Professional Engineer Licensure

About P.E. licensing requirements in states & territories

Requirements for Professional Engineer (P.E.) licensure are overseen by state/territory licensing boards.  Licensure requirements are specified in state statutes and codes, broadly referred to as laws and rules.

If you seek P.E. licensure, it is your responsibility to verify and meet the P.E. licensure requirements for the state(s) in which you intend to practice.  Contact information for state-specific P.E. licensure requirements can be found at https://ncees.org/state-links/.

To be licensed as a P.E., an engineer must meet standards in education, exams, and experience.  Bachelor’s or master’s degrees accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (EAC/ABET) are accepted by all states as meeting the education component for P.E. licensure.  Non-EAC/ABET-accredited undergraduate or graduate engineering degrees must meet education standards established by the licensing boards.

For EAC/ABET-accredited degree holders, licensing boards typically require the FE and PE exams and 4 years of experience.

Other licensure application requirements by licensing boards may include, but are not limited to, application and licensing fees, criminal background checks, reference checks, fingerprint submissions, etc.

The licensing boards make up the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).  NCEES Engineering Education Standard and exams are incorporated into many states' licensure laws. 

Licensure of FAMU-FSU College of Engineering degree holders

The following engineering degrees at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering are EAC/ABET-accredited:

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, B.S. in Civil Engineering, B.S. in Computer Engineering, B.S. in Electrical Engineering, B.S. in Industrial Engineering, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering program will seek EAC/ABET accreditation upon eligibility in 2022, once it has its first graduates of the program.  ABET typically makes the accreditation retroactive and applies the accreditation status to degrees earned one year prior to accreditation being granted.

Master's degrees at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering are not EAC/ABET-accredited.  Engineering master's degrees across the U.S. rarely seek accreditation.  However, some states accept engineering master's degrees as meeting the education component for P.E. licensure; the board may have additional requirements such as an evaluation of education credentials.

ABET does not accredit Ph.D. degrees.

Abbreviations

P.E. = Professional Engineer

FE = Fundamentals of Engineering exam

PE = Principles and Practice of Engineering exam

EAC = Engineering Accreditation Commission (of ABET)