Professional Engineer

Professional Engineer is the term for registered or licensed engineer in some countries, including the United States and Canada who are permitted to offer their professional services directly to the public. The term Professional Engineer and the phrase practice of professional engineering is legally defined and protected by law. In most jurisdictions only registered or licensed Professional Engineers are permitted to use the designated title, or to practice Professional Engineering.

Professional Engineering Titles

Post-nominal letters used vary by location:

Africa

• Pr.Eng. or PrEng in South Africa (for engineers holding a B.Eng., B.Sc. or B.Sc.Eng. with relevant experience)

Asia

• C.Eng in India Institution of Engineering under Royal Charter
• P.E.Jp as a pre-nominal in Japan
• Engineer or Engr is used as a pre-nominal (similar to Dr. or Prof.) in Pakistan
• IR is used as a pre-nominal in Malaysia

Europe

• EurIng (European Engineer) in Europe, used as a pre-nominal (similar to Dr. or Prof).
• Ing.P.Eur (European Professional Engineer) in Europe, used as a pre-nominal
• Dipl.-Ing. and Ing. in Germany (pre-nominal letters)
• Ing. in Italy (for engineers holding a Master's degree) or Ing.jr (Bachelor's). A state exam is required. (pre-nominal letters)
• Siv. Ing. (Sivilingeniør, M.Sc) and ing. (Høyskoleingeniør, B.Sc) in Norway. The titled is used by persons holding degrees from accredited engineering colleges and universities.
• CEng (Chartered Engineer) and IEng (Incorporated Engineer) in the UK & Republic of Ireland. UK and Irish engineers may also carry post-nominal letters specific to their specialist engineering institute, such as MIET (professional engineers and graduate professionals registered with the IET)
• Civ. Ing. in Sweden (for engineers holding a Master's degree in Engineering)
• Ing. in Romania, used as a pre-nominal (similar to Dr. or Prof.).
• Ing. for engineers holding a Master's degree in Czechia, used as a pre-nominal (similar to Dr. or Prof.).

Latin America

• Ing. in Spanish speaking countries (pre-nominal letters) (similar to Dr. or Prof). Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Uruguay, Venezuela.

North America

• P.Eng. is used in Canada, except the province of Quebec.
• Eng. (French:ing.) is used in Quebec.
• P.E. or PE is used in the U.S.

Oceania

• CPEng in Australia and New Zealand

Registration and regulation

Each country or state/province has specific procedures and requirements for the license or registration.

United States

In the United States, registration or licensure of Professional Engineers is performed by the individual states. Each registration or license is valid only in the state in which it is granted. Many Professional Engineers maintain licenses in several states for this reason, and comity between states can make it easy to obtain a license in one state based on licensure in another state without going through the full application process. The licensing procedure varies but the general process is:

1. Graduate with a degree from an accredited four-year university program in engineering.
2. Complete a standard Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) written examination, which tests applicants on breadth of understanding of basic engineering principles, and optionally some elements of an engineering specialty. Completion of the first two steps typically qualifies for certification in the U.S. as an Engineer-In-Training (EIT), sometimes also called an Engineer Intern (EI).
3. Accumulate a certain amount of engineering experience under the supervision of a P.E. In most states the requirement is four years, but in others the requirement is lower.
4. Complete a written Principles and Practice in Engineering ('PE') examination, testing the applicant's knowledge and skills in a chosen engineering discipline (mechanical, electrical, civil, for example), as well as engineering ethics.

In a few states it is still possible for an individual to bypass step 1, and apply to take the registration examinations, as long as a P.E. will sponsor the applicant and work experience can be substituted for academic experience. The years of experience may also vary; for instance, in California it is possible to take a Principles and Practice in Engineering examination with only two years of experience after a bachelor's degree, or one year of experience after graduate school. Some states also have state-specific examinations, most notably in California where there is a state-specific structural engineering exam and two additional exams in land surveying and earthquake engineering for civil engineering candidates. In Nevada, college graduates are eligible to take the Principles and Practice exam immediately after graduation and passing the EIT, before acquiring the required experience. [1]

Some states issue generic Professional Engineering licenses. Others, known as "discipline states", issue licenses for specific disciplines of engineering, such as Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. In all cases, however, engineers are limited to practicing in their area of competency, which is usually a small portion of a discipline. While licensing boards do not often enforce this limitation, it can be a factor in negligence lawsuits.

