Qualifying Engineering Experience... Professional Engineer

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Qualifying Engineering Experience
In order to constitute qualifying experience, the experience must meet a number of criteria...

1.  First, the experience should be from a major branch of engineering in which the candidate claims proficiency.
2. Second, the experience must be supervised. That is, it must take place under the ultimate responsibility of one or more qualified engineers. Generally qualified engineers must be licensed professional engineers. However, some jurisdictions will accept experience supervised by a qualified unlicensed engineer in industry situations where there is no offering of engineering services to the public.
3. Third, the experience must be of a high quality, requiring the candidate to develop technical skill and initiative in the application of engineering principles and sound judgment in reviewing such applications by others. The experience must be of a nature that the candidate develops the capacity to assume professional responsibility for engineering work. 
4. Fourth, the experience must be broad enough in scope to provide the candidate with a reasonably well-rounded exposure to many facets of professional engineering. Along with highly specialized skill in a particular branch of engineering, the candidate should acquire an acceptable level of competence in his or her basic engineering field, as well as the accessory skills necessary for adequate performance as a professional. 
5. Finally, the experience must progress from relatively simple tasks with less responsibility to work of greater complexity involving higher levels of responsibility. As the level of complexity and responsibility increases, the candidate should show evidence of increasing interest in broader engineering questions and continuing effort toward further professional development and advancement.

In assessing whether the candidate is sufficiently competent and responsible to be entrusted with or independently engage in engineering work or to supervise engineering work, state engineering license boards look for evidence of independent decision making and assumption of personal accountability in design and application. In short, while the experience must be gained under the supervision of qualified professionals, it must also be professional in character. 

Most of the functions that mark the engineer's work as professional revolve around various decisions that must be made in the course of a project. Examples include:

• the comparison of and selection among alternatives for engineering work;
• the determination of design standards or methods;
• the selection or development of methods or materials to be used;
• the selection or development of testing techniques;
• the evaluation of test results;
• the evaluation of a contractor's performance, methods, and materials; and
• the development and control of maintenance and operating procedures.

As an example, in mechanical engineering, the following types of experience may be considered "professional experience":

1. the design of machines, machinery, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, power plant equipment, engines, tools and processes, mill or industrial layouts, mechanical systems for commercial and institutional facilities and/or the supervision of the construction of any of these;
2. the development of industrial plants and processes and/or consultation or contribution to such development;
3. operation, control, and testing of major mechanical installations, manufacturing plants, and power plants;
4. the writing of technical reports, manuals, and the like;
5. full-time teaching at an accredited college-level engineering school.

In contrast, mechanical engineering experience that is generally considered subprofessional would include the following:

1. construction and installation of machinery, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, and other mechanical structures;
2. operation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, power plants, stationary machinery, mechanical manufacturing plants, and foundry and machine shops;
3. drafting, tracing, detailing, laying out, and checking shop drawings;
4. designing tools, jigs, and fixtures;
5. recording data and routine computations under supervision and inspection of materials;
6. maintenance and repair work; and
7. teaching as an assistant without full responsibility in an engineering program.

Some types of experience may be classified as either professional or subprofessional, according to the other types of work they are performed in conjunction with. If performed in conjunction with other professional work, they may qualify as professional experience. If they constitute the whole job, or are performed in conjunction with subprofessional work, they may not qualify. In mechanical engineering, these borderline tasks may include the following:

1. calculations of heat transfer, fluid transport, etc.;
2. the preparation of flow charts or logic diagrams;
3. the design of components and parts and the design of simple systems (e.g., fire protection and noise control);
4. reliability analysis;
5. installation of control, production, or environmental systems;
6. the laying out of plant equipment.

Sales work can be credited as qualifying experience only if it can be conclusively demonstrated that engineering principles, knowledge, and skill were used in the work. Selection of equipment from a catalog or similar activities cannot be counted as engineering experience.

In general, the greater the complexity of the engineering work and the greater the responsibility it entails, the more likely it will be counted as professional experience. It is important for an engineer-intern to seek opportunities to perform more complex work and to undertake greater responsibility, so that within a few years time, the candidate will be operating fully at a professional level.

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