Illinois PE

[Dewan M. Karim P.E TOPS]

Hello Everybody,

I am a Canadian Traffic/Transportation engineer and planning to move Illinois next year for family reasons. I have obtained the Canadian P.E. last year and also passed F.E. exam from Michigan in 2006. One of my senior told me that it's possible to convert my Canadian P.E. to some USA state. Can you please let me know where should I approach and the rquirements for Illinois state to become P.E.

Thank you,

Dewan,

Toronto

 

[snickerd3]

http://www.idfpr.com/dpr/WHO/pe.asp

 

[MRDPE]

Yes - check out that link to the Illinois site - and call or email them. However I don't think you will find a quick way to "convert" your Canadian license. The Canadian licensing process does not satisfy any of the state requirements for examination. Because of this, you will find that you will need to complete the same application and examination process as US citizens - which in your case will include taking the PE exam in IL. I have heard that there are a few (very few) states that have a "reciprocity" agreement with Canada - but Illinois is not one of them.

Best Wishes

 

[ALBin517]

My friend is now licensed in about half the states and Illinois was the most difficult. He was licensed in multiple states beforehand but had to go as far as suing Illinois' board to get a license.

It had nothing to do with international reciprocity but just a "heads up" that they can be especially stubburn.

 

[snickerd3]

Stubborn is being generous. The application to sit for the test has very early deadlines in IL. Mid may for the October test. When I took the test, the required 4yrs experience would have been June 1st, after the deadline, but way before the test. They made my boss resubmit his reference form because he filled it out two weeks too soon.

 

[Katiebug]

Getting a Canadian P.Eng is a different process than getting a US PE and for that reason none of the US state licensing boards will just give a PE to someone with a P.Eng. For most people with an accredited engineering degree, the process of getting a P.Eng involves no technical examinations. For example in Ontario, an applicant with a CEAB-accredited engineering degree only needs a a minimum of 4 years of engineering experience and to take a 2 hour non-technical professional practice and ethics exam. No 8-hour technical exams for our friends to the north, unless they were educated outside of Canada, the US, or another signatory to the Washington Accord.

When a Canadian colleague expressed surprise that most mechanical engineers in the States don't seek a PE, we sat down and looked at the differences in the process - it would be quite a bit easier for me to go to Canada (with no US PE yet) and get a P.Eng than it would be for him with a P.Eng to come to the States and get a PE in my state. Bear in mind as well that in Canada, engineering is self-regulated by the provincial engineering organizations while in the US engineering is legally regulated by the state.

A CEAB-accredited engineering degree is considered equivalent to an ABET-accredited degree, thanks to the Washington Accord. If you were educated in Canada that should help things substantially (if not, Illinois will have a process for evaluating your academic background). Plus you have the FE out of the way, which will help too. But I'm afraid you will almost certainly need to take the PE exam and satisfy the state board when it comes to your engineering work experience.