Since regulation of the practice of engineering is performed by the individual states in the U.S., areas of engineering involved in interstate commerce are essentially unregulated. These areas include much of Mechanical Engineering, such as Automotive Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, and may be specifically exempted from regulation under an "Industrial Exemption". An industrial exemption covers engineers who design products such as automobiles that are sold (or have the potential to be sold) outside the state in which they are produced, as well as the equipment used to produce the product. Structures subject to building codes are not covered by an industrial exemption, except small residential buildings often do not require an engineer's seal. In many jurisdictions, the role of architects and structural engineers overlap.

Civil engineers account for a large portion of licensed Professional Engineers. In Texas, for example, about one-third of licenses are for civil engineers, and civil exams make up over half of the exams taken. Many of the remainder are mechanical, electrical, and structural engineers whose practice involves areas that states regulate, such as HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for buildings or public infrastructure. However, some engineers in other fields obtain licenses for the ability to serve as professional witnesses, or just for prestige, even though they may never sign and seal design documents.

The title "Engineer" is legally protected in many states, meaning that it is unlawful to use it unless permission is specifically granted by that state, through a Professional Engineering license, an industrial exemption, or certain other non-engineering titles such as "operating engineer". Employees of state or federal agencies may also call themselves engineers if that term appears in their official job title. These laws are not frequently enforced unless the individual is explicitly offering engineering services to the public. Likewise, a business cannot offer engineering services to the public or have a name that implies that it does so unless it employs at least one Professional Engineer.

Most states limit the practice of engineering, except where specifically exempt, to those individuals with the appropriate license or to people working under the direct supervision of a licensed engineer. Some states require corporations that do engineering design work to be registered as well since incorporation creates a legal entity separate from the engineers.

In many states, Professional Land Surveyors are regulated in a similar manner, often by the same state board as engineers or architects: Land Surveyors are required to pass a Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam, perform a period of internship and then pass a Practices of Surveying (PS) Exam. A four-year degree in engineering or land surveying may also be required. In a few states, licensed Civil Engineers may also perform land surveys.

There is a movement to require a master's degree or equivalent for civil engineering licensure.

Canada

In Canada, regulation and registration are accomplished through a self governing body, called the Association of Professional Engineers, that is given the power to register and discipline engineers as well as regulate the field of engineering in their province, with groups such as Professional Engineers Ontario. Many of these associations are also responsible for regulating other related professions. The process for registration is generally as follows:

1. Graduate with a degree from an accredited program in engineering or applied science,
2. Complete an Engineer in Training program under the direction of a P.Eng. (This is normally a four-year program)
3. Review of work experience by the Association,
4. Pass a professional practice exam (essentially an engineering ethics and law exam).

Engineers are not registered in a specific discipline but are prohibited by the Code of Ethics from practicing beyond their training and experience. Breaches of the code are often sufficient grounds for enforcement, which may include the suspension or loss of license, as well as financial penalties and now, through recent changes to Canadian law, could also result in jail time should negligence be shown to have played a part in any incident in which there is loss of human life.

Engineers are not tested on technical knowledge during the licensing process; however, the accreditation of schools and their accredited degree granting status are tightly monitored and controlled. The Canadian system thus ensures that a specific and regimented curriculum is offered and tested with strict accordance to set national standards. This streamlines the overall licensing process and ensures a firm national standard on the quality of engineering in Canada. This accreditation process is governed by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers through their active group the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. The accreditation process is continuous and enforced through regular accreditation reviews of each school. These reviews typically include the review of the school's curriculum (including marked final exams and assignments), interviews of current students, extra curricular activities and teaching staff as well additional areas the visiting board may feel need addressing. The specific areas considered are Curriculum Content, Program Environment, and General Criteria. The associations are granted both an exclusive right to title and an exclusive right to practice.

