Cross Disciplinary Licensure?

[tucents]

First and formost, congrats to all engineers that passed their PE and FE exams and to all that are enduring the excruciating :suicide: :brick: :ZZZ: wait like I am (F.E.) waiting for your board to get off their f-ing asses :whatever: and hand out these results, keep your head up. I saw the passing rates and the odds seem on my side.

I have a question about the PE Exam. I have a B.S. in ChemE but I have been working as a EnvE for the past 1yr +. I'm seriously contemplating getting a M.S. in Civil Eng. If, by the time I take the PE exam in a few years I have never practiced as a Civil, but I take (and pass, Lord willing) the Civil PE, will I be allowed to practice as one? I dont know if the answer changes any if I do have the Civil M.S. or not.

Thanks!

 

[MetroRAFB]

It probably depends on what state you practice in. In FL, they don't differentiate between disciplines, you're just a PE. By sealing something you're assuming the liability, but there isn't anything that would prevent someone who passed the Civil PE from signing and sealing something from another discipline, so long as they are qualified through experience and/or learning. Ask your board and see what they say.

 

[Art]

a requirement for even taking the test is work experience in the field, usually 4 years (maybe 3 with a MS)

so if you have the experience, and they deem your education adequate to take the test and pass, yes you may practice...

in PA once you have a PE you can practice in any discipline you are competent...by education or experience...

(B An applicant who has passed an examination in one of the major branches of engineering listed in subsection (a), or in other branches of engineering as are subsequently recognized by the Board, will be granted registration as a professional engineer. The applicant may then practice any branch of engineering in which the applicant has proven proficiency by reason of education and experience, and in which the applicant is willing to accept full legal, financial and professional responsibility. A professional engineer may not be limited to the practice of any one major branch of engineering because the professional engineer has passed a written examination based upon the major branch of engineering, subject to this chapter and the provisions of the act relating to Code of Ethics.

 

[DVINNY]

I have a B.S. in Mech, but have taken the Civil PE three times now. IF I ever pass it, I can practice in Civil although my degree is Mech.

It hasn't made passing it very easy though.

 

[Art]

I have a B.S. in Mech, but have taken the Civil PE three times now. IF I ever pass it, I can practice in Civil although my degree is Mech.It hasn't made passing it very easy though.

I'm EE...I now work in a civil consulting firm...and will say civil is tough

it's a lot of subjective, judgement type stuff...with grave consequences for error/omissions...

keep punching & good luck

 

[tucents]

Gents,

Thanks for the insight.

DVINNY: Why Civil and not Mechanical? I'm contemplating Civil for the following reason:

My employer offers tuition re-imbursement at the local school here (Drexel University), provided of course that the degree is in line with my profession. Drexel offers M.S.'s in EnvE, CivilE and a combination of Env.E & CivilE. and since the course work for both is similar (for about 25 of the req. 45 credits) and Civil is the more lucrative/technical of both disciplines, I wouldnt mind going Civil.

(Maybe I'll ask VTEnviro his perspective.)

Are you currently working as a Civil Eng?

 

[TxStructural]

My BS is safety engineering, my experience is safety, fire protection, industrial, and for the last two years, structural, after obtaining a civil/structural MS. TX allows all engineering experience to count towards the basic BS+4 years (MS +3) experience. The rule used to be 4 years in one dominant discipline with progressively increasing responsibility.

TX also has a pending rule which sets out the minimums to practice in a field (degree in the field, pass the discipline exam, or one year working under an engineer in the discipline.) This is great, since it removes the question of what makes you "qualified."

TX will also allow you to test in any discipline for which you feel qualified.

 

[JRO]

I have a question about the PE Exam. I have a B.S. in ChemE but I have been working as a EnvE for the past 1yr +. I'm seriously contemplating getting a M.S. in Civil Eng. If, by the time I take the PE exam in a few years I have never practiced as a Civil, but I take (and pass, Lord willing) the Civil PE, will I be allowed to practice as one? I dont know if the answer changes any if I do have the Civil M.S. or not.
Thanks!

Tucents,

I was in the same situation you are in. I received by BS ChE in 1988 and eventually ended up doing wastewater plan review, NPDES permitting and wasteload allocations. I was fortunate to have taken the E.I.T. (n.k.a the FE) as a senior, so that was not an issue. I had toyed with taking the PE exam years ago (mid/late 1990's) but put it off since I would have had to take the Civil PE which would have covered topics I had been exposed to (i.e. structures, geotech, and transportation). This year I finally got motivated to take the PE exam. Unlike the limited exams available in the during the 1990s, there now the Environmental PE exam. Given the topics I was exposed to during my college days, I found this exam to be logical alternative given the issues that I have been dealing with in my career which includes also being involved with RCRA, CERCLA, solid waste and drinking water issues. A lot of the topics and math covered in the exam are, in some ways, very similiar to the subjects covered in the classes I took in college. Also, taking a PE review class didn't hurt either.

I hope this helps.

 

[kevo_55]

I can only say that it would depend on the state.

I know that if you try and get an IL Structural License they will freak out if your BS degree in a non-engineering degree and a masters in structural engineering.

