Materials or Mechanical PE??? 1

[scott82crg]

I plan to take the PE this next year, but I am debating between going the mechanical route or the metallurgical/materials route. I have a degree in each, so I don't believe one will be harder for me than the other. Which would serve me best in my career? I plan on spending most of my career in composites. Is there an advantage to one versus the other?

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[ShaggyPE]

Do you forsee ever having to stamp anything down your career path? Will it matter if your stamp says Mechanical or Materials? My guess is no. If you go into consulting, your customers probably won't know the difference between PE materials and PE mechanical, so it really doesn't matter. They will only see PE next to your name. If they did know the difference, which do you think they would respect more based on the work you intend to do for them? Design of composites (Materials) or use of composites for the design of structures (Mechanical). You may also want to investigate

http://www.engineerboards.com

I know in California regarding the sub-sets of Mechanical, I can practice HVAC design and stamp even though I took the machine design afternoon portion of the exam. It is basically an "if I feel I am competent in the area, I can stamp it... on your honor sorta".

Hopefully these additional questions will give you clarity in your decision. Good luck.



-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
Certified COSMOSWorks Designer Specialist
Certified SolidWorks Advanced Sheet Metal Specialist

 

[KENAT]

I'd think Mechanical would give you a bit more flexibility.

thread731-254534 may be of use.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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

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

 

[metengr]

Deciding on which test to take depends on your current strength level and work experience. The metallurgical/materials PE exam is a difficult exam, and unless you have been exposed in your professional experience to materials, heat treatment, welding and nondestructive testing it will be difficult to pass.

If you have an undergraduate degree in ME and masters in materials, you may want to review the mechanical PE exam subject area and compare with the materials/metallurgical PE exam at the web site below;

http://www.ncees.org/exams/professional/

 

[Ron]

Agree with Kenat....you'll have more flexibility and if licensing in your state is not by discipline, you can practice in either area, provided you have appropriate competence.