After bachelor degree in engineering...what's next?

I’m the mom of a student who wants to study mechanical engineering. I have a few questions for which I could not find the answers online. I’ve heard rumblings of a test after getting a degree in engineering, so…

  1. After graduation, is there an engineering test that graduates must take?
  2. If there is a test, is it state/region specific?
  3. When does the graduate usually take the test? Immediately upon graduation? Work for a year, then take test?
  4. If S goes to a school in Michigan and takes the test for that state, but wants to live in the DC/MD/VA area as an adult, will S have to take a test for the DC/MD/VA area as well?
  5. If S goes to a school in a state but doesn't take the test for the state in which he graduated, may he take the test for the state/region in which he wants to work with a degree from a different state/region?

Any info would be helpful. Thanks

You are thinking about the FE and PE exams. They are not required, and there are many fields where they aren’t even helpful, but then there are fields like civil engineering where you almost have to have it for most jobs. Most students take the FE exam toward the end of their senior year. The rules for then following that up with the PE exam to get a PE license will vary by state, including how long until you take it, eligibility, and the procedure for transferring a license from one state to another. For mechanical engineering, whether you need the license depends on your job.

Thank you @boneh3ad. This gives me info to pass on to S to start his research.

A couple additional points. The FE(Fundamentals of Engineering) exam is a national exam that covers undergraduate material. Both exams are part of the process to getting the PE (Professional Engineering) license. Most students take the FE exam just in case they would later be in a position to need a PE license. These are mostly positions in consulting firms designing facilities for both public and private customers. You don’t need a license to work on the design but a licensed engineer has to sign off on the drawings.

As I was browsing schools last year for my son, I seem to remember at least on school that required students to take the FE exam but I do not think that is common and I don’t remember which school it was.

I do recommend that one that the FE exam right after or during college. It is a very general exam and you forget a lot of the material such that taking the test later would require a lot of review. Taking the test keeps your options open. My work never required licensing or even taking the FE exam. But, as a hiring manager, I did look favorably on those that passed the exam. Just another item that showed me a level of proficiency in engineering.

At this point I would worry too much about the FE or PE exam. If they are needed later, it is just part of the process of entering and succeeding at one’s career. Even if you go into a field that doesn’t require these exams, proficiency in doing your work is what will get you ahead. Studying, learning the material and getting good grades is what counts in college.

Thanks @STEMFamily and @HPuck35 This is very helpful information. I will pass it on to S for him to keep in the back of his mind until nearing graduation.

My husband is a mechanical engineer working for a large biomedical company. Those with PE get promoted easier then those without.

@Ballerina016 That’s nice to know. Thanks.

If you are a CE/EE major does it matter which specialty you take the test in?

The mechanical engineering department at Bama, where my son goes to school, “strongly encourages” taking the FE exam prior to graduation.

I look at it as a valuable credential, and those are never bad things to have, especially if you’re graduating from a school that isn’t known as an engineering powerhouse.

It’s not clear which test, PE or FE, you are referring to. But for clarity, the FE exam has no subject/specialty associated with it. There is only one. If you decide to take the PE, then there are are multitude of subjects you can choose. The exams are still regulated by each state, but there is movement toward a national standard. More than you could ever want to know is here - http://ncees.org/

The vast majority of engineers are not PEs. Most engineering jobs do not require the tests

They must have changed the FE if that’s the case. It came in flavors 7 years ago.

boneh3ed, yep the FE is subject based now. Should not have relied on memory. I deal more with the PE license process for early career folks, and generally my only question is “Have you passed the FE?”

Just for trivia/history - when I took the FE it was an open book, bring whatever you want for material type of set up. So it has evolved over the years.

The FE is not open book anymore? Yikes.

My chemical engineering husband and most of his colleagues have not been hindered by not having PE qualification. Practical experience seems to be the trump card in his industry.

However, if your kid wants to work as an expert witness for attorneys he/she will need the PE. As a paralegal when I was told to find an expert to testify at a trial the attorney ALWAYS wants the person with the most initials after their name.

Given that much of engineering seems to be headed to a consultant model for senior jobs, or a lot of job changes at the very least, having a credential seems to be a good idea, and yes, you could sign drawings if you work in certain jobs at any point during your career. If you can’t sign drawings, worst case is they have to bring someone else in to do it, and then that lowers your value and prestige. Worst case, it’s something to put on your business card. The tests are not trivial, so even if not required, they have some merit.

Always take the FE exam right away, I recall taking it senior year, the material is fresh in your head. Similarly waiting too long to take the PE might mean lots of review, once you meet the standards for your field and state, go take the test.