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Continuing Education Requirements
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Continuing education is being required by more and more state boards
for professional engineer licensure renewals. Currently
thirty-one (31) states
have requirements where thirty (30) states have active processes in
place and one
state's program becomes effective in 2007 for the 2008
renewals.
For each of the states requiring continuing education for
licensure renewal, we have provide detailed information on
each of the board's specific requirements.
We also discuss the
advantages of utilizing online continuing education
providers in order to meet professional engineer licensure renewal requirements. |
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Advantages of Online
Continuing Education
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Convenience
With online courses, there is no need to rush to a class,
conference, or seminar.
You can take the online course from the comfort
of your home or from your office. No lost time at work or time away from your family. You take online courses on your own
schedule and at your own pace. So, no need to work your schedule around a seminar,
conference, or classroom-based course to earn PDH's.
The Simple Process
You download, print, and read the course content at your leisure.
You can read it online if you wish.
The course can be worked on at 10:00 pm after
the kids are down to sleep or just wait until the weekend.
After reading the course material, you purchase the course and access
the quiz online at a time convenient to you. You print the quiz and work
on it, again, at your leisure. Next, you log back on and enter
your answers. Upon receiving a passing grade, a certificate of
completion is provided for your records.
Other Advantages
All state licensing boards having continuing education
requirements accept online courses.
Free PDH courses are available
from some online providers. Some providers even guarantee board acceptance. Now, how can
you go wrong with that?
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What should I look for in an
online provider?
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With so many options to obtain professional development hours (PDHs)
to comply with board continuing education requirements, online
courses becomes a viable option and are accepted by all state
boards. Very few boards put limits on the number of
credits obtained online. Taking such courses
provides flexibility as you take the course or courses on
your schedule, at your own pace, and are available 24 hours a day.
Selecting an
online continuing education provider is important as you do not want
your PDH credits to be rejected by the licensing board during
the normal submittal process or especially during audits.
Therefore, we
compiled a short list of what you should look for when deciding
on an
online provider.
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Can you freely view course content, in its entirety, without the need to
log in (sign in) or purchase anything prior to deciding if
it is of interest to you?
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Do you get a certificate of completion immediately
after passing the course? Can you print it out
in the future should you misplace it?
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For states requiring approved providers, has the online
provider been approved by the licensing board?
For instance,
the Florida Board assigns CEP numbers to all
approved providers who must go through the approval
process every two years.
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Is payment allowed by credit card, check, or money order?
Is a receipt available to print now and in near
future if you misplace it and need it for, say, your
employer to reimburse you?
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For credit card payment processing, is it performed using a secure
connection utilizing Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt
information being transferred?
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Is a privacy policy provided stating how any of your
personal information is used? Do you really
want to be added to several third-party email lists?
We did not think so!
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Why Should I get my license?
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Simple, you will live forever, earn more money in one day than most do in a lifetime, and
you get two little letters added to end of your name - "PE".
Well, the last one is true but not just for the mere fact of adding
two little letters to your name!
Licensure is the mark
of a professional. It demonstrates a commitment to the high
standards of professionalism and also demonstrates the accomplishment of a set of standards
to which all engineering professionals recognize.
Being licensed also provides career options and opportunities that might not have been
available without the licensed professional engineer designation.
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Need study material for the
FE Exam or the
PE Exam?
For more information on the FE and PE exams, such as exam format, exam
scoring or passing rates, visit
NCEES's website.
In general, a four-step process is required to obtain engineering licensure. The steps are:
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1.
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Graduation from an ABET-accredited engineering program at a college or university.
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2.
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Obtain Engineering Intern (EI) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) status by passing the
Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam.
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3.
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Gain work experience. Typically four years working under the supervision of a
licensed engineer is required.
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4.
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Obtain the distinguished designation "professional engineer" or P.E. status by
passing the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.
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For the licensing requirement of a specific licensing board, please contact
the board directly. See list of licensing board
contact information including links to website, addresses, and telephone
and fax numbers.
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