf

The first Wednesday of each August is Professional Engineer’s Day. Check out NSPE’s site for more information.

https://www.nspe.org/resources/professional-engineers-day

For other helpful reads from Engineer Q&A check out the articles below:

Should I get my Professional Engineer (PE) license? Is it really worth it?

17 Steps to Become an Engineer — From High School to Professional Engineer (PE)

Why Engineering? It’s Career with an Impact!

What type of environment do engineers work in?