USA · Professional license

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Granted by state engineering licensing boards, not by a national exam alone. Usually a bachelor's degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program.

Granted byState engineering licensing boards
National exams2FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) · PE (Principles and Practice of Engineering)
ExperienceTypically at least 4 years of qualifying work experience before the PE exam.
Other statesApply state by stateno compact list on this page
See the route Rules in other states

How to get licensed

Usually a bachelor's degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program.

  1. High school diploma (strong math and science)
  2. Bachelor's degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program
  3. FE exam → EIT / EIExam
  4. About 4 years of qualifying experience
  5. PE examExam
  6. State PE licenseLicense

The exams

National bodies write the exams; the state board decides who is licensed. NCEES — writes the FE and PE exams; ABET (Engineering Accreditation Commission) — accredits engineering degree programs.

  • FE (Fundamentals of Engineering)For recent graduates and students close to finishing an EAC/ABET-accredited degree. Computer-based, 110 questions, about 5 hours 20 minutes of testing; pass/fail. Passing usually leads to Engineer in Training (EIT) or Engineer Intern (EI) status.
    NCEES
    FE examNCEES
    Checked
    7 Oct 2026
    View source
  • PE (Principles and Practice of Engineering)More than 20 discipline exams for engineers with at least 4 years of post-college experience in their field.
    NCEES
    PE examNCEES
    Checked
    7 Oct 2026
    View source

State rules and other states

Each state board sets its own application rules, fees and approval steps; many states require continuing education to renew.

PE licensure by state board

Each state engineering board sets its own application rules; NCEES links every board and offers a Records program for sending your verified exam and experience records to other boards.

NCEES →

Good to know

Not always required

  • Many engineering jobs do not require a PE. BLS: a PE is required to offer services directly to the public (e.g. civil engineers signing off public projects); entry-level civil engineers do not need one.
  • Computer hardware and most software/industry roles rarely require a PE.

Careers that use this license

Sources: NCEES · NCEES · ABET · BLS. Checked 7 Oct 2026. How Margdarshan sources its data →