<p>Basically, I don't want to have to take such a huge test upon graduation to get a job. So do most civil and emvironmental engineers take the PE, or is it frowned upon if a civil/environmental engineer hasn't passes the PE. What branch of engineering doesn't really its engineers to have passed the PE.</p>
<p>Do you mean the FE exam? That is usually taken during the senior year of graduation and you aren’t require to pass it to get a job. It may be helpful for civil engineers, but I know one structural engineer who didn’t take the exam until she actually started working.</p>
<p>The PE is taken after you meet the minimum requirement for work experience. If you can’t pass it, you will have a lot of trouble moving your way up in civil engineering firms. </p>
<p>Licensure is not nearly as important in the other fields, unless you’re dealing with infrastructure (such as power for EE’s and HVAC for ME’s).</p>
<p>
You don’t take the PE exam upon graduation. </p>
<p>The licensing process for engineers typically consists of two 8-hour exams, the FE and the PE. You can take the FE exam without any work experience, so people commonly take it as seniors, or right after graduating. The FE exam is not generally regarded as particularly difficult, especially if you take it when your college coursework is still fresh in your mind. Most FE exam candidates (about 75%) pass it on the first try. Pass rates are even higher at the more selective schools. </p>
<p>If you’ve passed the FE exam in school, then it looks good when you are applying for jobs. But it’s not essential for an entry-level position. The FE exam does gets harder to pass as you get further away from college. </p>
<p>You don’t qualify for the PE exam until you have several years of work experience. The exact number varies from state to state, but is commonly four years. Could be less if you have an MS degree. The PE exam is generally regarded as harder than the FE; people normally buy study guides or take review courses. </p>
<p>A PE license is valuable if your job involves the design or construction of infrastructure, like buildings, roads, and utilities. This typically includes civil engineers (including subdisciplines like structural or geotechnical), environmental engineers, some electricals (power engineers) and some mechanicals (HVAC engineers). In these fields, the lack of a PE license would be a distinct professional liability. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if your engineering work involves portable, mass-produced products, then you probably don’t need a license. Most engineers fall into this category, and so they never get licensed.</p>
<p>The FE / EIT / PE progression is generally important only to those professions dealing with state licensure, usually because they are involved in some aspect of the construction industry - Civil, Structural, Architectural, some Electrical and Mechanical. For the rest, it is not only unimportant, it is often impossible. I work with one of my former classmates who took the FE exam (I didn’t), but he was unable to find any PE’s to work “under” at our multinational company, so cannot complete the “internship” requirement to get his PE. Not that he (or I) needs it.</p>
<p>if you start you own engineering firm, or if you are being contracted, you should have a PE license…that’s what I heard</p>
<p>If you offer your services directly to the public, you must have a PE.</p>
<p>@ken,</p>
<p>
What is the minimum years of work experience that one needs to take the PE exam, under the mentorship (if you will, leadership) of a licensed PE?</p>
<p>In New York State, it’s 4 years if you have an ABET accredited engineering degree. That’s 4 years of acceptable engineering experience. In your application, you have to demonstrate that your experience meets the criteria established by the licensing board or else it won’t count.</p>
<p>I’m sure there are other people on this board who are more knowledgeable in the actual PE application. I haven’t done it, and don’t intend to if I’m not forced to alter my career path.</p>
<p>
No - practices vary from state to state, but in general, a PE is required only if you are going to sign official documents testifying either in court or to the satisfaction of government-mandated design requirements, generally relating to safety. If I want to design a cell phone antenna and sell it to Nokia or to some guy down the street, I can do so without ever having sat the exams.</p>