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Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?
4

Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

(OP)
One of my friend at school told me that if someone has Ph.D. he/she deos not need to take the FE exam. She said this is a new policy by NCEES. I could not find anything about this on the oficial website for FE.

Has anyone heard about this?

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

The state determines the rules on who is and who is not required to take the FE exame. Even if you state does not require it , if you want to obtain your license in a different state in the future they might  require you to take the FE exam.

Vita sine litteris mors est.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Rich 2001 hit the nail on the head.  I've learned in my time here that the answer to almost any question about licensure always boils down to...

"The answer to your question is state dependent.  Check the laws and rules of your state's engineering board and those of any states in which you may need to practice in the future, make sure you understand what the rule or law says, and plan accordingly."

Remember that and you can never be caught by surprise when dealing with licensure.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Depends on where you live.  Check w/ state regs.  Wisconsin does not require FE for engineers with ABET bachelor degree and 4 (or was it 8?) years experience.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

(OP)
Thank you all so much.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

(OP)
By the way my state of interest is California.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

You may have additional success by asking these questions on www.engineerboards.com.  But ultimately, as the other have stated, check with the state.  http://www.dca.ca.gov/pels/e_exam.htm

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

The guy that one of my bosses used to work for was a professor who around the age of 50, decided to branch out from academia and start his own structural engineering firm.  He was one of the more distinguished professors in his field in our state.  His famous quote about the board forcing him to take the PE was "Sure I'll take the test, but it might not be fair since I wrote half the questions".

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

The distinguished professor should have taken the test a lot earlier, if for no other reason than to set a good example.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

I would think that the test is even more important for a PhD student. They have focused on a particular specialty for the last couple of years of university and have had plenty of time to forget what they have learnt in other areas.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

I have not heard of any state giving a waiver for the actual PE exam.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Massachusetts used to allow an 'oral' exam in lieu of a written exam for some people with extensive experience.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

I would encourage all universities to encourage their professors to be licensed and to get licensed in the conventional way (education and experience).  I would emphasize professors in the civil department to especially look at getting licensed.  Other disciplines would have an argument as to whether a license would be required to practice engineering.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

OK...I'm stupid... What's FE?  PE I know, but FE?

Mike McCann
McCann Engineering

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Fundamentals Examination.


Usually taken near the end of your accredited engineering education to qualify as an Engineer in Training...or as is more currently used - "Engineer Intern".


I would add that the professor who suggested he "wrote half the questions" may or may not be true...but solving the questions in a test atmosphere is a lot different than preparing them.  And I'd add that most professors are quite specialized and the test doesn't check against specialization but breadth and depth of knowledge.

And one last poke at the prof.   Someone making a  statement so full of braggadocio sure better pass the dang test the first time around.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Oh Yea...  Been so many years since I took it, I forgot what they called it!  Thanks.

Mike McCann
McCann Engineering

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

I know a Dean of Engineering at a top ranked school that failed the PE exam, after many years in academia.

Vita sine litteris mors est.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Idaho requires professors that teach engineering design to be licensed.  I sounded rough on a couple of them that had been in the real world for a long time to go back and take both tests.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

It does bother me when I have professors who don't have PE's or have at least spent a few years in the field.  These guys usually have a horrible grasp of what is practical.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

abusementpark-
I agree 100%.  I am taking an advanced structural mechanics class right now.  The professor is extremely intelligent, but has never worked in industry and doesn't have much of an appreciation for what is practical in a real engineering office.  The theory is great, but there really needs to be some practical aspect to most, if not all, of the material presented.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Can you give an example of "doesn't have much of an appreciation for what is practical in a real engineering office"?

Becasue I'd have to say that in structures I have used most of my uni classes subsequently, so it'd be shame to restrict the classes to a lowest common denominator of what industry uses. And in dynamics we do stuff  now that would have been beyond the imaginings of academics in 1979.

I do agree with your general point, unworldly profs are less than helpful.

Cheers

Greg Locock

SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Sure, we were doing continuously supported axial members toward the beginning of the class and we had a problem with a plate being bolted to concrete with an axial load on the plate and the bolts in shear.  We modeled it as continuously supported and had an assigned value of k (spring stiffness) for the bolts.  After the problem, I asked exactly what k represents for the bolts (since it clearly isn't a spring).  I asked if it was a shear stiffness (similar to a flexural stiffness in K/in) and he was not able to communicate to me exactly what it was.  He also indicated that he wasn't sure how you would actually get the number for a design problem, he said this of soil k values as well.  
Having an appreciation for what is practical in a real engineering office, in my opinion, might be to have some sort of idea of how to approximate some values based on geotech properties......... or something.  
Just saying This is how you do the problem, but I can't tell you how to arrive at or estimate any of the parameters involved doesn't make it easy to use what you are learning in class.  I mean it is great to understand the theory and be able to do the calcs if called upon (when handed all of the parameters involved), but if, at the end of the day, you can't attain (or estimate) what those parameters are in a real world problem........... it doesn't do you much good.

RE: Is FE/EIT needed for someone with Ph.D?

Well, bolts do have an axial stiffness, and it is a contributor to the joint stiffness, which in itself is a significant property of a robust joint, if the loads are primarily in shear, and taken by  the friction of the joint, rather than directly bearing on the bolt. For instance, someone who is designing subframes for cars would want to know about that sort of thing.

However as you say it does seem odd to use an example from one industry and then not know where some of the input numbers come from.



Cheers

Greg Locock

SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

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