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I am considering moving from abroad to the US, and hoping to obtain an engineering license for employment. I have a bachelors and graduate degree in physics, but I have heard that many states require a bachelors in an ABET accredited program to become licensed.

Which states do NOT require an engineering bachelors? If they don't require this, do they have some other requirement instead?

Alex K
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    I'm from Brazil, so can't answer this question, but... are there any that don't? – Wasabi Feb 03 '16 at 09:30
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    I think you should leave the question here as it might be useful to others in the future, but what type of engineering are you looking to do? Licensure is only a requirement in certain fields and industries. I'm employed as an engineer and there is no need for me to obtain a PE license to continue in my company or field. – Trevor Archibald Feb 03 '16 at 13:20
  • Some licensing boards have specific procedures for accepting education gained outside of the USA. It usually involves providing transcripts. – hazzey Feb 03 '16 at 16:10
  • I second the comment from @TrevorArchibald. Many people work as engineers without having a PE license. I really depends on whether you are working in one of the very specific fields that require one. Can you describe what work you are interested in doing? – Eric S Apr 19 '18 at 14:08
  • This also depends greatly on which specific discipline as well as location. – Paul Apr 19 '18 at 18:06

2 Answers2

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As you have noted each state in the USA has different requirements. The general requirements are as follows:

  • Obtain a Bachelor's in Engineering (BSE) from an ABET accredited engineering program. The disciplines that I am familiar are Electrical, Civil, and Mechanical. I suggest you review the references below for more detailed information.
  • Successfully complete the Fundamentals in Engineering exam to obtain Engineering in Training (EIT) status.
  • Gain professional experience (typically four years minimum).
  • Successfully complete the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.

Considering that you have bachelor's and graduate degrees in physics, you have a few options:

  • Enroll in a ABET accredited engineering program to obtain a Bachelor's in Engineering. With your physics background you are most likely to get a significant amount of credit. It is likely that you will be able to obtain a Bachelor's in Engineering in about 2 year depending on the University.
  • Submit your credential to the licensing authority; hopefully they will accept your credentials and allow you sit for the EIT exam. You will have to do more research on this topic. I suggest that you review the Washington Accord.
  • If you are already a licensed, practicing engineer, submit those credentials to the appropriate licensing authority. They may accept your current credentials. I have submitted my USA credentials to Engineers Australia and obtained registration in Australia for an Australia-based engineering project.

References

Mahendra Gunawardena
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You do not need a license in any state to be an engineer; I was one in IL IN and TX. However you need a license in every state to be a "Professional Engineer". Which will require a combination of formal education and experience. Many states do have reciprocity agreements with other states , so one license will let you practice in several states. Apologies; I believe I answered the question he wanted to ask , not the question that was asked.

blacksmith37
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