I also know that in NY you don't even need an engineering degree in order to take the PE exam. But, you do need 12 years of experience.

Just my '.02'

edit: stupid spelling

 

[Dleg]

I have a B.S. in Mech, but have taken the Civil PE three times now. IF I ever pass it, I can practice in Civil although my degree is Mech.It hasn't made passing it very easy though.

Hey, good on ya' DVINNY! I'm an ME grad who recently took the EnvE PE exam too (and still don't know if I passed or failed).

In my state's case, at one time (2001) they denied my application to take the exam solely for the reason that my degree is ME, and I was applying for the Civil/Env exam. They said that "crossing disciplines" was not allowed. Even though the chairman of our board does not have a degree in his particular licensing field either.... Kind of left me screwed, having never performed ME work in my 16 years of professional experience...

But then some kind soul pushed an amendment to our licensing statute through the legislature, and "crossing disciplines" became legal in late 2005, so I applied again and was allowed to take the test.

So like they said, it depends not only on your state, but your particular board members as well.

:wait

 

[FusionWhite]

Hey Tucents Im in the same boat as you. B.S. ChE and working in environmental. I am going back for my MEng ChE and planning on getting the hell out of environmental ASAP. I know PE's arent really required for work in plants but I hope it will help me get a job in a chemical plant somewhere. If you do go the Civil route be sure to keep me updated on how it goes because Ive considered doing that and trying to move up in the company Im at.

 

[tucents]

Hey Tucents Im in the same boat as you. B.S. ChE and working in environmental. I am going back for my MEng ChE and planning on getting the hell out of environmental ASAP. I know PE's arent really required for work in plants but I hope it will help me get a job in a chemical plant somewhere. If you do go the Civil route be sure to keep me updated on how it goes because Ive considered doing that and trying to move up in the company Im at.

The Chemical plants I interviewed with back in 2003 (Colgate- Palmolive) told me that very few of their Chem E's had a license, and that more of them have business degrees if any.

I wonder if you want to get out of Env for the same reasons I am (not too fond of reading regulations, reviewing permits and the such)

 

[grover]

As started already, it varies by state. My state, VA, doesn't place any specific discipline restrictions on education or experience or PE test module taken- the engineer is only restricted to areas of competance. I'm sure there's precedence in case law out there, but to me, that leaves it almost entirely to the engineer and our code of ethics to decide whether or not we're competant enough in a subject to stamp it.

This pdf summarizes most of the states' requirements:

http://www.ncees.org/licensure/licensing_r...esults/e_08.pdf

Our code reads:

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+54.1-404

§ 54.1-404.C. The regulations may include a code of professional practice and conduct, the provisions of which shall serve any or all of the following purposes: ...

6. The limitation of professional service to the area of competence of each professional.

 

[tucents]

To make matters a bit murky, my state places limitations on how I could use a masters degree to reduce my wait time :waitwall: . I quote:

"NOTE: POST-BACCALAUREATE DEGREES (eff. 01.25.04): The Board may grant 1 year of experience credit for each post-baccalaureate degree earned by applicants for licensure, not to exceed 2 years, provided that:

1) the MS/PhD degree is from an institution with an engineering program approved by the Board (must be an ABET-accredited or equivalent [as determined by ECEI] baccalaureate degree in the same discipline);

2) the MS/PhD degree is in the same discipline as an earned undergraduate degree; and

3) the academic time is not concurrent with earned experience.

Also, be aware that: The MS/PhD degree must have been granted AFTER the issuance of an EIT certificate – the same requirement as the experience."

This was one (#2) of the reasons I wanted to go back (getting the 1 yr credit). Other reasons I state below:

Going back seems like a good look to me for the following reasons:

1. Keeping me sharp for my PE Exam <_<

3. Holding off paying these back-breaking student loans ($500/monthly) :waitwall:

4. A masters in engineering should increase my earnings/earning potential :thumbs:

5. I'm bored. :waitwall:

6. I get a $1,000 bonus yearly for having a MS ($2,000 annually for a PE). :laugh:

Great advice guys. :mail-296:

I need to talk to some Env. Engineering studs like VT to see what he sees in Solid Waste thats so enticing. lol!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

(Maybe I'll ask VTEnviro his perspective.)
Are you currently working as a Civil Eng?

I got a bachelors and masters in Environmental. But I'm working for a firm that does mostly land development and site design at this point. So, it's civil with some environmental aspects - water, sewer, stormwater, permiting, erosion control.

I went for an Envl license because I stood a better chance of passing that than Civil. If it ever seems like not having a civil license is really hurting me, I'll take it. I could probably pass it, but would need to teach myself a lot of stuff from scratch. Figured it'd be best to get my foot in the PE door as soon as I could to get the title, raise, promotion, etc.

 

[Dleg]

:mail-296:
I need to talk to some Env. Engineering studs like VT to see what he sees in Solid Waste thats so enticing. lol!

I do solid waste. Does that make me one of the Env. Engineering studs? :mail-296: :mail-296:

Solid waste is just one of the things I do, and like anything, what makes it enticing is the fact that I'm the guy who knows solid waste around here (or at least the facility engineering and permitting side).

That, and all the cool stuff you can find in the trash.