International

This page contains information and links for engineers who were educated or who practice in other countries and are seeking licensure in the United States.

If you are licensed in the United States and are seeking recognition to practice in another country, visit our page on the NCEES International Registry.

What is the P.E. license?

P.E. is a title used by professional engineers throughout the United States. The P.E. is granted by state licensing boards upon meeting a combination of requirements in education, experience, and exams. State laws limit the practice of engineering to licensed professional engineers, which means that a P.E. is required for such things as

  • stamping and sealing designs
  • bidding for government contracts
  • owning a firm
  • consulting
  • offering expert witness testimony
  • advertising services to the public

The requirements

While each state has its own laws concerning professional licensure, in general the requirements for the P.E. license follow this outline:

  • a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering from a program accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
  • an acceptable result on the FE exam
  • four years of acceptable work experience in the candidate's engineering discipline
  • an acceptable result on the PE exam in the candidate's discipline

We encourage you to contact the licensing board in the state where you plan to apply for licensure to be certain of its specific requirements.

The education requirement

NCEES Model Law requires candidates to have an engineering degree from a program accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, or its equivalent. Since international candidates typically have degrees from programs that are not EAC/ABET accredited, most state licensing boards require candidates to have their academic credentials evaluated.

NCEES offers a credentials evaluations service that compares a candidate's academic background to established criteria. It then provides this information to the member licensing board where the candidate is applying to sit for an exam.

Exam offerings outside the United States

Select a country below for information about locations, exam offerings, and scheduled exam administrations.

Canada (Alberta)
Emirate of Sharjah
Egypt
Japan
South Korea
Saudi Arabia
Turkey