Engineer's Registration: United States

United States

In the United States, registration or licensure of Professional Engineers is performed by the individual states. Each registration or license is valid only in the state in which it is granted. Many Professional Engineers maintain licenses in several states for this reason, and comity or 'reciprocity' between states can make it easy to obtain a license in one state based on licensure in another state without going through the full application process. The licensing procedure varies but the general process is :

Graduate with a degree from an accredited four-year university program in engineering. Complete a standard Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) written examination, which tests applicants on breadth of understanding of basic engineering principles, and optionally some elements of an engineering specialty. Completion of the first two steps typically qualifies for certification in the U.S. as an Engineer-In-Training (EIT), sometimes also called an Engineer Intern (EI) [3].Accumulate a certain amount of engineering experience under the supervision of a P.E. In most states the requirement is four years, but in others the requirement is lower. Complete a written Professional Engineering examination, testing the applicant's knowledge and skills in a chosen engineering discipline (mechanical, electrical, civil, for example), as well as engineering ethics.

In a few states, it is still possible for an individual to bypass steps 1 and 2, and apply to take the Professional Engineering examination, as long as a P.E. will sponsor the applicant and work experience can be substituted for academic experience. The years of experience may also vary; for instance, in California it is possible to take the Professional Engineering examination with only two years of experience after a bachelor's degree, or one year of experience after graduate school. Some states issue generic Professional Engineering licenses. Others, known as "discipline states", issue licenses for specific disciplines of engineering, such as Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. In all cases, however, engineers are limited to practicing in their area of competency, which is usually a small portion of a discipline. While licensing boards do not often enforce this limitation, it can be a factor in negligence lawsuits.

Since regulation of the practice of engineering is performed by the individual states in the U.S., areas of engineering involved in interstate commerce are essentially unregulated. These areas include much of Mechanical Engineering, such as Automotive Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, and may be specifically exempted from regulation under an "Industrial Exemption". An industrial exemption covers engineers who design products such as automobiles that are sold (or have the potential to be sold) outside the state in which they are produced, as well as the equipment used to produce the product. Structures subject to building codes are not covered by an industrial exemption, except small residential buildings often do not require an engineer's seal.

The title "Engineer" is legally protected in many states, meaning that it is unlawful to use it unless permission is specifically granted by a state, through a Professional Engineering license, an industrial exemption, or certain other non-engineering titles such as "operating engineer". Employees of state or federal agencies may also call themselves engineers if that term appears in their official job title. These laws are not frequently enforced unless the individual is explicitly offering engineering services to the public. Likewise, a business cannot offer engineering services to the public or have a name that implies that it does so unless it employs at least one Professional Engineer. Most states limit the practice of engineering, except where specifically exempt, to those individuals with the appropriate license or to people working under the direct supervision of a licensed engineer. Some states require corporations that do engineering design work to be registered as well since incorporation creates a legal entity separate from the engineers. There is a movement to require a master's degree or equivalent for licensure. [4]