The Nevada Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors has introduced a significant change in the licensing process for professional engineers by decoupling the Professional Engineer (PE) Exam from the required engineering experience. This adjustment allows engineers to take the PE Exam once they have completed their Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and graduated with a relevant degree, rather than waiting until they have acquired four years of work experience.
"Decoupling is simply separating the requirements of professional experience from the PE Exam," states the board. The new process aims to provide more flexibility for engineers, enabling them to schedule their exam around life events such as starting a family or pursuing further education without delaying licensure.
Nevada was the first state to implement this approach in 2005, addressing concerns that strict scheduling could deter talented individuals from entering the field. "We realized that the paired requirements were creating an unnecessary barrier for talented and smart individuals who simply couldn’t make the schedule work as it was previously structured," explained Patty Mamola, Executive Director of the Nevada Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
Statistics indicate no significant difference in pass rates between those who take the exam before or after gaining four years of experience. As a result, other states have begun to adopt similar measures. "Decoupling was officially adopted as NCEES model law in 2013," Mamola noted. Currently, 16 states have implemented decoupling policies, with more expected to follow.
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), founded in 1920, supports member licensing boards across U.S. territories by developing best practice models for state licensure laws and promoting uniformity among them.
For further details on these changes, visit ncees.org.