ME a Civil PE? 2

[g8ertim]

This may be a stupid question, but can I get a PE in Civil if my undergrad degree is in ME?

 

[metengr]

Well, in the State that I am licensed the answer would be NO (in your present situation). You would need to take course work in a Civil Engineering discipline probably leading to a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering to qualify for the PE exam. Now let me say that all state Boards are NOT alike, so it may be easier in some States versus others. Again in my State you only receive ONE PE license and license number. One could become a licensed SE with a PE, but that is it.

In most States, a Professional Registration Board reviews your credentials related to your engineering discipline prior to approving you to take the exam. You would also need to demonstrate specific work experience in CE, as well.

As a side note, I have seen engineers obtain multiple licenses – I would guess for different States. Say for example you obtained a PE license to practice ME. Now you decided to go to graduate school and obtain a masters in Structural Engineering. After x years of experience you apply to the State Board to sit for the SE exam's to become a licensed SE.

 

[JoeTank]

For what it's worth, I am a Structural by exam in PA, CE by reciprosity in a bunch of other states. But, CA thought my experience looked more mechanical, so I am a ME in that state. Go figure.

Steve Braune
Tank Industry Consultants

http://www.tankindustry.com

 

[Slugger926]

Here in OK, you could get your PE in ME, then take any discipline test you want since you already have a PE. There are several engineering managers that are taking their PE if they are going to be in charge of engineers of other disciplines even though they don't have to take those tests.

 

[HgTX]

It should also depend on what your experience has been--if you've been working in civil type stuff all this time, and not ME, would they even approve you to take the ME PE?

(This goes back to that other thread that I'm too lazy to look up about whether there should be separate licensing for separate disciplines.)

Hg

 

[DRC1]

I won't say that this goes for all states, But my understanding of a PE stamp is that as long as you believe you are compenet to design or review the work, you can stamp it, even though your exam section was not on that topic. Most states have a professional engineer's license with out disipline (except IL & CA which have a SE license).
Most disiplines overlap and as do most peoples' experience.

 

[Maui]

In New York you must take a discipline specific exam (Civil, Mechanical, Metallurgy, etc) to earn your PE license. But once you have earned your license, as DRC1 pointed out above, the limits of your ability to perform professional engineering services are only limited to your self-imposed areas of expertise. New York does not and has never made any distinction between separate disciplines once the engineering license has been awarded.