Frequently Asked Questions
The following information is provided as a convenience to those applying to qualify for enrollment as an Engineer Intern (EI), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE), in the State of Colorado by examination or by endorsement (also commonly referred to as comity or reciprocity). These are questions that are regularly asked of staff and are intended to be helpful but are not all-inclusive. All applicants are required to follow all application instructions and to comply with the directions found in the application forms.
Q: I have two (2) ABET* Engineering
Master (MS) Degrees. Can I use both degrees for two years of education/experience
credit toward the engineering application requirements?
A. Yes. See Board
Rule 4.6.1.9.
*ABET - Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the institution that is nationally recognized as setting the academic standard for engineering programs.
Q: I went to more than one college.
Do you need transcripts from all of them?
A:
If you graduated with an ABET* BS degree in engineering, only
the transcript from the college where the BS degree is conferred
is needed. However, if you do not have an ABET BS degree in engineering,
you should submit transcripts from all the higher education institutions
that you attended in order for all possible credit to be awarded
to you.
*ABET - Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the institution that is nationally recognized as setting the academic standard for engineering programs.
Q: Can graduate students apply to take the exam as a student with their school?
A: No, this option is only available to students in senior status in an ABET accredited undergraduate program.
*ABET - Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the institution that is nationally recognized as setting the academic standard for engineering programs.
Q: Can my student application be used for multiple exams?
A: No, the student application is good for one exam administration only. If you fail the exam and are still as student, you can apply again through your school. If you have graduated, you will be required to submit a regular application by the January 1/July 1 deadline.
*ABET - Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the institution that is nationally recognized as setting the academic standard for engineering programs.
Q: Does Colorado recognize the
Washington Accord Agreement for foreign degrees?
A:
Applicants who graduated from universities in countries that are
Washington Accord signatories are no longer exempted from the
evaluation requirements for foreign degrees and the Washington
Accord status is no longer recognized by the Board as of February
10, 2006. The exception is any degree accredited by the Canadian
Accreditation Board (CAB). All other foreign degrees are required
to be evaluated by ECEI* (for degrees evaluated prior to October
30, 2006) and by NCEES Credentials Evaluation* (for degrees reviewed
on or after October 30, 2006) if the applicant wishes to have
his/her education considered for credit in the application review
process.
A: You will need to work with NCEES Credentials Evaluation* for the foreign degree review process. Either service is currently acceptable to the Board. We do not know whether one or both will accept any material previously submitted to ECEI. You will need to contact the service that you choose to find out if any items will be accepted.
Q: How much experience do I need
to qualify for the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam
(also known as the PE exam)?
A: That all depends
on the amount of education that you have. The determination of
the total years required to take the PE exam begins with the education
of the applicant, as required by law. The chart
at this link should be useful in determining how much experience
you need.
Q: Do I need to have verified
experience for the last year even if it wasn't engineering experience?
A: Yes, per Board Policy
40.11 - Verification of Recent Experience.
40.11 - Verification of Recent Experience. An applicant must include verification of work experience within the twelve months prior to submittal of the application in addition to any engineering or surveying experience for which the applicant desires credit toward qualification for licensure. Adopted 12/10/04; Revised 1/14/05
Q: I am not able to have a licensed
Professional Engineer (PE) verify my work experience, what should
I do?
A: You do not have to have a licensed PE verify your experience.
It is preferred but it is not a requirement. You must have someone,
preferably a supervisor, that can verify the work and fill out
the Engineering Experience Verification form in the application.
That individual must have worked with you at the time that you
gained that experience and have enough knowledge about what you
did to be able to evaluate your performance.
Q: The Engineering Experience
Verification form has less room than the Engineering Experience
Summary forms. How can I make them match?
A: You are limited to three pages for the Engineering Experience
Summary forms but can have as many pages of the Engineering Experience
Verification forms as needed. You should cut and paste the information
from the Engineering Experience Summary form onto the Engineering
Experience Verification form. You can say "continued on page
2" and "continued from page 1" to make the continuation
clearer.
Q: How many different references
do I need for a period of time?
A: Only one if that reference can verify the entire work
engagement timeframe. If not, then you need as many as necessary
to cover that timeframe.
Q: Do I really need to show my
experience all the way back to high school?
A: Yes, but you do not have to have all of it verified;
it is suggested that you provide a one-line description of the
non-engineering experience since you are limited to three pages
for your Summary of Experience. Please be advised that non-engineering
experience gained within the 12 months prior to submitting your
application must be verified per Board
Policy 40.11.
Q: Can experience earned as part
of my Masters degree coursework be used for work experience?
A: No.
Q: Can experience earned outside
of my Masters degree coursework be used for work experience if
gained during the time I am getting my Masters degree?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I earn work experience
while earning my Bachelor of Science in Engineering?
A: No, per Board Rule 4.5.4
- Employment While a Full-Time Undergraduate Student. Full-time
engineering or land surveying undergraduate students will not
receive employment credit for summer jobs, part-time, or full-time
jobs when these students receive a full 12 months of credit for
a year of undergraduate education, up to a maximum of four years.
