Crediting engineering experience before graduatiion
Important! Not all states credit experience before graduation. Most states will insist you have at least four years engineering experience after graduation but they won’t ask you to re-pass the PE exam. BE WARNED, however, a few states (like Indiana) will force you to re-pass the PE exam for licensure in their bucolic state.
The changed law says, in part:
A specific record of four years or more practical experience in engineering work completed in addition to, and not overlapping in time, any school work completed under divisions (A) (1) (a) of this section that is acceptable to the board, not more than two years of which may be before graduation but after the completion of the second year of college.
Clear as mud, eh?
Since we credit four years for the undergraduate degree, you must be in school for more than four years to receive any “extra” credit. For example, let’s say you started college in September 1997 and graduated May 2002.
9/97 subtracted from 5/02= 4 years and 9 months
This person can receive a maximum of nine months engineering experience credit because that’s the calendar time elapsed minus the four years we already credit.
To actually get credit for the nine months in this example, you need to specify the experience in your notarized letter. Plus, don’t forget we only credit experience after the sophomore year.
Add your experience after graduation up until the application deadline (90 days before the exam, NOT the exam date) and you know where you stand.
The Board won’t preview your experience. If you think you have the required education and experience, spend the $25.00 and the Board will either accept your application or tell you how much more experience you need.