<p>Are all Engineers supposed to take the FE Exam; are they all required to be P.E.?</p>
<p>No, not at all. Most civil engineers and some mechanical and some electrical engineers do take it though. The benefit to being a P.E. is the ability to sign off on drawings, which is important if you want to make your way up the ladder. However, this only applies to certain industries. If you're going to be designing buildings or any components of it, it would be an extremely beneficial if you become a P.E. If you're going to be building computers, it's a waste of time and money. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but basically a P.E. is helpful for when public safety is at risk. Once you sign off on drawings, it's your butt on the line if it fails. </p>
<p>There is no very little benefit to taking the FE if you don't plan on following through to take the PE exam. Passing the FE would give you the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) title. Passing the PE will give you the Engineer title (you can't legally call yourself an engineer in some states until you pass the PE).</p>
<p>I'm most interested in Nuc E, IE, and EE.
I still haven't decided which one.</p>
<p>I heard Nuc E will have to take FE and be a PE; is it true?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I heard Nuc E will have to take FE and be a PE; is it true?
[/quote]
I doubt it. There is a Nuclear PE exam, but few actually take it. </p>
<p>I don't know of any national statistics, but the exam statistics for California are [here[/url</a>]. The Nuclear PE exam is offered once a year, in October. During the 5-year period between 2002 and 2006, the Nuclear PE exam was administered exactly 10 times in California (with 6 passing and 4 failing results). That's an average of two candidates per year. Extrapolating from California, you might expect 15-25 Nuclear PE candidates nationwide per year.</p>
<p>My impression is that the nuclear power industry is largely regulated at the federal level (by the NRC), rather than at the state level. Engineers who work for the federal government, or under federal regulation, are typically exempt from state licensing requirements (the feds, of course, may have their own requirements). </p>
<p>
[quote]
Are all Engineers supposed to take the FE Exam; are they all required to be P.E.?
[/quote]
Some universities require engineering students to pass (or at least take) the FE exam before they can graduate. However, this is just a matter of school policy; it is not legally required. </p>
<p>Only about 20% of engineers, mostly in civil and related disciplines, will actually become PEs. See [url=<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=330071%5Dthis">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=330071]this</a> thread](<a href="http://www.dca.ca.gov/pels/e_exam.htm%5Dhere%5B/url">http://www.dca.ca.gov/pels/e_exam.htm). </p>
<p>Some engineers become PEs just to protect their legal right to use certain engineering titles. In California, for example, you cannot legally call yourself a "nuclear engineer" unless you have a PE license, even if you have valid NucE degrees. It's similar to the situation faced by lawyers: you cannot call yourself an "attorney" unless you pass the Bar Exam, even if you have a valid law degree.</p>
<p>I am required to take the FE senior year by my university.</p>