Q: I have a question regarding
page 1 of the Engineering Application. There is a place for number
of hours and for Enrollment Number as it relates to the Fundamentals
of Engineering (FE) Exam.
A: You must have an older version the application form.
You should instead use the newest version, found on our Licensee
/ Applicant Services web page. Please destroy copies of any
other applications and instructions except what is currently found
online.
Q: There is not enough room to
put information in on the electronic forms online. What should
I do?
A: If you are having problems with the forms, contact our
technical support staff for assistance at registrations@dora.state.co.us.
Q: Who should I make my check
out to?
A: State of Colorado.
Q: Where do I mail my application
and, if needed, verifications to?
A: To the following address:
State of Colorado
Division of Registrations
Office of Licensing - PE/PLS
1560 Broadway, Suite 1350
Denver, CO 80202
Q: What is my EI/FE (Engineer-Intern/Fundamentals
of Engineering) enrollment number?
A: If you became enrolled after 1994, you do not have an
EI number. The law changed at that time and the Board stopped
issuing Engineer-Intern enrollment numbers.
Q: Do I have to include a self-addressed
stamped envelope (S.A.S.E.) with my application?
A: No. We no longer require this. You can track your application
status using Registrations
Online Services.
Q: What is the application deadline to apply for the Colorado examination?
A: January 1 for the April 2011 exam and thereafter:
June 1 for the October exam and December 1 for the April exam.
Q: Once I receive approval from
the State of Colorado to take the NCEES PE (Principles and Practice
of Engineering) or FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam, how
do I register for the examination?
A: You register and pay online at the NCEES Exam Services,
LLC / NCEES website.
Q: I was approved to take the
exam in October but did not take the exam. What do I need to do?
A: Non Student Applicants: You have two years from
the date you were approved to take the exam, or two years from
the date you took the exam and failed it, in which to re-take
the exam. You just need to register with NCEES/NCEES Exam Services per Board
Rule 4.3.2.
4.3.2 - Approved Applications. The board retains application forms and supporting documents for persons who have been approved to sit for the fundamentals of engineering, principles and practice of engineering, fundamentals of surveying, principles and practice of land surveying, or the Colorado state specific surveying examinations for a period of two years from the date of approval by the board. If an applicant does not take the examination within that two-year period, the application will be removed from the board files. If an applicant fails an examination, the applicant has two years from the date of that examination to retake the examination or the application will be removed from the board files.
Q: Do I pay for the NCEES exam
with my application and payment to the State of Colorado?
A: No, you will wait for the Board to approve your application
to take the exam. When you receive a letter from the Board, you
then log on to the NCEES website and pay to register to take your
exam.
Q: My EI (Engineer-Intern) record
is showing an expiration date on the Board's licensee database
and I thought they never expired?
A: Once you become a Professional Engineer in the State
of Colorado, we put the date you became a PE in the Engineer-Intern
expiration date, because you are no longer an intern and that
status is cancelled.
Q: Why does the Board give me
a "Pass/Fail" status on my licensing examinations instead
of my actual scores?
A: The Colorado Board requires examinations to identify
candidate proficiency upon entry into the engineering and land
surveying professions. These credentialing examinations are not
developed to serve as achievement tests, i.e., provide information
regarding how much knowledge an individual has attained in relation
to learning objectives or relative to a normative group. They
also are not designed for job or placement decisions. Instead,
these examinations are created, and proficiency cut-points on
these measures are derived, to reliably ascertain pass/fail status
in relation to what an entry-level practitioner should be expected
to know and/or demonstrate for safe practice.
Q: Why did the Board previously
give scores, and now it will not?
A: In keeping with the Standards for Educational and Psychological
Testing (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological
Association, National Council on Measurement in Education, 1999)
and the psychometric principles that underlie the development
of the credentialing examinations, the Board has made the decision
to report the pass/fail classifications the credentialing examinations
were intended to yield. By adopting the pass/fail examination
reporting policy, the Board also has taken the lead to prevent
the abuse and or misuse of scores from the examinations it uses
to determine dichotomous pass/fail classifications.
Q: If the Board will not give
me my actual scores, then how will I know either how well I passed
or how badly I failed my licensure examinations?
A: The tests required for licensure are intended to measure
whether candidates can demonstrate the competence that is needed
for safe practice at the time they enter into the engineering
and/or land surveying profession. These measures are not intended
to yield scores that may be interpreted inappropriately, e.g.,
scores are not predictors of success in the profession nor are
they indicative of the quality of the services that a licensee
may offer to a customer.
What does and should matter to licensing
boards is whether a licensure candidate can demonstrate the required
entry-level competence on licensing examinations. This focus is
grounded in the principle that all new licensees are at least
able to demonstrate a level of competence that is believed necessary
for safe practice.
In the case of failing candidates,
the Board issues a diagnostic report that provides strengths and
weaknesses feedback on the examinations. This information may
serve as guidance by identifying the areas a failing candidate
did not demonstrate entry-level proficiency.
Please also refer to this document for source references.
Q: What can I take into the exam
location?
