Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 6, September 16, 2024
(a)
Education. The Board shall consider the education of an applicant in
determining eligibility for licensing as a Professional Engineer. The terms
used by the Board for the educational requirements in
G.S.
89C-13(a1) to be eligible to
be licensed as a Professional Engineer are defined as follows:
(1) "Engineering curriculum of four or more
years approved by the Board" is defined as a program that has been accredited
by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board
for Engineering and Technology (ABET). This program is incorporated by
reference including subsequent amendments and editions. This material is
available at www.abet.org/accreditation-criteria-policies-documents/ at no
cost, or for inspection at the office of the North Carolina Board of Examiners
for Engineers and Surveyors. Copies may be obtained at the Board office at a
cost of five dollars ($5.00) per copy.
(2) "Engineering or related science
curriculum of four or more years other than ones approved by the Board" is
defined as a curriculum, although not accredited by ABET, of technical courses
that contains engineering or scientific principles.
(3) "Equivalent education satisfactory to the
board" is defined as:
(A) A graduate degree in
Engineering from an institution where the same discipline undergraduate
engineering program has been accredited by ABET (EAC) shall be considered
equivalent to an engineering curriculum of four or more years approved by the
Board.
(B) A bachelor's degree in
Engineering Technology, whether or not accredited by the Technology
Accreditation Commission (TAC) of ABET, shall be considered equivalent to an
engineering or related science curriculum of four or more years other than one
approved by the Board.
(C) Foreign
degrees shall be considered equivalent only after receipt of an evaluation
report that the degree is substantially equivalent to an EAC/ABET accredited
engineering curriculum from the Center for Professional Engineering Education
Services, an affiliate of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and
Surveying (NCEES), or from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars
and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). The Board shall equate the degree to an
EAC/ABET accredited engineering curriculum of four or more years approved by
the Board in Subparagraph (a)(1) of this Rule if it receives a substantially
equivalent evaluation.
(b) Experience. The experience of an
applicant shall be considered in determining whether an applicant is eligible
to be licensed as a Professional Engineer.
(1) Required Experience. In evaluating the
work experience required, the Board shall consider the total experience record
and the progressive nature of the record. Experience shall be of a progressive
engineering nature obtained after graduation from a program that meets the
criteria set forth in Paragraph (a) of this Rule. Not less than half of
required engineering experience shall be of a professional grade and character,
and shall be performed under the responsible charge of a licensed Professional
Engineer, or if not, the applicant shall submit a written explanation to the
Board explaining why the experience should be considered acceptable. The Board
shall approve the experience on a case-by-case basis if it is satisfied of the
grade and character of the progressive experience. Experience gained under the
technical supervision of an unlicensed individual shall be considered based
upon the engineering education and experience credentials of the unlicensed
supervisor. Experience gained in the armed services, typically while serving in
an engineering or engineering related group, shall be accepted only if
substantially equivalent to civilian work.
(2) Definition. The word "progressive" in the
terms "progressive nature of the record," "progressive engineering experience,"
"progressive land surveying," "progressive engineering nature," or "progressive
experience on engineering projects" means that during the period of time that
an applicant made a practical utilization of acquired knowledge and continuous
improvement, growth, and development have been shown in the utilization of that
knowledge as revealed in the complexity and technical detail of the work
product or work record. The applicant shall show continuous assumption of
greater individual responsibility for the work product over that period of
time. The progressive experience on engineering projects shall be of a grade
and a character that shows the Board that the applicant is competent to
practice engineering.
(3) Credit
for Experience. In evaluating progressive engineering experience, the Board
shall give credit for experience in the following areas of work:
(A) Graduate schooling or research in an
engineering program resulting in award of a master's degree from an institution
that offers EAC/ABET-accredited programs - one year;
(B) Graduate schooling or research in an
engineering program resulting in award of an earned doctoral degree in
engineering from an institution that offers EAC/ABET-accredited programs - two
years, with or without a master's degree, but this includes the one year for
the master's degree, if obtained;
(C) Progressive land surveying - maximum two
years; and
(D) Teaching of
engineering subjects at the university level in an engineering program offering
a four-year or more degree approved by the Board.
The Board shall not accept combinations of the categories in
this Subparagraph as fulfilling all the necessary statutory experience
requirements. Every applicant for licensure as a Professional Engineer, as part
of the total experience requirement, shall show a minimum of one year
experience of a progressive engineering nature in industry, government, or
under a licensed Professional Engineer offering service to the public.
Full-time engineering faculty members who teach in an
engineering program offering a four-year or more degree approved by the Board
may request and shall be granted waiver of the minimum one year experience in
industry, government, or private practice if they demonstrate consulting or
research work of at least one year's duration, which was pursued to completion
of the project, and that is of a progressive engineering nature. The faculty
applicant shall document the work to evidence that the work meets the Board's
requirement.
(4)
An exception to the requirement in Subparagraph (b)(1) of this Rule that
experience be obtained after graduation is for long-established practice of 20
years or more, as provided for in
G.S.
89C-13(a3).
(5) Other experience is considered if it is:
(A) Experience obtained prior to graduation
as part of an ABET accredited engineering program shown on the transcript, with
a maximum credit of one year; or
(B) Experience obtained in a foreign country
that is performed under direct supervision of a Professional Engineer licensed
with a member Board of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and
Surveying (NCEES).
Authority
G.S.
89C-10;
89C-13;
Eff. February
1, 1976;
Readopted Eff. September 29, 1977;
Amended
Eff. August 1, 2014; August 1, 2011; May 1, 2009; August 1, 2002; August 1,
2000; August 1, 1998; November 2, 1992; April 1, 1989; January 1,
1982;
Pursuant to
G.S.
150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without
substantive public interest Eff. April 27, 2019;
Amended Eff. July
1, 2020.
