Its an issue of semantics. You cannot call yourself a Professional Engineer unless you have your states licensing regimens and tests. Then you can use the title "I.m. Engineer. P.E."
You can then sign off on plans and documents giving certain legal cache, and submit them to usually approving agencies... I.E. DOT, Building/Planning Depts, really anyone who requires a P.E. Stamp
In New York:
Quote:
|
“ licensed New York PE has earned a minimum of 12 years of education/experience credit and has passed a 16-hour national licensing examination. Most New York PEs have a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited engineering program and have earned qualifying experience as an intern engineer. “
|
NYS PE Info
The 16 hour exam is broken into the EIT (engineer in traing) and PE sections.. The EIT covers the core, the PE is more core and theory, the second half if the PE is in your specialty (civil, mech, elec.)
EIT is usually taken as a Senior in university.. 5 or so years as an Engineering intern is required before you can sit for the PE exam... Creative application writing helps here...
Lets look at my Uncle... Masters degree in engineering from Cornell, not bad a masters at an Ivy.. He worked for GE in the '60s for the space program... after leaving GE he bounced around finally landing at Sikorsky.. leading a number of projects he could and could not talk about.... I once asked him if he was a licensed engineer, he told me no... because it wasn't worth the trouble in his line of work..
GE... space program... Sikorsky ….whirlybirds secret and not secret..
I think he has a right to call himself an engineer
And my Dad, again a masters in engineering from Cornell...He went to work in the public sector... initially with NYSDOT until he got sick of the malaise which is evident still... He then went to work for Consulting firms which contracted with NYSDOT (Immediately increasing his salary bigly) His path required being a licensed professional engineer....
Given the resumes of both of them... I think both earned being able to tell a date “I'm an Engineer”
BTW I went to SUNY schools.... no Ivy for me