National Mobility – Here and Now: Get a Council Record
Mobility in the engineering profession works better now than it ever has, by a wide margin. “Model Law Engineers” who maintain an active “Council Record” through the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying receive “expedited comity” in more than two-thirds of states. What are these things?
A “Model Law Engineer” is an engineer with qualifications meeting the provisions of the NCEES Model Law. This is an engineer possessing a baccalaureate degree in engineering from a program accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (the vast majority of programs). This engineer has also passed both the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Examination, demonstrated four years or more of progressive engineering experience, earned a PE license in at least one jurisdiction, and has a record free of disciplinary action. There are variations on that theme, with some modifications to the requirements for those with advanced degrees in addition to the B.S. degree from an ABET-EAC accredited program. The majority of PEs are likely to be determined to be Model Law Engineers.
A “Council Record” is a program offered by NCEES to accumulate and maintain PEs’ qualification records and to forward that information to PE boards upon request by the applicant. A PE applies for a Council Record and provides all of the information necessary to document the requisite qualifications, similar to the application procedure for licensure in a state. NCEES reviews the applicant’s qualifications, and determines whether or not the individual is a Model Law Engineer. Once a Council Record is obtained, the PE needs to update it each year with additional information.
“Expedited comity” works like a charm in many states. The applicant applies to a state for licensure, requests that NCEES forward the qualifications information to that state, and, in more than two-thirds of states, applicants can get a PE license within a couple weeks; in some states it takes as little as one to two days.
Keep in mind that in most states, if you are presenting a proposal or being included on a project team and designated as a PE, you need a PE license in that state. Turnaround times from RFP to proposals rarely if ever allow enough time to obtain a new license, a process that takes 45-120 days without expedited comity.
This program has taken off. The number of PEs who are obtaining and maintaining a Council Record is accelerating. There are currently over 21,600 PEs with a Council Record and this is growing by thousands every year. This is national mobility – here and now.
Some jurisdictions don’t yet offer expedited comity, some due to quirks in existing state statutes that don’t allow for the streamlined process. The NSPE Licensure and Qualifications for Practice Committee is focusing this year on working with NSPE state societies to see if we can get all states to provide expedited comity. It works – it’s in the interest of PE’s, it works well for PE Boards, and it’s in the interest of the public. A win-win-win.
So, if you think you may consider practicing engineering in other states in the future, go get a Council Record. Here’s the link: www.ncees.org/records/
