Engineers
If you would like to learn more about engineering licensure in general, including the process for obtaining a P.E. license, visit our licensure section.
State and territorial engineering licensure boards grant the P.E. license in the United States. Collectively, these boards make up NCEES. Look up contact information for NCEES Member Boards.
While the licensure process is generally the same in each state, some specific requirements vary. NCEES has published a survey of its Member Boards. The survey contains their responses to specific questions about a state's licensing policies.
Multistate practice
Many professional engineers find that their careers require them to be licensed in more than one state. To do this, a P.E. must apply for comity licensure in additional states. The NCEES Records Program is a service designed for engineers seeking comity licensure. Read more about the NCEES Records Program, and learn how to establish a record with NCEES.
NCEES has partnered with the American Council of Engineering Companies to administer a service designed to assist licensees with finding reputable providers of continuing professional competency courses. Read more about this service here.
Exams
Visit our exams section for information about the two-part exam component of engineering licensure, including detailed exam specifications and policies. If you have already decided to begin the examination process, visit our exam registration section for requirements and instructions on how to register for an upcoming exam administration.
For those who have registered for an exam, NCEES offers study materials featuring items retired from its actual exam banks (with solutions). These study materials are designed to provide an idea of the types of material you can expect on exam day.
Education
Currently, the model for licensure requires candidates for licensure to hold a bachelor's degree in engineering from an accredited engineering program or its equivalent.
The body that accredits engineering programs in the United States is ABET, Inc. Visit the ABET Web site to learn more about the accreditation process and to look up accredited programs.
The additional education requirement: In recent years, the NCEES Member Boards have voted in favor of measures that amend the Model Law and Model Rules to increase the amount of education required for the P.E. license, effective in 2020. The specifics of the new requirement, which must be adopted by state licensing boards in order to affect actual policy, are still being determined.
The following news release from August 2009 summarizes several decisions made during the 2009 Annual Meeting concerning the 2020 additional education requirement.
Credentials evaluations for foreign degree holders
Many licensing boards require candidates who have earned engineering degrees outside the United States or from non-ABET accredited domestic programs to demonstrate that their degree is substantially equivalent to an ABET degree. Often, this requires a professional evaluation. NCEES Credentials Evaluations provides this service to Member Boards and licensure candidates.
Issues affecting licensure
Licensure is not a static process. To protect the public's health, safety, and welfare, it adapts to the changing nature of the built environment. Throughout each year, NCEES leadership assigns committees and task forces to research various issues affecting licensure and to propose changes to NCEES policy when necessary. Then, once a year, the voting members of NCEES—state licensure boards—gather to make policy decisions.
Read more about NCEES governance and related materials.
The specific language for licensure requirements can be found in the NCEES Model Law and Model Rules, which are documents maintained and published by NCEES. The Model Law and Model Rules contain language approved by a majority of the NCEES member licensing boards and represent a best-practices model for licensure.
Visit our publications page to download the Model Law, Model Rules, and other policy documents.
NCEES periodically provides news releases to notify constituents and others throughout the profession of changes to licensing policies, including changes to exam offerings and specifications.
Licensure Exchange: NCEES publishes a bimonthly newsletter, Licensure Exchange, that updates its constituents on the activities of its leadership and the various committees and task forces that meet throughout the year. Find links to the current issue and past issues on the Licensure Exchange front page.