There are only a few exceptions specifically noted in the acts and it does not include any "industrial exemptions". Therefore, a practicing engineer is legally required to be registered. The level of enforcement varies depending on the specific industry. The federal government is exempt from provincial laws, but in general the federal government will only give the title "engineer" to their employees who as part of their job requirements are able to be registered as a licensed Professional Engineer.

Controversy over the Term "Engineer" in the IT Industry

The use of the term "engineer" has been an ongoing issue between professional licensing bodies and the IT industry, where companies typically issue certification titles with word "engineer" as part of the title (such as Certified Novell Engineer and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer). Provincial licensing bodies for professional engineering destinations contend that only licensed professional engineers are legally allowed to use the title "Engineer". The IT industry, on the other hand, counters that

1. These title holders never presented themselves as "Professional Engineers",
2. Provincial laws, other than in Quebec, regulate only the use of term "Professional Engineer", and not any title with the word "Engineer" in it (However, in Quebec, the term "Engineer" actually is protect by law in both the Engineers Act and by section 32 of the Professional Code), and
3. The IT industry has used the term "engineer" since the dawn of the computing industry in the 60s

Court rulings regarding the usage of the term "engineer" have been mixed. For example, after complaints from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, a court in Quebec fined Microsoft Canada $1,000 for misusing the "engineer" title by referring to MCSE graduates as "engineers". On the contrary, an Alberta court dismissed the lawsuit filed by The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA) against Raymond Merhej for using the title "System Engineer", claiming that "The Respondent's situation is such that it cannot be contended that the public is likely to be deceived, confused or jeopardized by his use of the term…" APEGGA also lost the appeal to this decision.

Canadian Information Processing Society has attempted to strike a balance between the professional engineering licensing bodies and the IT industry over the use of the term "engineer" in the software industry, but so far no major agreements or decisions have been announced.

United Kingdom

In general, there is no restriction on the right to practice as an engineer in the UK. There are a few fields of practice, generally safety related, which are reserved by statute to licensed persons.

The UK has Professional Engineering titles registered via the Engineering Council (UK) (ECUK): Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng). Incorporated Engineer is a first-cycle qualification for Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science degree holders. Chartered Engineer is a second-cycle qualification usually reserved for holders of integrated Master of Engineering degrees or Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Science plus Master of Science degrees. Both IEng and CEng require substantial professional experience, a professional review and interview.

It is illegal in the UK to hold that one is a Chartered or Incorporated Engineer unless so registered with the ECUK. The title of "engineer" by itself is not regulated in the UK.

While ECUK is the primary body registering Engineers in UK, there are other professional societies that register engineers as well. Under its Royal Charter, the Engineering Council UK grants licences to engineering institutions allowing them to assess candidates for inclusion on its Register of Professional Engineers and Technicians, and to accredit academic programmes and professional development schemes. There are over 30 institutions licensed to register professional engineers with EC UK.

Europe and Latin America

In Germany and some other European and Latin American countries, the term Diploma Engineer implies that the person has completed typically one more year of academic work beyond the basic engineering Bachelor's degree. A major academic project, similar to a Master's thesis, is completed as well. Diploma Engineer is therefore a university degree, and not a professional registration or license.

Pakistan

The Pakistan Engineering Council regulates all engineers in Pakistan. The PEC is an independent organization that grants Professional Engineer licenses to its members. In order to practice engineering in Pakistan one has to register with the PEC. [2]

See also

• Licensure
• Ordem dos Engenheiros
• State-certified Engineer BVT

External links

• Engineering Council UK Authority for the registration of the CEng, IEng, Eng Tech
• U.S. National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)

• NSPE — "What is a Professional Engineer?"

• US NSPE and UK SPE to sign affiliation agreement
• Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
• National Council of Examiners of Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
• The Institution of Engineers Australia (IEAust)
• the Institution of Engineering and Technology UK
• The Institution of Professional Engineers, Japan (IPEJ)
• The Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ)
• Institution of British Engineers (IBE)
• Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)
• Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE)
• Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO)
• Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA)