BY ZANA RAYBON, FBPE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & FEMC PRESIDENT
Let’s take a few moments to help you avoid some of the common problems that our staff sees on applications for Professional Engineer licenses.
I will break it into the three criteria used for approval of an application: education, examinations, and experience. I will also focus on a few other issues following the main topics.
To begin, FBPE highly recommends that you create and complete an NCEES Record before applying. Creating an NCEES Record helps streamline PE licensure in Florida and other states. Also, NCEES can provide invaluable assistance in documenting your engineering experience.
A completed and verified NCEES Record is more than just having an NCEES account. An NCEES account is required to apply for an exam, but a verified NCEES Record collects your college transcripts, exam results, employment verifications, and professional references. Find out more at ncees.org/records/.
Education
Florida requires a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from an EAC/ABET-accredited program or a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering technology from an ETAC/ABET-accredited program. Please note that programs — not universities — are accredited. To determine if your program is accredited, visit ABET.org and search for accredited programs. Engineering programs accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board in 1980 or later are considered equivalent to EAC/ABET programs.
If your degree is from a non-ABET-accredited program, then you must have your degree evaluated for equivalency before applying. Only evaluations performed by NCEES Credential Evaluations or Josef Silny & Associates are accepted by FBPE.
Florida does not accept non-engineering degrees for licensure unless that undergraduate degree is accompanied by a master’s or doctoral degree in engineering and both degrees have been evaluated for equivalency. Again, only evaluations performed by NCEES Credential Evaluations or Josef Silny & Associates are accepted by FBPE.
If the evaluation determines that your degree is not equivalent to an ABET-accredited degree, your application will likely be denied. Applicants typically say that they have enough experience and that the lack of education should not matter. However, the Board cannot consider experience as a replacement for the education requirement.
The most common deficiency is in general education (i.e., humanities and social sciences). This deficiency can usually be corrected by taking a College-Level Examination Program, or CLEP, exam. Each passing CLEP exam usually counts for three semester hours.
A non-accredited engineering degree can be accepted for licensure if the applicant has held a license in another state for at least 15 years and can verify at least 20 years of engineering experience. (See Rule 61G15-20.0010(3), Florida Administrative Code.)
Specific education requirements can be found in Section 471.013(1)(a), Florida Statutes, and Rules 61G15-20.007 or 61G15-20.008, F.A.C.
Examinations
The Board requires you to pass both the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination (FE) and the NCEES Principles and Practice of Engineer examination (PE) before applying for licensure.
There are three exam waivers available for Florida applicants:
- The first waiver is for the FE exam and applies if you have been licensed in another U.S. state or territory for at least 10 years and meet the rest of Florida’s licensure requirements.
- The second waiver is also for the FE exam and applies if you have received a doctorate degree in engineering from an institution that has an EAC/ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering program and if you have taught engineering full-time for at least three years at the baccalaureate level or higher after receiving that degree. (See Chapter 471.013 (1)(d), F.S.)
- The third waiver is for the PE exam and applies if you have been licensed in another U.S. state or territory for at least 15 years and meet the rest of Florida’s licensure requirements.
No other examination waivers are available for licensure. If you have not passed both exams or do not qualify for a waiver, your application will likely be denied.
Engineering Experience
FBPE requires four years (48 months) of full-time engineering experience if you hold a B.S. in engineering. If you hold a B.S. in engineering technology, six years (72 months) of full-time engineering experience is required.
Experience must be verified by supervising U.S. licensed engineers or qualified practicing engineers. FBPE does not accept experience verified by colleagues, peers, co-workers, friends, human resources, or company administrators.
Verification by Practicing Engineer: In some circumstances, engineering work experience may be verified by qualified practicing engineers who have been supervising you. Some industries are allowed to have practicing engineers. A practicing engineer is exempt and not required to hold a PE license (see Chapter 471.003, F.S., Qualifications for practice: exemptions). Practicing engineers who verify engineering experience must also provide a copy of their engineering degree diploma to the FPBE office. The diploma must clearly state that it is for an engineering degree. The same process applies to supervising foreign engineers who verify work experience as a practicing engineer. Their diploma must clearly state engineering degree and be translated into English if necessary.
Client Verifications: If you are licensed in another state and have owned an engineering company for at least five years, you may use client verifications in lieu of having employment verifications completed. You must have at least five clients complete the verification form. Client verifications must be completed by professional clients, not by co-owners, colleagues, industry peers, homeowners, or friends.
Experience Gained Prior to Graduation: If you were working full-time within two years of graduating with a Bachelor of Science in engineering degree or engineering technology degree from an approved engineering program and the work involves tasks and responsibilities consistent with the disciplines of engineering, experience credit may be awarded at 50 percent of actual time up to a maximum of 12 months.
Graduate Degrees Counting for Experience: You can claim one year’s experience if you have a master’s degree in engineering from an EAC/M‐ABET‐accredited program or from a college or university in the U.S. that has an EAC/ABET‐accredited engineering program in a related discipline at the baccalaureate level. You can also claim one year’s experience if you have a doctorate in engineering from a college or university in the U.S. that has an EAC/ABET‐accredited engineering program in a related discipline at the baccalaureate level. Experience equivalents will be given for the master’s or doctoral degree only if you have earned a prior engineering or engineering technology degree from a college or university that meets the requirements of a Board‐approved engineering program as defined in Rule 61G15‐20.001(2), F.A.C.
Specific experience requirements can be found in Rule 61G15-20.002, F.A.C.
Other Issues
Fully Completed Application Pages: You are required to complete the information in full on the first five pages of your application, even with a complete NCEES Record. FBPE does not allow applicants to state “See NCEES Record” on the pages. You must specifically list the information that has been verified in your NCEES Record.
Missing Signature: You are required to sign page 5 of the application. It may be handwritten, digitally signed, or typed. Applicants often overlook the signature.
Legal Name Change Documents: On the first page of the application, if you answered yes to having a legal name change through court action, by marriage, or have legally been known by another name, you must submit the legal name change documentation with the application.
Applicant History: As the instructions on page 2 of the application state, if you answer yes to any of the questions A-F, you must provide a separate page that lists the following information: dates, jurisdiction (state and county), offense, disposition, and all other relevant information.
Professional References: Applicants must provide three professional engineering references who are current and active U.S. licensed engineers. These engineers’ PE licenses cannot be retired, delinquent, or inactive. Practicing engineers cannot provide professional references. The references may not be architects, surveyors, geologists, or foreign-licensed engineers.
Missing Laws and Rules Study Guide: All applicants must pass the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide. You will receive a registration email for the Study Guide. If you did not receive it, check your spam or junk mail folders for an email coming from support@fbpe.org. If you do not complete the Study Guide, your application will not be complete and will not be reviewed.
These are the most common issues that staff deal with when processing applications. If you are unsure of licensure requirements and cannot find the information on our comprehensive website, direct questions to board@fbpe.org. Understand that staff cannot give assurances as to application approval, especially prior to submission of the application. That is a decision for the Board.
PE licensure & registration specialist Lisa Metcalf assisted with this article.