SECTION .0500 ‑ PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER

21 NCAC 56 .0501 REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSING

(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;

(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).

History Note: 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.