Benefits of and Requirements for Professional Licensure
Graduates of engineering or engineering technology programs may not legally call themselves "engineers" nor offer engineering services to the public until they have complied with rigorous experience and examination requirements. Although the details of these requirements differ from state to state, they generally include graduating from an ABET-accredited program, accumulating four years of progressive professional experience, and passing two licensing examinations. The first of these examinations, called the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, may be taken during the junior or senior year of college. The second, called the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam, may be taken only after the required professional experience has been obtained.