Questions about apply for PE (SE) Exam 6

[JiaJia]

Hi, Everyone:

Happy New Year!

I got several questions about apply for PE(SE) exam, I will really appreciate if you could give me some help. Thank you!

My background:
1. Graduated from Zhejiang University in 1999, P.R.China, major in SE.
2. 3 Years working experience in China, as Structural Engineer.
3. Got Master degree in SE, University of Hawaii, 2004.
4. Working for a structural consultant firm in Hawaii from July, 2004 till now.

My situation is:
1. I really want to take the PE(SE) exam this Oct. 2006, since I have plenty time to study this year.

My questions:
1. Do I have to evaluate my forign college degree?

2. Should I count my RA (Research Assistant) experience at school as "Lawful experience", or "experience in responsible charge"? My adviser(professor) in UH is also an SE.

3. If I count my RA as "experience in responsible charge" and credit it in the ratio of 2:1, my total Lawful Experience has been gained by the filling deadline (July 10, 2006) is 34.5 month. There is 1.5 month short according to the 3 years experience requirement. Does it matter? Is there any grace period?

4. BTW, anybody ever did transferring of working experience in China? (I know only those people who have the same background know this, sorry to bring it up for all of you ^_^)

Thank you!

Have a wonderful beginning of 2006!

 

[jdonville]

JiaJia,

Search the Civil/Environmental Engineering Other Topics forum for lots of discussion on requirements to take FE/PE exams.

Most jurisdicitions, I believe, require PE before SE.

My feeling is that your RA experience may only count as up to one year of your 4-year professional experience requirement for the PE exam. Visit

http://www.abet.org

for information on accreditation of your foreign degree. I think that

http://www.ncees.org

may have information on accreditation of foreign (outside US & Canada) work experience, but don't expect to be pleased by what you find.

Good luck.

Jeff

 

[HgTX]

The short answer: call your state licensing board. They've heard all these questions before and know how to answer them.

A longer answer:

Typically graduate experience doesn't count as work experience per se, but having the master's degree knocks a year off your requirement. That's why you only need 3 years instead of 4. You can't then count the graduate work AGAIN against the 3 years.

Most of what you need to know is here:

http://www.hawaii.gov/dcca/areas/pvl/boards/engineer/application_publications/pvl_engineer.pdf

If you want to have only 3 years and not 4 years of experience, then you need to have them evaluate your foreign undergraduate degree.

You also may have trouble verifying your experience since it can only be verified by licensed professional engineers, which means first the board would need to accept your Chinese supervisors' credentials. I'm not sure if it could instead count half-time as "experience in responsible charge", because I can't find a definition of that phrase.

Short answer: call your board and ask.

Hg


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[archeng59]

recommend verifying that the graduate experience counts and if so, how many months of equivalent work experience is credited. some states give none, some give some for doctoral work and none for masters work, some give a few months for each but it varies.

 

[henri2]

Some states may not require as much time as Hawaii to qualify. Consider taking the exam in one of those states and when you have accumulated enough work experience apply for reciprocity.

 

[Lutfi]

henri2,

It is my understanding that your suggestion may not work every state. This is due to the fact that the state granting reciprocity will require the licensure timing to matches its own rules at the time PE was obtained.

For example:
Let’s say an engineer gets PE in California, which requires 3 years work experience after graduation, after passing NCEES exam. If same engineer applies to get Florida PE 10 years later; it is my understanding that Florida will deny the application since the first PE was obtained in less than 4 years which is one of the requirements to qualify for Florida PE.

If I am wrong, please correct me.


Regards,
Lutfi

 

[cvg]

you will need to pass the FE exam prior to taking the PE

 

[henri2]

Lutfi,

Indeed some states may not recognize the PE exam if you take it early. The NV board points this out to applicants.

I understand that a recent graduate can now take the PE exam in NV before requisite work experience is gained.

http://boe.state.nv.us/BOE Forms/PE Application/PE_Exam Only_BS degree.htm

Some of the reasons the board of engineers and land surveyors lobbied the state legislature for this provision is provided in comments by the board chairman in pages 1 and 2 of the 8-05 newsletter

http://boe.state.nv.us/BOE Newsletters/2005/NV Register 9-05 v4 150jpg.pdf

Due to the academic slant of the PE exams, I am convinced that recent graduates will be in a much better position to do well in the exam if they take it (the exam) early. The longer one waits the tougher it gets. Therefore, it could be argued that state boards who require at least 4 or more years of engineering experience prior to sitting for the exam, level the playing field when they stipulate that individuals who took the PE exam in another state (like NV) prior to acquiring 4 or more years, be required to take the exam again.

 

[archeng59]

I have an aquaintance who worked in Arizona, qualified to take the PE exam in Arizona, passed the exam and became a licensed PE in that state, then moved to Oklahoma. Oklahoma did not give him reciprocity because he did not meet the requirements there to become a PE. He had to wait an additional year.

 

[JiaJia]

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate the input from all of you!

To cvg: Yes, I passed FE last year.
To HgTX: You are right, the most straightforward way is call the board and ask.

Thanks again and have a good day!

 

[HgTX]

Does anyone have a good definition of "experience in responsible charge"? Which in HI is apparently different from engineering work supervised by a PE?

Hg

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