Professional Licensure

Licensure Requirements to Become a Professional Engineer

Licensing as a Professional Engineer in all states can be satisfied by a combination of a licensing-board approved educational credential, professional work experience and the passing of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. Both exams are administered by National Council of Examiners for Engineering (NCEES).  In all states, an ABET accredited degree satisfies the educational requirement.  In many states there are also alternative combinations of education and experience that satisfy the licensing requirements.

The following University of Missouri-St. Louis/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program (JEP) undergraduate degree programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, and thus satisfy the educational requirement for licensure as a Professional Engineer in all states:

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCIE)
• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE)
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME)

ABET has a COVID-19 update page, where they state: “ABET understands the need for programs to temporarily modify program delivery and grading methods in order to safeguard their communities during the current health crisis caused by COVID-19. It is not necessary to report any short term (current, summer or fall semester) changes to program delivery, content or grading methods to us.”

As demonstrated by the data in the table below, the majority of students earning engineering degrees choose not to become licensed, and they have successful and satisfying careers.  Deciding to complete the steps necessary to become licensed is a very personal decision, with no right or wrong answer.

Twice each year, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) sends us the number of our graduates who have taken the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.  Below is a table that lists five years of combined data for each exam taken.  For informational purposes, the total number of degrees awarded during that same time period are also displayed.  Note that some of the reported FE and PE exam takers listed below would have earned their degrees before 2015, so it would be imprecise to directly associate the number of exam takers with the number of degrees awarded, but it does allow for some general comparisons.