CM wanting a PE

[dwmilligan]

I made a mistake 6 years ago when I graduated with a degree in Construction Management (not to be confused with a degree in Civil Engineering, focus in CM). Immediately out of college I took a job with an engineering firm and have loved it since. I have worked my way up to being a resident engineer on smaller projects, but can see that my future will likely be constrained by the lack of a P.E. Most people in my office don’t even realize that I’m a CM and not a CE, and to me that part isn’t as important as wanting to get my P.E. I’m fairly confident in my technical skills, but have heard that in my state (Illinois), CM’s are not able to take it (all though I’m not positive on this). I have also heard that CM’s can take the P.E. in other states and Illinois will honor it… Any ideas?

Appreciate everyone’s help!

Thanks.

 

[KENAT]

Might be worth phoning the board directly. For any 'out of the ordinary' cases then trying to interpret the published rules can be tricky/unnecessarily depressing.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[steellion]

Typically without a diploma with the word "engineering" on it, most states will require a longer experience period before you are eligible to take the P.E. exam. In some cases, it is substantially more time. The state board will have to answer that question.

Have you considered getting a Master's degree in Engineering?

 

[Ron]

As steellion noted, your fastest route would probably be a Masters in Engineering.

CM is not an engineering curriculum and I don't know of any state that would allow you to sit for the PE exam with that degree. For several years I taught in a Construction Management program at a southeastern university and there was no intent to make engineers out of CM graduates. In some states, an engineering technology degree will suffice for the PE exam, but not all. I doubt that Illinois will allow you to take the PE as they are quirky even to those that have an engineering degree.

Glad you like engineering. Keep pursuing it and good luck.

 

[jgailla]

If you go the Master's route, which would seem to be the quickest way to qualify, make sure the Masters program is ABET accredited.
It is my understanding that most schools which offer an ABET accredited Bachelors program do not have their Masters program accredited.
The ABET accreditation process is separate for Masters and Bachelors programs.
If the program is not ABET accredited, it is as useless as a CM degree towards getting a PE.
The ease of obtaining reciprocity from other states is related to the stringency of the requirements. Florida, for example, has fairly stringent requirements and it is easy to get reciprocity in other states. Texas allowed experience in lieu of a degree to obtain a PE until recently, and it was difficult to get reciprocity in other states from Texas. If you get a PE in another state with less stringent requirements, Illinois may not give reciprocity and you're back where you started.
The above is all stuff I've heard and I've only read the practice acts of a few states, so it may be inaccurate.

 

[dwmilligan]

Thanks for all of the responses. I guess I didn’t realize that I could qualify for a master’s program in engineering given that I currently have a CM degree. Would I not first have to acquire a B.S. in engineering to qualify? I have even considered going back to get my CE degree, however a lot of factors make that difficult at best to do right now (as would going back to get a master’s for that matter).

Thanks

 

[SteelPE]

The best part of the masters program that I see is that the classes tend to be offered at night. This will allow you to work during the day and go to class at night. If you go back for a BS degree be prepared to take a bunch of classes. I'm not sure how many classes will overlap with you current degree plus the classes tend to be held during working hours.

As everyone said above, you would need to call the board to see what you would need to do to qualify to take the exam. I know some states may require you to take and pass the EIT before you can take the PE. So unfortunately you may be looking at a long road ahead.

I will say that if you take the journey you employment future would be a little brighter as you will have more opportunity especially since you are a CE (my opinion).

 

[Ron]

dw...you will likely get conditional acceptance into an engineering master's program. The condition will be that you take certain courses that your CM curriculum would have been missing, relative to an engineering degree. In a way it will be like getting a BSCE; however, they will probably cut it a bit shorter since some of the master's program coursework will not necessarily have prerequisites or you might be able to take them with instructor's permission.

jgailla makes a very important point about the ABET accreditation.

 

[jgailla]

I know someone who on their resume had a BA in Sociology and an MS in Civil Engineering. I don't think you'll have a problem getting into an CE Masters program provided your grades were good in CM and you do well on the GRE.

 

[Twoballcane]

I had a brother that had a Chem/Bio BS degree and then decided to go into Mechanical Engineering. He did the ME Master program, but the college made him take most of the undergrad ME classes because it was foundation for the ME Master courses. I guess it would be the same for a Masters in CE. I don’t think you can jump into a masters program in another field cold with out the proper prep classes.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”

 

[JedClampett]

Yes, but you work through the prerequisites pretty quickly (hopefully, some of your previous coursework applied) and within the first year you're taking courses (300 level from my day) that apply to the masters. I think starting from a non engineering bachelors degree, it takes about two hectic years to get a masters.
It's still much more efficient than going back and trying to get another bachelors.

 

[dwmilligan]

I find the idea of going back and getting a MS in Engineering intriguing, however as a few have suggested, it needs to be an ABET accredited program. When I do a search on the ABET website for accredited MSCE programs, none come up. What am I missing here?

On a separate note, I may not have too many classes to take to get to a BSCE either, our CM curriculum was fairly close to the CE curriculum until our senior year where we focused on a lot of finance and management coursework as opposed to senior level design coursework.

I have contacted the board; they stated that without an ABET EAC BS degree, I would be reviewed as a “related science”, in which I will need to submit an application for review of my coursework. Also, Illinois does not offer comity or reciprocity. Only endorsement if licensed in another jurisdiction and it meets Illinois requirements at the time of licensure.

 

[jgailla]

I just searched MSCE on ABET and only Louisville came up. There should be more.

 

[lacajun]

Many companies will not view you as an engineer without a BS in engineering and that will stymie your progress. That is completely unrelated to the P.E. I'm guessing you are young. If I am wrong, overlook the next comment. You don't know where you will be in 15-30 years so do it right and eliminate all worries in the future. It's your life and you are worth it.

Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC