Civil Engineering PE designation

[deadeye58]

I have an BS in civil engineering from an accredited university and I passed the EIT and the P&P tests back in 1980. I've spent the last 30 years running my own company doing residential construction, development and light commercial construction projects. I think this experience in project management qualifies me for the PE designation; what do you guys think?

 

[JAE]

So what you are saying is you don't have 4 years of engineering experience under a licensed PE, right?

 

[deadeye58]

That's correct. I've had several occasions when I hired a PE to work on projects, but I was never working under the PE.

 

[JAE]

I think most states in the US require the 4 years of work UNDER a PE. I'm not aware of states that don't require this.

Just call your local licensing board and ask. Or visit their website.

 

[brandoncdg]

I thought the PE's had to sign off the person who is going to take the test. Does the test taker really have to work under the PE?

Civil Development Group, LLC
Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading

http://www.civildevelopmentgroup.com

http://www.civildevelopmentgroup.com/blog

 

[TXStructural]

Most states require you to "apprentice" under a licensed PE. For example, for Texas:

Experience
Basic Requirements
You must meet the following experience requirements prior to application with the Board:

1. With an accredited engineering degree you must have a minimum of 4 years of active practice in engineering work, of a character satisfactory to the Board, indicating that you are competent to be placed in responsible charge of such work.

2. With a non-accredited degree you must have a minimum of 8 years of the same type of work required of those candidates with an accredited engineering degree.
Types of Experience

During your first few years of experience after graduation, it is imperative that you place an emphasis on gaining experience that is acceptable for licensing purposes. Failure to become licensed can severely limit your potential professional growth.
This experience must demonstrate a clear use of your engineering knowledge, engineering education, and engineering judgment to perform the task, be progressive, of an increasing standard of quality and responsibility in one dominant discipline. Although it is recommended that the engineering experience be obtained while working under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer, this is not a requirement for licensure.

Experience that is considered most acceptable for licensure purposes generally falls into one of two categories: design or analysis.

The most common type of acceptable experience is design. The common denominator in all design projects is the selection and use of recognized engineering principles and methodology to determine a solution to a problem. The final result of design work will almost always be details, plans, or specifications for use in creating a finished product.
The second common type of acceptable experience is analysis. Common features of analysis activities include the use of mathematical modeling and acceptable data collection techniques to assess a problem, and the act of making a learned recommendation based on analytical findings. An analysis activity will almost always result in a conclusive report or recommendation.

It should be noted here that many other types of activities would also be acceptable if your participation in those activities can be described in terms of design or analysis. By asking yourself if you can describe your activity in terms such as "I calculated..., I designed..., I analyzed..., I recommended...," you can almost assure yourself that you are describing design and analysis.

Documentation
While gaining experience, it is equally critical that you document it in such a way that you can summarize it for the Board. As you go about your weekly tasks, you should keep a detailed diary of your activities: the starting and ending dates of the project(s) on which you worked, name and address of each employer, job title(s), the name, present addresses and phone numbers of the engineers and other persons with which you personally worked who can serve as a reference to substantiate your experience, identification of the project, the scope of the project, and the engineering activities that you personally performed.

This information will be transferred from your diary into a summary called the Supplementary Experience Record (SER) and will be submitted with your application for licensure. It should range from about 6 to 12 pages and adequately describe the engineering activities that you have performed for your entire engineering career, starting with the first engagement after graduation from college.

The SER is to be written in the first person describing in active engineering verbs the engineering work that you specifically designed, calculated, evaluated, analyzed, etc.
You are required to submit at least three (3) confidential reference statements which must be from currently licensed professional engineers who are familiar with the work you describe in your SER. (If you are applying for an original license and requesting an examination waiver you must submit five (5) references from currently licensed professional engineers [P.E.]). You select the references and they will verify the quality and scope of the work that you describe in your SER and will provide the Board with an assessment of your character and suitability for licensure on the Reference Statement Form. A professional engineer who is familiar with your work and not your supervisor will be acceptable as a reference. Professional engineers who have not worked with you may review and judge your documented experience and serve as a licensed engineer reference. Such review will be documented on the Reference Statement Form.

 

[bootlegend]

I thought the P&P was the "PE" exam back in the day. I assume you mean Principles and Practices. If you passed that test then aren't you a PE?

I don't know much about statistics, but I do know that if something has a 50-50 chance of going wrong, 9 times out of 10 it will.

 

[JAE]

I think sometimes they used to let folks take the P&P (PE) exam despite not having all the experience credentials perhaps.

 

[deadeye58]

"Back in the day" you could take the test before you had any experience, then submit the experience later and get the PE designation. Sounds like I just need three PE's to review my work resume and agree that engineering skills have been involved and recommend me for certification.

 

[JAE]

I would check with your local engineering board. Probably get a more accurate answer than here.

 

[brandoncdg]

Please do keep us up to date. I am curious about this one. With all the weird grandfathering, this might be the strangest I have heard of.

Civil Development Group, LLC
Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading

http://www.civildevelopmentgroup.com

http://www.civildevelopmentgroup.com/blog

 

[MiketheEngineer]

There are still a few states that may allow this. Go to NCEES.com and you can check out the states one by one. WY comes to mind - maybe CO or the Dakotas