what are the necessary steps in order to obtain a P.E. license?

1. how many years after E.I.T. registration? 4 years?

2. do you have to work directly under a P.E.? work along side a P.E.? does the P.E. have to be located somewhere in the company or can it be a contractor?

3. is the test you take related to your field of work? is a P.E. specialized, i.e. manufacturing, design, structural, mechanical, electrical, etc.?

i have a job offer right now for project management but I would like to obtain a P.E. in the future. there are no P.E.'s that I would be working under and therefore it concerns me. just would like to know.

thanks a lot for your help, Pat

 

It is state dependant but in most states you have to have worked under the supervision of a P.E. for 4 years after college graduation with a degree in Engineering or 4 years after passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam.. whichever occurs last.
You have to work under the supervision of a licensed Professional Engineer.. be it in the office or in the field. You will have to submit a body of work to your state licensure board when you apply to take the Professional Engineering exam.
The PE test is different than the Fundamentals test. You don't have to know all of the other B.S.... The morning exam is a broad exam over your specified discipline(civil for instance) and the afternoon is a comprehensive exam over the topic that you feel most comfortable in(structural)
I don't think you'd be able to sit for your P.E. without the direct supervision of a Licensed Professional. Check with your State Technical Board or with NCEES for the whole story.

I'll be taking my PE next spring after a long 3(will be 4) years.

 

Check out www.ncess.org
They have a ton of info there that applies to I think almost alll states. I will be taking my PE exam this April 15th and everything that graphitecumnz said applied to me too. They also have links and contact info for all of the state boards so you can get whatever info you need.

 

is this fundamentals of engineering exam something anyone can take?
would this qualify you for an engineering job?

 

I thought he wanted to be a gym teacher.....

Steve, most places, after getting your degree, Architects and Engineers have to do an internship before getting licensed. Use to be 2yrs for an architect here in Mi. Probably same for engineer. But it's been a while.

 

thanks a lot for the help and the link. i want to make sure i dont take the wrong steps in the next few years.

as far as anyone taking the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, i do not know. mechanical engineering is a such a broad topic and covers so many issues that it made it a lot easier to pass the test than if i were to have studied electrical, chemical, etc. engineering. that being said, my school did a great job at setting me up to take this test. i would not want to take it a few years down the road. the math (up to calc 3 & differential equations) makes up a great percentage of the test, and it isnt something you retain if you are not using it.

get the "big yellow book" at barnes & noble or online and page through it to see some of the subjects covered. this is a great way to evaluate your knowledge and find your weakspots.

it helps a resume and job consideration to be an Engineer-in-Training. but the degree is the real qualification.

Pat

 

again, this is all state dependant. In Kansas you have to either be a current student with Junior standing in one of these schools, Kansas State University, the University of Kansas or Wichita State University.... or you have to have an engineering degree from an ABET accredited school. Check with your local board of licensure.

Passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam won't necessarily qualify you for an engineering job without the degree. It depends on what your degree is in.

Passing the FE without a vast math, applied sciences and physics background would be extremely difficult. The exam is extremely broad in scope covering these 12 topics: thermodynamics, dynamics, electrical circuits, statics, mechanics of materials, engineering ethics, chemistry, computers, engineering economics, fluid mechanics, material science and mathematics. That's just the morning exam. The afternoon exam is discipline specific but a general exam is available.

 

no, not anyone can take the FE. You have to either graduate from an ABET accredited school in engineering discipline or an engineering related discipline.
yes, this would qualify you for SOME engineering jobs. You will be listed as an engineering intern and then work for 2 to 6 years (depending on state) under a PE to be allowed to take your PE exam.
After getting your PE license, you have the right to use the letters P.E. after your name, to do public work as an engineer, etc.

One more year then I can take the test... (insert happy dance smilie here)

 

If you qualify to take the EIT (Enginner in Training) exam, do it as soon as you get out of school if not before. I decided to take it 15 years after I graduated as a BSME. I passed it but it was the worst 8 hours of my life! I needed to know everything I knew the day I graduated!

 

I took it a year after I graduated. The hotel I stayed at was packed with drunken teens from a HS prom. I was so ****** off, I chewed on that poor manager until I got my room free... I still threated to sue if I failed the test. (its about $100 for the registration fees).

 

I took the FE 8 months before I graduated college.... stupid neighbors decided they'd have a ragin' party then stopped by about 11 p.m. with a couple nice lookin' women to ask if I was gonna party....

I partied later...

 

so i guess the fast track to engineering is not in the works LOL

proves my point once again, education is key, when i was in school i didnt care, i didnt even know what an engineer was, i thought he ran the trains! well here i am 21 years later, alot of different experiences and no job, thanks for the great insight guys.