how to get PE ELECTRICAL if i have FE in mechanical

D

Designer101

Senior Member
Location
California
Occupation
Solar and ESS Designer
Please suggest

I have undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, i am EIT under mechancial discipline. i cannot complete PE licensure as i have never worked under mechanical discipline nor Undr any professional Engineer
I did masters degree in Renewable engineering Focusing on soalr PV and Wind power.

I have 4 years of working experieence as Reesidential and commercial Soal PV engineer.
I have never worked in mechnaical field.

I WANT TO GET P.E in electrical BUT MY COURSE WORK FOR MECHANICAL DEGREE IS NOT SUFFICIENT to be leigible for PE electrrical.

Does ANY body has multipe PE LICENSE? PE MECHAnICAL AND PE ELECTRICAL
HOW Its done
Please SUGGEST.
 
I know California was discipline-specific with structural engineering, due to their unique seismic environment.
(full disclosure: that's old information that may have been superseded)
Mechanical/Electrical specific? Can't say. Read the rules and contact the state board.
 
It has been a while since I took my EIT (FE), but I thought it was trade agnostic (not mechanical or electrical specific).

I do not think there is a requirement to have the same undergrad degree as you take for your trade for the PE qualification
 
When I contemplated it in California years ago, if you didn’t have an EE degree (mine was EET), then you could apply for taking the PE exam if you had 3 letters of recommendation from existing California PEs who were familiar with your work. I found that to be an insurmountable “catch 22” because for PEs to be familiar enough with your work to write those letters, you had to have worked for them or with them, and in most cases, you had to be a PE (or at least an EIT) to get a job there where you did any work worthy of generating a recommendation. So if that is still the case, as an ME you would not be eligible to sit for the exam on your own, but finding 3 existing California EE PEs to write you recommendation letters is going to be tough.

Things may have changed though, that was 25+ years ago now.
 
Jraef said:
... for PEs to be familiar enough with your work to write those letters, you had to have worked for them or with them,

and in most cases, you had to be a PE ... to get a job there where you did any work worthy of generating a recommendation.
Click to expand...
That's the eternal paradox, isn't it?

I've often pondered how to get around this, without much success. Asking randomly-elected legislators to make these decisions clearly isn't the answer. Engineering firms aren't going to embrace the idea of hiring unqualified-on-paper people and giving them significant tasks. People with significant talent -- but without portfolio -- shouldn't be asked to accept intern wages.

For all the blah-blah-blah about this being The Land of Opportunity and not having an aristocracy, peerage, gentry or caste system, the circumstances of your birth sure are either a ladder or an impediment to your later success.
 
In my experience engineering firms regularly work with and employee people who are not degreed engineers.

I have signed letters for people applying for the EIT based on work they performed for me as a PE.

Each state has different rules which seem to be becoming more harmonized and are definitely different than they were 20 years ago.
 
Designer101 said:
Please suggest

I have undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, i am EIT under mechancial discipline. i cannot complete PE licensure as i have never worked under mechanical discipline nor Undr any professional Engineer
I did masters degree in Renewable engineering Focusing on soalr PV and Wind power.

I have 4 years of working experieence as Reesidential and commercial Soal PV engineer.
I have never worked in mechnaical field.

I WANT TO GET P.E in electrical BUT MY COURSE WORK FOR MECHANICAL DEGREE IS NOT SUFFICIENT to be leigible for PE electrrical.

Does ANY body has multipe PE LICENSE? PE MECHAnICAL AND PE ELECTRICAL
HOW Its done
Please SUGGEST.
Click to expand...
Hi
This subject has been discussed before.

Invariably it turns into a DOG and Pony Show.

Open the following links.
I agree California Board is strict in filtering- out bad players and wannabees.

https://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/applicants/appinstpe.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABET

Since you’ve been working as PE Mechanical I’m assuming you are accredited in that discipline?

The credentials you earned in mechanical engineering are not transferable to electrical engineering.

What is transferable is your FE (Fundamentals of Engineering.) credentials when you pass the test.

Keep in mind that FE is not an all-out passport for electrical engineering accreditation in addition to your mechanical credits.

You still need to take lessons to earn units which normally takes about two years to complete.
Post graduate degree is not accreditable thru ABET..( Accreditation Board for Electrical Technology)
 
ron said:
It has been a while since I took my EIT (FE), but I thought it was trade agnostic (not mechanical or electrical specific).

I do not think there is a requirement to have the same undergrad degree as you take for your trade for the PE qualification
Click to expand...

Unlike the past, the EIT (now FE) exam is now offered in 7 disciplines, including Mechanical, Electrical/Computer and an "other disciplines" version.

Back to the OP, you really have to look at the state board rules and keeping in mind, if you qualify to sit for PE electrical exam, not having an undergradd EE degree will make preparing for the exam more difficult than candidates with undergrad EE.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top