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PE Exam and discipline

dukebound85

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Original poster
Jul 17, 2005
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Is a PE a PE? In other words, is having a PE in mechanical engineering indistinguishable from a license standpoint as say a PE in civil engineering?

I ask as my undergrad is in mechanical and my job is more or less civil. I would prefer to take the exam as a mechanical merely because I have all my course books and a lot of work experience as a mechanical. My supervisor thinks I should get it as a PE but if there is no distinguishing, I am leaning towards as a ME.

I am in CO.

From my research, there does not seem to be any way to determine what discipline you took the test in, only if you are a PE.

Thanks for any insight
 
It means different things to different disciplines for sure. I'm a ChemE and few if any of my coworkers have a PE.

That being said, it shouldn't matter. You can take whichever you want to get the accreditation. I would go with the ME route as the pass right is 50% higher.
 
I am a PE in Canada, and can speak to the process here which should be similar. A PE in Canada must declare their area(s) of expertise to the board, and to take on work outside of those areas is to risk discipline or lawsuits. This is written into the regulations. So is does not matter which exam you take, it matters what is your expertise through training and experience. You are also required to demonstrate training and study to stay competent in those areas on an annual basis. Look into your state's licensing process to see if it matters which exam you take. Engineers change jobs throughout their career so it is reasonable to develop new technical knowledge outside of your original training.
 
PE here.

It's different in each state. My primary license is Texas, which DOES track the discipline(s) in which you're registered, but DOES NOT limit you to practice in those disciplines (they allow you to practice within your areas of competence). Oklahoma DOES track the discipline(s) in which you're registered, and it DOES limit your practice to that discipline.

That being said, the exam you take matters in some states and less so in others. I took the mechanical exam because it's my primary field of practice, although by experience I can also seal certain electrical projects in Texas. Not so in Oklahoma.

EDIT: It's probably worth noting that, in may cases, civil engineering pays much less than many other engineering disciplines, and civil PE's are a dime a dozen.
 
I'm not sure about Mechanicals Engineers, but it's my understanding in electrical engineering a PE must sign off on schematics before whatever is built for legal reasons. I would imagine ME is the similar.
 
True. My question though is does it matter what you take the test in? I know ethically you don't stamp what you aren't competent in but as far as the exam, does it matter?
 
I'd say it's up to you to check if it matters in your state-- just one part of training.
 
dukebound85 said:
True. My question though is does it matter what you take the test in? I know ethically you don't stamp what you aren't competent in but as far as the exam, does it matter?
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It absolutely does matter. If you take the civil exam, you'll be registered as a civil engineer. That will affect projects you can seal, but more importantly it will affect your employment prospects. I wouldn't hire a civil PE to work in my office, since we focus on mechanical and electrical, regardless of how competent you are in other disciplines. I wouldn't be able to sell you to a client, and many states wouldn't allow you to work on projects outside that discipline.
 
Tomorrow said:
It absolutely does matter. If you take the civil exam, you'll be registered as a civil engineer. That will affect projects you can seal, but more importantly it will affect your employment prospects. I wouldn't hire a civil PE to work in my office, since we focus on mechanical and electrical, regardless of how competent you are in other disciplines. I wouldn't be able to sell you to a client, and many states wouldn't allow you to work on projects outside that discipline.
Click to expand...

Is registration by discipline a state by state thing? I believe there is no distinction in CO
 
It's a state by state thing. In Texas, the state registers you by discipline but allows you to work in any area where you're competent. Some states don't register by discipline at all. Some register you by discipline and limit you to practicing that discipline only.
 
Hello! I can finally register for the exam, through NCEES website. recently was contacted by a city govt for a position with them, would be a civil engineering job. during the interview, I asked them which PE exam they took. the only mechanical graduate there said she took the civil water mgt exam; which happens to be the job she was working. I dont necessarily want to be a 'civil' engineer, but from what I am seeing. If i take that exam, I may get 'labeled'. I have a background in Aerospace, & mechanical. I want to pass the exam obviously, but it's been a bit since I looked at what exams are available. Now i'm seeing 3 types of Mech exams (HVAC blech don't like it, Machine design & materials is probably more my forte, and thermal and fluid systems which is hard but this seems to be the best fit for where I want to go). I put Machine design in my cart and it x'd out the other types of Mech exams I can add. Understandable. the pass rate is pretty good on the MD&M. Should I just run with it?

I also tested the system and added the civil water exam (water resources & environmental which seems the easiest to pass) and it x'd out the other civil engineer exams. SOME of the tests look avail year round, some don't. I passed my FE back in 2009 while it was all still fresh (whew). I also plan on relocating out of state as well someday maybe.

Any advice? I'm not in a HUGE hurry to take it. the impromptu interview I did for that city job only required the EIT which i have. but I also don't want to take the civil engineering water one just to look good for that employer.

thank you!
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I got my PE in Indiana years ago. At that time they had just transitioned from one “PE” designation in which you could test in any discipline to two different designations, a classical (civil, mechanical, electrica, chemical, etc.) and other ( industrial, etc.). In Indiana that was fine, but when I moved to Illinois I would have to retake the exam as chemical and that was more trouble than it was worth at the time. I wish I had registered as chemical in a different state like California that has more reciprocity. I could have still registered as a classical PE in Indiana, but carried my chemical PE to other states. This is a long way of saying don’t limit yourself based on short term thinking.
 
To me as retied Networked Administrator thought the constant requirement to be CCNA or better certified at least every 5 years! I started using the ICND path of bearing that long test into two separate tests! The first was more and more just IP style questions and second on was the lab version! Each test had two hour limit too!
 
TravelingModel said:
If i take that exam, I may get 'labeled'.
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As a PE. This is a Good Thing.

Depending on your state, getting registered as a Mechanical PE might or might not let you practice in your chosen field. There's no harm in becoming licensed as a "Civil" PE, if you change careers later on you can always get registered in another discipline. Being "labeled," if it even is a thing, would be harmless.
 
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