# PE experience requirements



## me231 (Mar 17, 2010)

Dear forum:

Having passed the FE last year, I now have the necessary number of years of experience most states (Iowa in particular) require to be eligible for sitting for the PE exam. Unfortunately, none of the experience years were under the tutelage of a registered PE. There are no PE's currently working in our company. Can any of you suggest ways to get around the experience requirement under the tutelage of a licensed professional clause please? In the past few years of I have had quite wide ranging experience in the field of ME.

Your comments would be appreciated!

Thanks


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## Dexman PE (Mar 17, 2010)

Does Iowa require the experience to be signed off by a PE, or do they just require supervisor authorization?

Not sure what the laws state in Iowa, but here in Colorado you don't have to work under a PE (but it's helpful). On your application (here in CO) they only ask that you demonstrate "progressive engineering experience" and that your supervisor for that experience submit a separate but similar form acknowleging that they did in fact supervise the experience you gained. The board then reviews these documents to see if the experience is satisfactory to qualify you to sit for the exam.


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## MechGuy (Mar 18, 2010)

In Texas, your supervisor during your "engineering experience" doesn't have to be a PE, but you need at least 3 reference's who are PE's to sign off on your SERs who agree that your experiences are indeed "engineering." I didn't have any PE's in my business unit at my company when I took the exam either, so I just asked 3 friends of mine who were PE's if they would be a reference for me.

Find out from your state board what the actual requirement is. If you only need to find some PE's as references like I did, that shouldn't be too difficult.


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## ChemORME (Mar 18, 2010)

Agreed - For Wisconsin - none of my PE references were supervisors - just people who could attest to my personal character or my engineering expertise (a sales vendor, a classmate, and a coworker in another office). My "primary" references to my work experiences came from my current and previous supervisor who attested to the quality of my work/expertise/etc.

If you meet all the requirements - talk to some PE's that you know or work with to get the "PE" requirements fulfilled!

Good luck!


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## me231 (Mar 19, 2010)

thank you all for your comments - it seems some states enforce the "tutelage under a PE" rule more strictly than others. i am tempeted to attempt for licencing in your states first to get done with the exam part of it and then seek comity later! iowa does require tutelge under livensed PE's, but it seems it all depends on the board!

Thank you all again.


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## NEED2009 (Mar 20, 2010)

good luck.


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## rppearso (Mar 23, 2010)

In the state of Alaska they just wont count it (I think california is that way too). In Alaska your PE time also has to be under the same disipline of PE that you are testing for. I know the state of Alaska will not accept comity applications if you do not have varifiable stamped time under the same disipline of PE that you tested for, fortunatly once you get that stamped experience your exam still counts. I know a guy who came from missouri or some other such place and had all 4 years of his time under a civil PE but had a mechanical stamp and Alaska made him redue all 4 years. This "progressive engineering experience" will limit your ability to comity to other states and it also creates an atmosphere of too high of a supply of PE's thus driving down there value becasue it makes it easier to get one.


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## humner (Mar 23, 2010)

New York is tough too, personally I am taking the test in Vermont and then will try for comity in NY.


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## rppearso (Mar 23, 2010)

humner said:


> New York is tough too, personally I am taking the test in Vermont and then will try for comity in NY.


Yea if you can get the test out of the way in one state thats definitly a positive step. Even if you have to repeat the experience at least you wont be staring down a test date you will just have to fill out some paper work and your done.


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## NEED2009 (Mar 23, 2010)

state of Michigan comes to mind


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## excdemo (Apr 22, 2010)

NEED2009 said:


> state of Michigan comes to mind


I am not sure if you are saying that Michigan is tough or a little more relaxed than the other states referred to above. Could you elaborate?

The reason I ask is because I am intending to apply in Michigan and have not worked directly under the "tutelage of a PE". Any insight would be appreciated. If this might be a problem, what are the possible options available to people in this situation?

Thanks in advance.


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