Intern | Professional | Certificate of Authorization
The Board issues and maintains licenses for Engineer Interns and Professional Engineers. The Board’s laws and rules also require that firms offering or providing engineering services have a license called a Certificate of Authorization.
Following is general information on how to obtain and renew each type of engineering license. The Board’s laws and rules also contain specific information and these can be accessed by clicking the “Rules/Regs/Standards” tab from the home page.
Engineer Intern
An Engineer Intern has demonstrated the proper requirements, and has been admitted to and passed an examination in the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE).
Intern applicants are classed as either students or non-students. A student applicant is one that is verified by a school official as being within 12 months of graduating from an engineering program that is or that is equivalent to one accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. (EAC of ABET) Non-student applicants are all others.
Student or non-students can choose to submit their applications on-line or on paper forms. Because the primary requirement to be admitted is proof of the degree from the EAC of ABET accredited program, most intern applicants can be conditionally approved and admitted to the FE by staff.
Also, because the FE is developed and administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), approved applicants must also sign up with them. This requires logging onto the NCEES website at www.NCEES.org and providing the requested information and paying a fee. Specific instructions regarding exam admittance and administration will come from NCEES.
In order to insure that everyone that is approved by the Board has also registered with NCEES, the Board has established application cutoff dates for the April and October exam administrations. For the April examination, the cutoff date is January 1 prior, and the cutoff is July 1 for the October administration.
The examinations are scored by NCEES and the results are submitted to the Board usually about 6-8 weeks after administration. The Board will post those passing on its website within 24 hours of receipt and each individual examinee will be notified usually within 2 weeks. Scores are not reported but those that do not pass will be furnished a diagnostic sheet showing how they performed on specific subjects.
An applicant that passes will be given an intern number if proof of graduation has been received. Those that do not pass have the ability to take the exam two (2) more times (three (3) times total) and then another application must be submitted.
For more information on the FE exam visit www.NCEES.org website.
Licenses are renewed every two (2) years. The Board encourages online renewal of licenses but renewals can also be submitted on paper forms. The online renewal feature is located on the home page and the renewal forms can be retrieved from the Applications/Forms tab also on the home page.
Professional Engineer
A professional engineer can be one admitted either through original or comity licensure. Original licensure generally mean first licensure, and requires that the applicant demonstrate graduation from an engineering program that is or is equivalent to one accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. (EAC of ABET), has passed the FE and completed 4 years of satisfactory experience. These applicants, when approved, must take and pass an examination in the Principles and Practice of Engineering before licensure.
An applicant for comity licensure means that he or she is already licensed in another jurisdiction and seeks to become licensed based on that prior licensure. Arkansas’ rules for this type of licensure generally require an analysis of whether the applicant’s qualifications for licensure would have met our state’s requirements when the original licensure was obtained. A summary of current and prior licensing requirements are included in the “”Rules/Regs/Standards” section. As explained later, some comity applicants may also qualify for a Temporary Permit, however, these are usually of little benefit to most applicants.
Original or comity applicants can choose to submit their applications on-line or on paper forms. Comity applicants with an NCEES record can use information in the record in lieu of submitting it on the Board’s forms. The different applications are processed differently as well. Because original applications require passing an examination, that process is somewhat similar to that for an intern applicant and will be discussed first.
Unlike the intern applications, however, all original applications are sent to and voted on by the Board at a regular meeting. If approved, the applicant when notified of the Board’s decision is directed to sign up with NCEES for administration of the Principles and Practice Examination. This requires logging onto the NCEES website at www.NCEES.org and providing the requested information and paying a fee. Specific instructions regarding exam admittance and administration will come from NCEES.
In order to insure that everyone that is approved by the Board has also registered with NCEES, the Board has established application cutoff dates for the April and October exam administrations. For the April examination, the cutoff date is January 1 prior, and the cutoff is July 1 for the October administration. Applicants should take note that all application materials (license and education verifications and references) must be received by the cutoff date so they can be copied and sent to the Board members in advance of their meeting.
The examinations are scored by NCEES and the results are submitted to the Board usually about 6-8 weeks after administration. The Board will post those passing on its website within 24 hours of receipt and each individual examinee will be notified usually within 2 weeks. Scores are not reported but those that do not pass will be furnished a diagnostic sheet showing how they performed on specific subjects.
An applicant that passes will be given a license number. Those that do not pass have the ability to take the exam two (2) more times (three (3) times total) and then another application must be submitted.
Comity applications are processed in one of two ways depending on the applicant’s qualifications. Those that demonstrate they meet the Board’s current rules for original licensure may be approved using an expedited process where the Executive Director has been given authority to conditionally approve subject to later ratification by the Board, applicants for licensure. This type of approval is generally reserved for those whose qualifications would also meet the NCEES “Model Law Engineer” (MLE) requirements.
Other comity applicants have to be approved by the Board at a regular meeting. The Board generally meets on the second Tuesday of every odd-numbered month, and applications are mailed to members 3 weeks prior. As a result, the amount of time needed to process these “non-MLE” applicants depends to a great extent on when the completed application is received and when the next regularly scheduled meeting occurs.
The Board’s rules also provide for a Temporary Permit, however, its benefit is often very limited because it can be issued only to certain applicants and those applicants are usually also the ones whose applications can take advantage of the expedited conditional approval. A Temporary Permit is a short-term 60 day authorization to practice engineering to cover the completion time of the full comity application. The Permit can generally be issued by the Executive Director only to those that meet the NCEES MLE requirements. Because the application is conditionally approved by the Executive Director, a Temporary Permit is a good option only when gathering the necessary references may take some time. Applicants considering applying for a Temporary Permit are encouraged to call the Board office at 501-682-2824 to see if it might be beneficial in their particular case.
Licenses are renewed every two (2) years. The Board encourages online renewal of Professional Engineer licenses but renewals can also be submitted on paper forms. The online renewal feature is located on the home page and the renewal forms can be retrieved from the Applications/Forms tab also on the home page. Professional licensees report continuing education hours when renewing.
Certificate of Authorization
As opposed to an individual license, the Certificate of Authorization (COA) is issued to a firm. As explained in Article 21 of the Board’s rules, a COA is necessary to provide or offer to provide engineering services through a firm.
The requirements to obtain a COA are relatively straightforward, and consist of providing basic information about the firm as well as designating an individual licensed in this state as being responsible for the firm’s engineering activities.
The rules also provide that only firms holding a COA are authorized to use the terms “Engineer” or “Engineering” or any other form of those words in their title. If you have questions about this requirement, you are encouraged to call the Board at 501-682-2824.
The term “Model Law Engineer” is defined in NCEES Model Rules which can be accessed through the www.NCEES.org website or you can contact the Board for more information.