Professional Engineering & Land Surveying

License Requirements

Professional Engineering

General Requirements

Any use of the title "Professional Engineer" or provision of professional engineering services within New York State requires licensure, except in certain "exempt" settings. These settings are detailed in Section 7208 of the Education Law.

To be licensed as a professional engineer in New York State you must:

• be of good moral character
• be at least 21 years of age
• meet education, examination and experience requirements
• be a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (Permanent Resident Card/INS I-551 Status/"Green Card")

Submit an application for licensure and the other forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee, to the Office of the Professions at the address specified on each form. It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.

The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 145, section 7206 of New York's Education Law and Part 68 of the Commissioner's Regulations.

You should also read the general licensing information applicable for all professions.

Fees

The fee for licensure is $377.

The fee to apply for eligibility for admission to Part A of the examination as a New York candidate only is $70. When the Department determines you are eligible for the examination, you will be sent an examination scheduling form and will need to pay an additional fee to take the examination.

Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.

• Do not send cash.
• Make your personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. * Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail your application and fee to:
  
  

  NYS Education Department, Office of the Professions
  P.O. Box 22063
  Albany, NY 12201.

Partial Refunds

Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.

• For the procedure to withdraw your application, contact the Professional Engineering Unit at opunit1@mail.nysed.gov or by calling (518) 474-3817 ext. 250 or by fax at (518) 402-5354.
• The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing or credentials verification agency.

If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new applicant, and you will be required to pay the licensure and registration fees and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.

Education and Experience Requirements

To become licensed as a professional engineer in New York State you must complete a combination of education and experience for which years of credit are awarded. The credit awarded for your education determines the required number of years of experience you need:

• A total of 6 years of credit is required for admission to the Fundamentals of Engineering examination (Part A)
  
  
• A total of 12 years of credit is required for admission to the Principles and Practice examination (Part B) for licensure.

The table below and a PDF chart are provided to help you determine your eligibility and the number of years of experience you need to take Part A or Part B of the examination.

Experience acceptable for licensure must be of a scope and nature satisfactory to the Department and must be appropriately verified by the Department. The experience must:

1. demonstrate the intensive application of engineering principles in the practical solution of engineering problems;
2. demonstrate a knowledge of engineering mathematics, physical and applied sciences, properties of materials, and the fundamental principles of engineering design;
3. be broad in scope;
4. develop and mature the applicant's engineering knowledge and judgment; and
5. include at least two years of experience working on projects requiring knowledge and use of codes and practices commonly used in the United States.

All the experience you wish to have evaluated must be described on Forms 4 and 4A and should be accounted for chronologically. Experience descriptions must include specific duties you personally performed, the complexity of the work, and make clear the extent of your responsibility for the work. Please list your experience in a comprehensive, detailed, and explicit manner. The Department will consider only experience that you have completed by the date the application is signed. The quality of the experience, not merely the calendar time, will be evaluated. Time claimed on the forms cannot exceed actual calendar time.

Examination Requirements

To be licensed as a professional engineer in New York State, you must pass:

• Part A, the Fundamentals of Engineering examination, and
• Part B, the Principles and Practice of Engineering examination.

Examinations are developed by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and administered by CASTLE Worldwide Inc.

After your education and experience has been approved by the Department, you will be eligible for the examination(s). At that time, you will be sent an examination scheduling form to register for the exam(s). This will include information about exam fees.

Examinations are administered twice a year, in April and October, at various sites throughout New York State. The deadlines for submitting licensure applications are:

• For April 2010 examinations - October 16, 2009
• For October examinations - May 1 of same year

The deadlines for submitting the Examination Scheduling Form to CASTLE Worldwide, Inc. are indicated on the scheduling form.

All required licensure application forms and the CASTLE Worldwide, Inc. Scheduling Form must be postmarked by the filing deadlines; there are no exceptions.

NCEES limits calculators allowed in examination room

NCEES has revised the examination policy concerning materials permitted in the examination room.

NCEES policy prohibits calculators that communicate or that may compromise the security of the examination. Beginning with the April 2004 exam administration, NCEES began strictly enforcing this policy by banning calculators with text-editing and communication abilities. Of great concern is the ability to type in text, store it in memory, and then communicate via wireless or cable connections to another calculator, personal computer, printer, or other electronic device. NCEES publishes a list of the calculators that are acceptable for both Part A - the Fundamentals of Engineering examination, and Part B - the Principles and Practice of Engineering examination. Only the models listed on the NCEES website will be permitted in the examination room.

For further information regarding NCEES examinations please visit the NCEES website at www.ncees.org or call 1-800-250-3196.

Reasonable Accommodations

Individuals with Disabilities

After your application materials have been reviewed by the Department, if you are determined to be qualified to take the licensure examination, you will be sent an examination scheduling form. Please complete the form and attach a letter from an appropriate health care provider who has diagnosed and/or treated you, indicating the nature and extent of the disability, the proposed accommodations, the rationale behind the reasonable accommodations, and, if applicable, the types of accommodations made for you in the past. (Note: Your evaluation should be no more than three years prior to the examination date.) For more information regarding reasonable accommodations, request the Office of the Professions Reasonable Accommodations pamphlet by calling (518) 474-3817, TDD/TTY (518) 473-1426. You may also FAX a message 24 hours a day to (518) 474-1449 or e-mail us at op4info@mail.nysed.gov. Send your exam scheduling form and the letter to the examination vendor at the address indicated on the exam scheduling form.

Sabbath Observers

If you would normally observe the Sabbath on the scheduled date of the examination and, therefore, will need alternative testing accommodations, attach a letter from clergy in support of your request to the exam scheduling form sent to you.

Applicants Licensed in Another State (Endorsement)

You may be eligible for licensure in New York State if you:

• meet all requirements for licensure in New York State, except having completed the examination, and
• have been issued a license or a certificate to practice professional engineering upon written examination by a board of examiners in another state or political subdivision of the United States.

The examination for the license or certificate must be equivalent to the examination required in this state at the time it was issued.

You must submit full documentation of compliance with all other New York State licensure requirements including professional education and satisfactory professional experience, among other requirements, as part of your application for licensure by endorsement.