K-12 Students
Engineers Solve Problems!
Professional engineers spend their time solving all kinds of interesting real-world problems.
How tall can a building be? How do we keep it from falling over in a tornado or an earthquake? How much snow can the roof hold?
How do we build a bridge across this waterway? What if boats need to go by, do we turn the bridge, raise it, or build it in a big arch?
What kind of machine do we need to build to safely explore outer space, or under the ocean? How do we propel it? What kinds of forces does it need to resist?
What's the best way to build a road to carry heavy trucks and lots of traffic? What is the right amount of friction that allows a tire to have traction and be able to stop, but does not provide so much rolling resistance that it becomes inefficient?
How do you make the water from your bath or shower safe enough to put back into a river, or even to drink? Can we make ocean water or pond water drinkable?
Every day you encounter products and systems that have been designed and built under the supervision of professional engineers with your safety in mind.
These can all involve professional engineering: electricity and drinking water; storm water and wastewater treatment; roads, bridges, and tunnels; traffic patterns and signals that control traffic; car, bus, truck, plane, and train design; game controllers and drones; computers, tablets, smart watches and phones; shampoo, soap and makeup; nanotechnology that keeps clothes from wrinkling; machines and manufacturing systems.
Whenever engineering principles or data are used, if it could impact your health or safety, then whoever designs or builds it must be a professional engineer or be overseen by a professional engineer.
In order to use the title "Professional Engineer” or “PE" credential, a person must be licensed by a State.
To become a professional engineer, 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 licensed as a professional engineer. About 20% of engineering graduates become licensed professional engineers. Engineering is also a great foundation for careers in medicine, research, business, or law.
Licensed Professional Engineers ("PE") 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 to 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. Not all states license graduates of engineering technology programs, so if you plan to live in a southern state, you should check before deciding on a major.
Maine also licenses graduates of unaccredited engineering and engineering technology programs, as well as 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 at any time you think you are prepared. Statistics indicate that most people perform better on the exam with some practical experience. 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 initial licensure applicants.
Contact the board office with any questions: professional.engineers@maine.gov.