Requirements for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. In order to be approved to sit for the FE examination, an applicant must satisfy one of the following: EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS NUMBER OF REQUIRED YEARS OF QUALIFYING ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE 1. (A) Enrolled in an ABET-accredited undergraduate curriculum and within 12 months of completion of degree requirements; or (B) Enrolled in an ABET-accredited master's or doctorate curriculum, or enrolled in a graduate curriculum that is ABET accredited at the undergraduate level at the institution at which the graduate degree is being sought, and within six months of completion of graduate degree requirements. In order to be considered pursuant to A or B of this subsection, all applications must be accompanied by a certificate of good standing from the dean of the engineering school. 2. Graduated from an approved engineering or an approved engineering technology curriculum. 3. Obtained an undergraduate engineering degree of four years or more from an institution in a curriculum without ABET accreditation and obtained a master's or doctorate engineering degree from an institution in a curriculum that is ABET accredited at the undergraduate level. 4. Graduated from a non-approved engineering curriculum or from a related science curriculum of four years or more. 5. Not meeting any of the above requirements, but who, in the judgment of the board, has obtained the equivalent of such education by documented academic course work that meets the requirements of ABET accreditation for the baccalaureate engineering technology curricula. Requirements for the PE license. In order to obtain the Professional Engineer license, an applicant must satisfy the requirements of at least one subsection of 18VAC10-20-210 and pass the PE examination. An applicant will receive his license to practice engineering upon achieving a passing examination score as established by NCEES. References. In addition to the requirements found in 18VAC10-20-25: A. References for Fundamentals of Engineering examination. Applicants for the Fundamentals of Engineering examination only shall provide one reference from a professional engineer, or from the dean of the engineering school or a departmental professor in the school attended by the applicant, or an immediate work supervisor. B. References for Principles and Practice of Engineering examination. Applicants for the Principles and Practice of Engineering examination must indicate competence and integrity to engage in the engineering profession by submitting three references from professional engineers licensed in a state, territory, or possession of the United States, or the District of Columbia, each having personal knowledge of the applicant's engineering experience C. References for comity applicants. Applicants for comity must indicate competence and integrity to engage in the engineering profession by submitting three references from professional engineers licensed in a state, territory, or possession of the United States, each having personal knowledge of the applicant's engineering experience. Education. A. Any applicant who has earned a degree from an institution outside the United States shall have the degree authenticated and evaluated by an educational credential evaluation service or by ABET if credit for such education is sought, unless the applicant has also earned an equivalent or higher-level engineering degree from a United States institution where the program has been accredited by ABET. The board reserves the right to reject, for good cause, any evaluation submitted by the applicant. B. Except for those degrees earned from an institution outside the United States and subject to the provisions of subsection A of this section, all non-approved engineering curriculums, related science curriculums, and non-approved engineering technology curriculums of four years or more shall be from an accredited college or university that is approved or accredited by the Commission on Colleges, a regional or national accreditation association, or by an accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Experience. Applicants shall submit a written narrative or narratives, on the board provided application form, documenting all of the applicant's engineering experience. Such narrative or narratives shall: clearly describe the engineering work that the applicant personally performed; delineate the role of the applicant in any group engineering activity; provide an overall description of the nature and scope of work; and include detailed description of the engineering work personally performed by the applicant. Experience in claims consulting, drafting, estimating, and field surveying are considered nonqualifying. In general, the required experience shall be applied as follows: 1. Construction experience, in order to be qualifying, must include a demonstrated use of engineering computation and problem-solving skills. The mere execution as a contractor of work designed by others, the supervision of construction, and similar non-engineering tasks will not be considered qualifying experience. 2. Military experience, in order to be qualifying must have been spent in engineering work and must be of a character substantially equivalent to that required in the civilian sector for like work. Non-engineering military training and supervision will not be considered qualifying experience. 3. Sales experience, in order to be qualifying, must include a demonstrated use of engineering computational and problem-solving skills. The mere selection of data or equipment from a company catalogue or similar publication or database will not be considered qualifying experience. 4. Industrial experience, in order to be qualifying, should be directed toward the identification and solution of practice problems in the applicant's area of engineering specialization. This experience should include engineering analysis of existing systems or the design of new ones. 5. Engineering experience gained by successfully completing a graduate engineering degree or by engineering teaching in an institution approved by the board may be deemed qualifying engineering experience. A. Successful completion of a master's or doctorate degree in an engineering curriculum may be accepted as one year of equivalent engineering experience credit. B. For teaching experience to be considered by the board, the applicant must have taught in an engineering curriculum approved by the board and must have been employed in the grade of instructor or higher. 6. Engineering experience gained during a board-approved co-op program may be deemed qualifying engineering experience to a maximum of one year of credit. 7. The board, in its sole discretion, may permit partial credit, not to exceed 1/2 of that required, for approved qualifying engineering experience obtained prior to graduation from an engineering curriculum. Examinations. A. The Virginia board is a member board of NCEES and as such is authorized to administer the NCEES examinations. B. The Fundamentals of Engineering examination consists of an NCEES exam on the fundamentals of engineering. C. The Principles and Practice of Engineering examination consists of an NCEES exam on applied engineering. D. Unless otherwise stated, applicants approved to sit for an examination shall register and submit the required examination fee to be received in the board office, or by the board's designee, at a time designated by the board. Applicants not properly registered will not be allowed into the examination site. E. A candidate eligible for admission to both parts of the examination must first successfully complete the Fundamentals of Engineering examination before being admitted to the Principles and Practice of Engineering examination. F. Should an applicant fail to pass an examination within three years after being approved to sit for an examination, the applicant must reapply and meet all current entry requirements at the time of reapplication. G. The examination may not be reviewed by the candidates. Examination scores are final and are not subject to change. Licensure by comity. A person in good standing and holding a valid license to engage in the practice of engineering in another state, the District of Columbia, or any territory or possession of the United States may be licensed, provided the applicant submits verifiable documentation to the board that the education, experience, and examination requirements by which the applicant was first licensed in the original jurisdiction were substantially equivalent to those existing in Virginia at the time of the applicant's original licensure. No person shall be so licensed, however, who has not passed an examination in another jurisdiction that was substantially equivalent to that approved by the board at the time of the applicant's original licensure. If the applicant does not meet the requirements for licensure in Virginia that were in effect at the time of original licensure, the applicant shall be required to meet the entry requirements current at the time the completed application for comity is received in the board's office.
