K-12 Students
What is professional engineering?
Professional Engineers use math and science to solve complex real-world problems. You encounter things every day that have been engineered.
Engineers design and oversee the construction and maintenance of systems that bring you electricity and clean drinking water, roads and bridges you travel on for work or school, and the signals that control the flow of traffic. They direct the flow of storm water and treat wastewater to help reduce pollutants in our waterways.
Engineers design manufactured products like cars and airplanes, game controllers and drones, computers and phones, shampoo, soap and makeup, and the nanotechnology that keeps clothes from wrinkling. Engineers also design machines and systems for manufacturing.
If something could impact your health or safety, then whoever designs or builds either is a Professional Engineer or is overseen by a Professional Engineer. In order to use the "Professional Engineer” or “PE" credential, a person must first be licensed by a State.
To become a PE, a person completes a 4-year engineering or engineering technology degree, or a degree in a "related science" like math, physics, biology, chemistry, etc. Next, they pass a national examination in the Fundamentals of Engineering, pass a second national examination in the Principles and Practices of Engineering, and complete required engineering work experience under the supervision of licensed professional engineers.
The rigorous qualifications for professional engineering licensure ensure that someone is competent before they are licensed.
Because so much of what a professional engineer does impacts the safety of people, the whole purpose of professional licensure is to protect the public.
College Students
Not everyone who studies engineering becomes a Professional Engineer. Engineering is also a great foundation for careers in medicine, research, business, or law. Roughly 20% of engineering graduates become licensed professional engineers.
Professional Engineers oversee manufacturing, mining, nuclear energy, oil exploration, development and refining, commercial construction, bridges, roads, traffic controls, and engineered systems for water, stormwater, electricity, and natural gas, to name a few.
A PE license is required if you perform work using engineering principles and data when that work impacts the safety of the public. The PE credential assures that you have met the minimum standards needed to protect the public.
You will first obtain a Bachelor of Science degree from an ABET-accredited engineering or engineering technology program.
Maine also licenses graduates of unaccredited engineering and engineering technology programs, or allied science programs (Math, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, etc.); however, the work experience requirement expands from 4 years to 8 years for alternative degrees. If an alternative degree meets the NCEES Engineering Education Standard, it can be deemed equivalent to an ABET-accredited degree and the experience requirement remains at 4 years.
During or shortly after the senior year of university, you take the first national exam, the NCEES FE Exam, to test your knowledge of the fundamentals of engineering acquired in college.
After you pass the FE exam and receive your degree, you can apply for Engineer Intern Certification in Maine. The EI credential lets employers and others know that you meet national standards and are on a path to professional engineering licensure. The certification is not required for future licensure as a PE, although the FE exam is.
After graduating and passing the FE exam, you can take the NCEES PE exam. Statistics indicate that most people perform better with some practical experience before testing. You will register directly with NCEES to take the PE exam in your chosen discipline.
Your engineering work experience is best obtained under the supervision of professional engineers who can observe your progress and provide opportunities for you to grow in knowledge and responsibility.
In evaluating your experience, the Board will look for evidence of increasing responsibility. Advanced degrees in engineering, such as an MS or PhD, each take 1 year off the experience requirement.
Once you pass both the NCEES FE and PE exams and have acquired the experience corresponding to your education, you will complete the Application for Initial PE Licensure, furnish any required supporting documents, and pay the licensure fee. Once approved, you will be licensed as a PE.
Licensure carries significant responsibility to protect the public, so professional engineers participate in ongoing professional development and abide by the laws, rules, and code of ethics of each jurisdiction in which they practice.
If you need additional information about PE licensure, please contact us.
BS Degrees from Outside the US
Candidates for licensure who obtained an undergraduate degree outside the US must have their degree evaluated with an NCEES Credentials Evaluation, unless their degree program is accredited by ABET, CEAB, or is deemed equivalent by formal agreement such as the Washington Accord.
Please be aware that both the NCEES FE and PE exams are required of all applicants.
Contact the board office with any questions: professional.engineers@maine.gov.