# CA PE education requirements



## mlc43 (May 10, 2011)

Hi All-

Does a *non*-ABET accredited postgraduate M.S. degree in engineering (from a school in the U.S.) count at all towards the required 6 years of experience before you can sit the PE in California? I'm finding seemingly contradictory information on the CA PE board website and am hoping some of you may be able to help.

My Bachelor's degree is from Europe so I don't think it will count at all but I do hold a non-ABET accredited M.S. engineering degree from a school in the U.S.; the CA PELS board website has a flowchart ((http://www.pels.ca.gov/applicants/flowchart_for_pe.pdf)) that makes it seem like this M.S. degree may count for two years of the required six, but I can't find any words to that effect in the official rules and regulations.

I've sent an email to the BPELS Evaluator address on the CA PELS board website but haven't heard anything back.

Thanks for any insight!

Marco


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## Exception Collection (May 10, 2011)

mlc43 said:


> Hi All-
> Does a *non*-ABET accredited postgraduate M.S. degree in engineering (from a school in the U.S.) count at all towards the required 6 years of experience before you can sit the PE in California? I'm finding seemingly contradictory information on the CA PE board website and am hoping some of you may be able to help.
> 
> My Bachelor's degree is from Europe so I don't think it will count at all but I do hold a non-ABET accredited M.S. engineering degree from a school in the U.S.; the CA PELS board website has a flowchart ((http://www.pels.ca.gov/applicants/flowchart_for_pe.pdf)) that makes it seem like this M.S. degree may count for two years of the required six, but I can't find any words to that effect in the official rules and regulations.
> ...


http://www.pels.ca.gov/licensees/pe_act.pdf

6751 (a). Per the revised rules, the education does not appear to need to be approved.

Not sure I agree with their handling of that, tbh. There's a huge difference between three years at a good school or three years at a bad one. Experience I see as being equivalent or roughly equivalent, education at unapproved schools should be reviewed.

I'm seeing people getting Engineering Technology degrees at bad foreign universities with maybe a handful of other courses, and considering it "good enough", and I don't think that's a good idea. With experience, it has to be obtained under an already-licensed engineer; with ABET-accredited education, there's a clear standard that wouldn't necessarily be in play.

Edit: Not that I'm saying yours is bad, and the M.S. is absolutely a good thing to get. Just that I can see the loophole being abused by others.


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## adamgram (May 12, 2011)

mlc43 said:


> Hi All-
> Does a *non*-ABET accredited postgraduate M.S. degree in engineering (from a school in the U.S.) count at all towards the required 6 years of experience before you can sit the PE in California? I'm finding seemingly contradictory information on the CA PE board website and am hoping some of you may be able to help.
> 
> My Bachelor's degree is from Europe so I don't think it will count at all but I do hold a non-ABET accredited M.S. engineering degree from a school in the U.S.; the CA PELS board website has a flowchart ((http://www.pels.ca.gov/applicants/flowchart_for_pe.pdf)) that makes it seem like this M.S. degree may count for two years of the required six, but I can't find any words to that effect in the official rules and regulations.
> ...


I'm not sure about CA but I talked to the board in my state as well as the NCEES about something similar. NCEES will do an education evaluation for PE applicants that do not have the typical required education of an ABET accredited engineering degree. They have always done this for foreign engineering degrees and have recently started doing so for domestic degrees as well. If they feel your education was good enough they will list it as "ABET Equivalent." In my case, my undergraduate degree is in Math and I am 1 year (part time) into a BSME program, but I am trying to get into a grad program instead. They told me I would need 48 credits of engineering in addition to my math degree be considered "ABET equivalent", whether I finish the program or not. Since a master's degree is only 30 credits, if you have a Master's in Engineering but not a Bacholer's, you generally don't qualify to take the PE, but if you have an additional 18 credits in engineering your overall education may be considered "ABET equivalent". If so, NCEES will inform your state as such and it is up to that state whether or not "ABET Equivalent" really counts the same as "ABET". The only way to find out for sure if your education is equivalent is to request an evaluation from NCEES.

The first thing I would do if I were you would be to call the CA board and ask them if they treat "ABET equivalent" education credentials the same as they do ABET accredited BS degrees. If so, request an evaluation from the NCEES.


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## adamgram (May 12, 2011)

mlc43 said:


> Hi All-
> Does a *non*-ABET accredited postgraduate M.S. degree in engineering (from a school in the U.S.) count at all towards the required 6 years of experience before you can sit the PE in California? I'm finding seemingly contradictory information on the CA PE board website and am hoping some of you may be able to help.
> 
> My Bachelor's degree is from Europe so I don't think it will count at all but I do hold a non-ABET accredited M.S. engineering degree from a school in the U.S.; the CA PELS board website has a flowchart ((http://www.pels.ca.gov/applicants/flowchart_for_pe.pdf)) that makes it seem like this M.S. degree may count for two years of the required six, but I can't find any words to that effect in the official rules and regulations.
> ...


Also, the flow chart on their website doesn't even make sense. If you follow the path for no degree it splits: if you have 6 years experience you qualify, or you answer the question about a masters/phD degree. If you answer "no" to that question it says 4 years experience. It isn't clear whether it breaks off into the 2 options as an "And" or an "Or", but either way it gives you conflicting information.


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## Lavanya (May 23, 2011)

I was in the same situation when I applied in 2009. I have a foreign B.S. in engineering and non ABET Masters degree in Engineering from the US. I got no credit for my Masters degree but got 24 months credit for my foreign bachelors degree. So, to be eligible I required 48 months of full time engineering experience in the US to make it a total of 72 months (24+48).

Hope this helps!


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## CAPLS (May 23, 2011)

mlc43 said:


> Hi All-
> Does a *non*-ABET accredited postgraduate M.S. degree in engineering (from a school in the U.S.) count at all towards the required 6 years of experience before you can sit the PE in California? I'm finding seemingly contradictory information on the CA PE board website and am hoping some of you may be able to help.
> 
> My Bachelor's degree is from Europe so I don't think it will count at all but I do hold a non-ABET accredited M.S. engineering degree from a school in the U.S.; the CA PELS board website has a flowchart ((http://www.pels.ca.gov/applicants/flowchart_for_pe.pdf)) that makes it seem like this M.S. degree may count for two years of the required six, but I can't find any words to that effect in the official rules and regulations.
> ...


Marco, email me your contact information and I will make sure that someone responds to your questions. [email protected] or 916-263-2271

Ric


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## CAPLS (May 23, 2011)

adamgram said:


> mlc43 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi All-
> ...


adamgram, we appreciate the feedback on the new flow chart that was recently posted. While we can't cover every different situation, we want to make sure it is clear to the applicants. We will check this out.

Thanks

Ric Moore


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