# getting credit for co-op work experience



## swooda2 (Mar 11, 2009)

FYI,

If anyone out there is wondering, it is possible to receive credit for your co-op experience. I am going to be sitting for the exam in April, but without my co-op would not have been eligible until October. I contacted the state board ahead of time and sent them a summary of just my co-op experience. The feedback I got was pretty encouraging, and I decided to apply, and it paid off.

Obviously this probably varies from state to state, but worth looking into for anyone who has a good amount of legit co-op work.


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## ktulu (Mar 11, 2009)

My co-op got me 6 months work experience credit.


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## humner (Mar 12, 2009)

swooda2 said:


> FYI,
> If anyone out there is wondering, it is possible to receive credit for your co-op experience. I am going to be sitting for the exam in April, but without my co-op would not have been eligible until October. I contacted the state board ahead of time and sent them a summary of just my co-op experience. The feedback I got was pretty encouraging, and I decided to apply, and it paid off.
> 
> Obviously this probably varies from state to state, but worth looking into for anyone who has a good amount of legit co-op work.


Personally, I had to go to another state to take my exam, figured I would fight it out with my state after I passed.


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## ramicoce (Mar 12, 2009)

That's correct, it does vary from state to state. In Virginia, your co-op time counts 100% for up to one year total (i.e., if you do four 4-month work terms, you get 12 months credit). In Florida, your co-op only counts for quarter- to half-time, depending on how many engineering classes you have done, and again, no more than one year total credit.

Here's one suggestion for students who may be reading this, if your plans are to remain in the same state or go to a particular state after graduation, go ahead and have your supervisor complete the experience forms for whatever state you see yourself taking the PE exam in. For my co-op, I had a different supervisor each term and I applied for the PE exam almost 10 years after the start of my first co-op term. This means that I had to hunt down four different supervisors from a place I had worked at 7-10 years prior. I was lucky to have found them all, but it took some time. On the other hand, it was good to catch up with them and see how things were going, but the application process would have been quicker and easier if I had planned ahead (this is advice that I was given as a co-op and I was too lazy to actually do it).


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## ramicoce (Mar 12, 2009)

humner said:


> Personally, I had to go to another state to take my exam, figured I would fight it out with my state after I passed.


Yeah, I had to do the same... I live in Florida, where the application is due 6 months before the exam (Oct for April). Fortunately, Virginia's application is due in late December. That difference of 2 months plus the different treatment of co-op experience between the two boards meant I flew to Virginia to take it there (Thank you frequent flier miles). I followed up in FL with reciprocity.


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## frazil (Mar 12, 2009)

I didn't know that. I had a one year co-op experience. I didn't even think to ask.


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## chaosiscash (Mar 12, 2009)

I got one year worth of co-op experience to count in TN.


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## mudpuppy (Mar 12, 2009)

Michigan does not allow any experience prior to when your bachelor's degree in engineering was awarded.


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## KOMAR (Mar 18, 2009)

In VA you get 50% credit (up to a maximum of 2 years) for "sub-professional" experience. This is defined as the experience prior to having received your degree. I worked "full-time" (averaged about 32 hours per week) for 8 years before I got my degree. I was able to get 2 years credit for that and take and pass my PE 2 years after graduation. Feels kind of strange to have my PE 2 years before my classmates will have it...then again I started this journey when they were starting HS.


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