Undergrad/experience Difference

[jkositzke]

Hello everyone, I'm Jacob- I went to school for Biological Systems Engineering, the program at UW Madison which has a specialization in Food Engineering that I took. Then afterwards I got a job at a food plant where I work exclusively with chemical engineers and do primarily process engineering tasks.

My question is, when considering which PE exam to sign up for- should I match the exam to my degree (Agricultural and Biological) or to my experience (Chemical). Are either OK? I could see myself learning the material for either and I am interested in both professionally- however the Ag & Bio degree is very heavy on Ag and (if I understand correctly) does not have questions on food science. 

What does the PE board like to see when evaluating PE stamps (this is in Wisconsin by the way)? Should I match the undergrad degree or take the test that is more aligned with my recent work experience? For the FE I took "other disciplines". 

 

[RBHeadge PE]

This question comes up a lot. The simple answer is that it's a personal choice based on what you think are your relative strengths. Take a look at the exam specs for each exam and determine which is the best fit for you. 

https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/

Or go to the library and take out some study guides for each exam and look at it more closely. There are a few study guides for the Chemical exam. In your case, the availability of study materials should at least be a consideration into which exam you choose

Do you do much traditional chemical engineering? Or is it closer to industrial and systems engr? Maybe have a quick look at the Industrial exam too.

IIRC Wisconsin doesn't license based on discipline, so I doubt the board will care which exam you take.

 

[WingNut]

If it were I, I would take the exam that most closely matches your work experience.  Yes, you can learn anything, and you may wish to do so.  However, at this point, I would review the syllabi for the various exams, see what your experience most closely matches and go from there.  I don't know if Wisconsin is a discipline specific state or not-- I would suspect not, however, I did not check.

Assuming that Wisconsin is NOT a discipline specific state i.e. (your license is specific to the test you took), you are then able to practice in the discipline where you passed the test.  If you are able to acquire additional work experience, go back to school to get more education, you can practice in complimentary disciplines as well.  If Wisconsin is a discipline specific state, then you will have to take another exam for that discipline to practice there.  Does this make sense to you?  Questions?