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Frequently Asked Questions from Professionals
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What is professional registration and how
do I get it?
In order to safeguard life, health, and property and to promote the public
welfare, the practice of engineering is subject to regulation in the public
interest. The engineering profession involves personal skill and presentation,
a period of intensive preparation, internship, due examination, and admission.
The National Society of Professional Engineers administer exams twice each year
in all 50 states to assist State's with their evaluation and selection of
individuals who will be considered and can call themselves "Professional
Engineer". Although is is not always necessary to attain the Professional
Engineering (P.E.)License to practice engineering, it may be required in order
to perform certain government work, to review and approve designs, and some
firms may require the license in order to progress to engineering management
positions.
1. The Fundamentals of Engineering Exam
The road to attaining P.E. registration is long and arduous, and the
requirements vary somewhat from state to state. For most engineers, the first
step to attaining a P.E. license is successfully passing the
Engineer-in-Training (EIT), also called the Fundementals of Engineering (FE)
Exam. The exam can usually be taken by students in the final years of an
undergraduate engineering curriculum, or any time after graduation from an
engineering or engineering related curriculum. The F.E. exam is currently
administered with the same questions for all disciplines of engineering
students. If you don't pass the F.E. exam, the exam may be retaken. The exam is
8 hours long, is typically offered in October and May, is multiple-choice,
closed-book format, and includes the following subject material:
AM Section (4 hours)
Subjects/ Number of Problems
Mathematics 20
Electrical Circuits 14
Fluid Mechanics 14
Thermodynamics 14
Dynamics 14
Statics 14
Mech. of Materials 11
Eng. Economics 11
Materials Science 14
Total AM Problems 140
PM Section (4 hours)
Subjects/ Number of Problems
Engineering Mechanics 20
Applied Mathematics20
Electrical Circuits10
Eng. Economics 10
Thermo/Fluid Mechanics 10
Total PM Problems 70
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Professional Experience and Advanced Education
The second step towards obtaining a license is work experience. For
engineers with a Bachelor of Science Degree, four years of experience in an
engineering capacity, is typically required. Obtaining a Masters of Science in
Engineering may result in a reduction in the amount of professional experience
required. Proof of sufficient professional experience is required prior to
working towards the final step. Some states may require that samples of work be
submitted to the State Board for review. Other states may require only
professional references. Some states will allow individuals without an
engineering education to take the exam, given many years of work experience in
engineering.
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The Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam.
Successfully passing the Principles and Practice of Engineering (P.E.) Exam
is the next step towards obtaining P.E. registration. Upon successful
completion of the FE exam, and you have demonstrated to the State Board of
Professional Engineers that you have gained sufficient experience in
engineering, you may sit for the P.E. exam. Unlike the F.E., the exam is
discipline-specific, the exam is usually open-book format, and there are
typically a choice of problems, among which you may answer four problems in the
morning and four problems in the afternoon. The morning session is not
multiple-choice format, the afternoon is multiple-choice. The four afternoon
problems are typically broken down into a number of multiple choice questions
about a given problem. Failed examinations may be retaken, as the exam is quite
difficult for most engineers, and the passing rate is not very high for first
time takers.
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Responsibilities of a Professional Engineer.
Once you have passed all of the requirements to become a Professional
Engineer, you will receive a certificate and a registration number. The
registration must be renewed, and some states require that a P.E. deomonstrates
continuing education and practice in engineering in order to maintain current
registration. The State Board also reserves the rightr to revoke licenses if t
deems that a Licensed Engineer has performed work that may jeopardize the
safety, health, and welfare of the public, or otherwise violate specified rules
of conduct.
For more information, check out NSPE's website.
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What kinds of salaries are being offered to engineers?
Engineers are also compensated well for the hard work that they do. According to EngineerGirl.com
The average starting salary for an engineer with a bachelor's (4-5 year)
degree ranges from $36,000 to $50,000. This is significantly higher than salaries for
graduates with bachelor's degrees in many other fields. Typically, Chemical, Petroleum,
and Nuclear engineers' starting salaries are slightly higher than the starting salaries of Civil
engineers. Mechanical and Electrical engineers' salary typically fall
in-between. Regardless of the starting salary of a given discipline, the salary
difference is typically diluted as the engineers gain more experience, and
begin to specialize within their sub-disciplines. In time, salaries reflect the
level of ability exhibited by the engineer than with their undergraduate major,
therefore it is very important that a student select an engineering major that
is best suited to her or his preferences and abilities.
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How can I begin a job search?
Beyond the traditional classified ads, jobs may be found through on-campus
recruiting, and career placement centers at universities. The internet also
provides a huge array of job listings. Just search on the keyword
"engineering jobs" for one list of job sources.
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How can I access more professional societies?
Refer to the engineering disciplines page for a
links to various professional societies by discipline.
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How can I learn about graduate and post-graduate education?
Education doesn't always stop with an undergraduate degree in engineering.
Engineers can continue their education by getting a Masters or a Doctoral
degree in engineering. Advanced engineering education is typically a must for
engineers wanting to get into academia. Engineers can diversify their
undergraduate degree with an advanced degree in a different, or more
specialized engineering field. For example, civil engineers may choose to
specialize in environmental engineering, mechanical engineers may want to
specialize in aeronautical engineering. Engineers can also complement their
undergraduate education with degrees in fields such as business management,
law, or medicine. An engineer-lawyer may specialize in intellectual property or
patent-law. An engineer-doctor may work on developing specialized medical
equipment.
To find out about specific graduate degree programs, check out this list of
engineering schools.
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