A: Below are a few helpful hints for what items are allowed
at the exam:
-
You may bring notes in a 3-ring binder in sheet protectors. These notes cannot be written in pencil; they must be written in pen, typed or if pencil, copied on a copier. These notes must remain bound and cannot be taken from the binder.
-
You may not use sticky (post it) notes.
-
You may use the plastic flags for marking pages in books; however, they must be affixed to your reference material before you enter the exam room.
-
No hats.
-
Approved calculators per the NCEES website at www.ncees.org.
- When you refer to your notes or books, you need to set your pencil down.
- The examination administrator provides pencils with erasers (you cannot bring your own pencil or erasers).
- See the Examination.
Q: I already have a license as
a Professional Engineer (PE) in another state. Is there a list
of states that are "substantially equivalent" to Colorado's
requirements for endorsement applications to get a license as
a PE?
A: No. Basically your application is reviewed as if you are
applying to take the PE examination. Therefore, you need to submit
all documentation required by the application instructions.
Q: Does Colorado allow for "reciprocity"
or "comity" with entities that are not in the United
States?
A: No. You must file a complete application for licensure
including an ECEI* evaluation for foreign degrees evaluated prior
to October 30, 2006, and by NCEES Credentials Evaluation* for degrees
reviewed on or after October 30, 2006, if you want credit for
your foreign degree. The exception to the requirement for evaluation
of foreign degrees are those obtained from programs accredited
by the Canadian Accreditation Board (CAB).
Q: I took my FE (Fundamentals
of Engineering) exam in another state. I was never enrolled in
that state as an Engineer-Intern (EI). What option should I pick
on the engineering application?
A: You will need to select
"transfer my engineer-intern enrollment from another US jurisdiction."
Even though you were never enrolled as an EI, the Board will recognize
that you took and passed the NCEES FE exam in the other state
as long as you meet the qualifications to become an EI in Colorado.
Q: How do I do reciprocity or
comity of PE license?
A: Colorado does not have direct reciprocity or comity
with other U.S. states or foreign countries. Colorado allows for
the endorsement of a license from another U.S. state, which includes
acceptance of the NCEES FE/LS and PE/PLS examination scores. You
are required to meet Colorado's education and experience rules,
thus you must complete the entire application and attach all supporting
documents (official sealed transcripts, experience summary and
sealed experience verification forms and the fee). You will need
to request the state(s) where you took your FE/LS, PE/PLS exam(s)
as well as where you have an active PE/PLS license - these states
will verify and mail the information directly to the State of
Colorado.
Q: If I want to endorse my active
PE license from another US jurisdiction, and I am an NCEES Council
record holder, do I need to include all the supporting documents
with my application?
A: No. The official transcripts, experience summary, experience
verification and verifications of examinations and licenses are
part of the NCEES council record and will be submitted to Colorado
from NCEES upon your request. However, if these documents are
not part of the council record, then you are responsible for obtaining
them in order to complete your application. NOTE: You must complete the Affidavit of Eligibility form and submit it with your application, as this form is NOT part of your NCEES council record.
Q: What checklist requirements
are needed for NCEES Council Record holders? If the NCEES box
is checked, do the boxes for attachments need to be
checked and are there any requirements for these items?
A: No, you do not check the boxes for supporting documents
all this information is provided by NCEES. You must check the
Engineering Application and NCEES Council Record Holders boxes
only.
Q: Does Colorado offer a way to
do a one-time job in Colorado without filling out the entire endorsement
PE (Professional Engineer) application?
A: No. To practice in Colorado, you must be a licensed
PE in Colorado. Temporary licenses are not authorized by law or
granted.
Q: Does Colorado have a residency
requirement?
A: No.
Q: Does our firm have to be licensed
to practice engineering in Colorado?
A: No. Colorado does not license firms. To practice engineering
in Colorado you must be licensed as an engineer in Colorado. The
Board's statute addresses forms of organization that are permitted
to practice in Colorado. Refer to the PE
Statute (CRS 12-25-104) or the PLS
Statute (CRS 12-25-204).
Q:
How does the application process work?
A: First, you apply to the State of Colorado for permission to take the examination. After you receive written notice from the State of Colorado, you then register online with the Board's examination administration vendor. Please keep in mind that each phase has different deadlines dates.
Colorado has two deadline dates: January 1st for the April 2011 examination and thereafter, December 1st; and June 1st for the October examinations. If your application is not fully complete by the current deadline, your application will be eligible and reviewed for the following examination.
The examination administration vendor usually opens its website from the first week of January to the first week of March for the April examination, and from the first week of July to the first week of September for the October examination.
Q: How do I submit additional education or experience documentation
for an application that was turned down due to insufficient experience
or education?
A: You will need to complete the Engineering
application and write RE-
or Reapplication at the top. Then submit the new documents for
education/experience that were missing or incomplete. For experience,
you must complete the Engineering Experience Summary and the Engineering
Experience Verification. You can document additional experience
in the Experience Summary where you left off on the previous application.
For education, you must submit an official transcript in a sealed
envelope.
Q: Do I need to pay an additional
fee with my reapplication?
A: No, as long as you reapply within the timeframe indicated
in the status letter from the Office of Licensing.
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