Can You Be an Engineer Without a Professional Engineer License?

[kramer733]

So I have a couple of friends and they told me even if you're doing the same thing as an engineer and better, you still can't be called an engineer if you don't have your professional engineer liscence. Is this true?

Let's say a person with a phd in physics decides to do something in electrical engineering. They're hired to do the same work as an electrical engineer and we're talking the exact same work. He's been with the company for 5 years or more doing electrical engineering stuff.

I gave the same scenario to my friends and they said "No, to be an engineer you got to have your p.eng."

Is this true? You can't call yourself an engineer if you don't have a p.eng?

 

[fss]

Since not every engineering discipline even offers or requires a professional engineering certification, I'm not sure how you could even argue that it's "required" to be an engineer.

 

[MECHster]

As far as I know, to be legally considered and call yourself an "engineer" you have to be a professional engineer. However, it is not required for most engineering jobs, so you can still do engineering work (I know in Canada at least their are some limitations for non-professional engineers, more so regarding safety and their "official" seal of approval). I also know (again, at least in Canada) you do not have to have a bachelors in engineering to be a professional engineer, as long as you do engineering work for x amount of years, you can apply.

 

[lisab]

As far as I know, to be legally considered and call yourself an "engineer" you have to be a professional engineer. However, it is not required for most engineering jobs, so you can still do engineering work (I know in Canada at least their are some limitations for non-professional engineers, more so regarding safety and their "official" seal of approval). I also know (again, at least in Canada) you do not have to have a bachelors in engineering to be a professional engineer, as long as you do engineering work for x amount of years, you can apply.

I was thinking something similar, that in Canada the title "engineer" has a legal definition.

In the US I think it can be said that all PEs are engineers, but not all engineers are PEs. I'm pretty sure there is no legal definition of the title "engineer" in the US. If I'm wrong about this I'm sure someone will let me know .

Kramer, what country are you asking about?

 

[kramer733]

Canada mostly. Also, what kind of maths do you need to do Digital Signalling and Processing? What's the pre requesites needed to learn the topic?

 

[viscousflow]

Canada mostly. Also, what kind of maths do you need to do Digital Signalling and Processing? What's the pre requesites needed to learn the topic?

Lots of differential equations and linear algebra.

Also, I just took a course in project engineering and learned all about what it means to be a Professional Engineer or a PE. The route you're going, more than likely you'll want to take the FE and PE exams. If you want to be the guy driving the design and making design choices on a project, you better get that PE license. Or else you'll just be doing the "dirty work".

Having the PE means a bit more than just being principle designer, it also means having the final say on a particular design before its put into action. This also gets into engineering ethics with that 'seal of approval MECHster spoke about'.

I am going to do my FE soon and then on to my PE. I recommend you do the same since it could save you a lot of trouble in your career choices.

Good luck.

 

[cdotter]

If you want an P.E. it depends on where you work. Some states don't like giving P.E.s to anyone without an ABET accredited degree, regardless of any graduate engineering degrees one may hold.