License Requirements for Professional Engineering

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; and
• meet education, examination and experience requirements.

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.

The fee for licensure and first registration is $377.

Fees paid to NYSED cover the processing and evaluation of your application by the Department, as well as your registration as an engineer for three years from the date your New York State license is issued.  Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in effect, by 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.
• If you apply for licensure electronically using the online Application for Licensure, you will be required to pay by credit card.
• Other payments must be made by personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail any required forms and fees to the indicated address on the form.

NOTE: Payment submitted from outside the United States should be made by check or draft on a United States bank and in United States currency; payments submitted in any other form will not be accepted and will be returned.

The examination eligibility letter you receive will include instructions on how to schedule and pay an additional fee to sit for the examination with NCEES and our examination administrator - Pearson VUE. Please refer to your examination eligibility letter for scheduling and payment of their fees.

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@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.

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. The Department will not accept professional experience endorsed by the applicant.

• 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 is 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.

Education/Experience Credits for New York State Licensure

Experience acceptable for licensure must be earned after the degree requirements are completed, 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 Form 4 and Form 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 Department will not accept professional experience endorsed by the applicant. The quality of the experience, not merely the calendar time, will be evaluated. Time claimed on the forms cannot exceed actual calendar time. Instructions for Forms 4 and 4A are available here.

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

• The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, and
• The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.

Examinations are developed by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and administered by Pearson VUE Testing Centers.

All exam applicants are required to read the "NCEES Examinee Guide" prior to being allowed to register for the exam. Use this link to access the "NCEES Examinee Guide" at: https://ncees.org/exams/examinee-guide/

Applicants Applying for the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam

This exam is delivered year round via a computer-based testing service.  For additional information see the NCEES website at www.ncees.org.

Applicants from a Baccalaureate level EAC/ABET Accredited Program in Engineering:

If you are within 20 credits of graduating from, or have already graduated from a baccalaureate level EAC/ABET accredited program, you are eligible to apply directly to NCEES to take the Fundamentals (FE) exam.

• To find out if your program is EAC/ABET Accredited go to the ABET website here.

Applicants from a Baccalaureate level ETAC/ABET Accredited Program in Engineering Technology:

If you have graduated and earned a baccalaureate degree from an ETAC/ABET accredited program, you are eligible to apply directly to NCEES to take the Fundamentals (FE) exam.

• To find out if your program is ETAC Accredited go to the ABET website here.

Applicants NOT from a Baccalaureate level ABET Accredited Program:

If you have not graduated from either an EAC or ETAC/ABET accredited program with a baccalaureate degree, you must complete and submit the following forms:

• Form 1 and $70 fee, and either
• Form 2 - Send a form 2 to each post-secondary educational institution that has granted you a degree. Ask them to complete the form and send it directly to NYSED at the address on the bottom of the form. The educational institution should also send an official transcript for any degrees you wish to submit for evaluation. Be sure to pay any fees for the transcript required by the educational institution. The Office of the Professions will not accept this form if submitted by the applicant.

 OR

• Request that NCEES transmits your NCEES Education Credentials Evaluation Record

Once the forms and fee are received, your qualifications will be reviewed for approval by the Department. Once approved, you will be made eligible to sit for the Fundamentals (FE) exam via a letter sent to you from the Department that will include instructions for how to schedule the exam and pay the examination fee(s) with NCEES.

Applicants Applying for the NCEES Principles and Practice (PE) Exam

NCEES is in the process of converting all exams from paper and pencil to a computer-based format. With this ongoing conversion, the NYS exam application deadline has been eliminated, and some of the exams may be offered year round. The exams that are still offered in paper and pencil format continue to be offered twice per year. If you are taking a paper and pencil exam, we strongly encourage you to submit your NYS application at the earliest possible date. For information on the PE examination conversion schedule, visit NCEES.

In order to be eligible to sit for this exam, you must complete and submit the following forms:

• Form 1 and $377 fee
• Request that NCEES transfers your NCEES Record to New York State. The Department will not accept professional experience endorsed by the applicant. Make sure to check your NCEES Record before requesting it be to be transmitted.
  
  Or

• Form 1 and $377 fee
• Form 2 - Send a form 2 to each post-secondary educational institution that has granted you a degree. Ask them to complete the form and send it directly to NYSED at the address on the bottom of the form. The educational institution should also send an official transcript for any degrees you wish to submit for evaluation. See our website for details regarding electronic education documentation. Be sure to pay any fees for the transcript required by the educational institution. The Office of the Professions will not accept this form if submitted by the applicant.
• Form 3 - Use this form to verify that you passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination This form must be submitted directly by the licensing authority.
• Form 4 - List each endorser to whom you will send a request for endorsement of your work experience. The Department will not accept professional experience endorsed by the applicant. See instructions for additional information to document your engineering experience.
• Form 4A -Describe your work experience in detail and then send to your endorser. The endorser is to read, complete, sign and date the endorsement form and send it directly back to the Office of the Professions at the address at the end of the form or electronically to dplsexperience@nysed.gov. This form must be submitted by the endorser. It will not be accepted if submitted by the applicant. Note: The Department will not accept professional experience endorsed by the applicant. A separate form 4A must be submitted by each endorser you list on Form 4. See instructions for additional information to document your engineering experience.

Applications will be reviewed in the order received. After your licensure/examination application with experience documentation has been reviewed and approved by the Department, you will be sent an eligibility letter via email. This letter will include instructions on how to schedule and pay for the exams.

Other Information About the Exams

NCEES limits calculators allowed in examination room.

NCEES policy prohibits calculators that communicate or that may compromise the security of the examination. NCEES publishes a list of the calculators that are acceptable for both Part A - The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination, and Part B - the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) examination. Only the models listed on the NCEES website will be permitted in the examination room.

Accommodations

Individuals with Disabilities/Sabbath Observers/Military

The process to request a reasonable accommodation or alternate test date will be part of the registration/scheduling process with NCEES and Meazure Learning through their online system. If you are requesting accommodations, we suggest you begin the process as soon as the NCEES registration process opens for the exam you plan to take, as this will assist in the timely processing of your request.

To qualify for an Engineer in Training Certificate in New York State you must meet the following requirements:

• Completion of a program of professional study in accordance with Section 68.1(b) of the Commissioner’s Regulations; and
• Successful completion of the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination.

Please note that the Engineer in Training Certificate does not qualify you to practice engineering in New York State, but is an attestation of successful completion of the requirements listed above.

The Engineer in Training Certificate requires the following documentation:

• Form 1EIT – Application for Engineer in Training Certificate along with $70.00 fee, and either
• Form 2 – Certification of Professional Education(submitted to your school for completion upon graduation) OR
• Your New York State school has submitted your education utilizing a Form 20F. Check with your New York State school to verify if they utilize and have submitted a Form 20F.

Please note: If you have previously submitted a Form 1 and the $70 fee to apply for approval to sit for the FE exam you do not need to submit a Form 1IE and fee.

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. New York State does not have a reciprocity/comity agreement with any jurisdiction; if you are applying with a NCEES Record, you would need to submit Form1 and request NCEES to have your current NCEES Record transmitted to us for review. The Department will not accept professional experience endorsed by the applicant. Make sure to check your NCEES Record before requesting it to be transmitted.

 Education/Experience Credits for New York State Licensure

Summary of Requirements for Engineering "At a Glance"

Notes:

1. Please provide specific information as requested. Do not use the phrase "Refer to NCEES record."
2. To document completion of FE examination.
3. If experience is required.
4. If experience is required.