P.Eng Licensing Process
Information SessionMcMaster B.Tech. Students
Hamilton - Ontario
March 23, 2013
Moody Samuel Farag, M.Eng., P.Eng. Manager-Admissions
Agenda
• Professional Engineers Ontario • Professional Engineering
• Types of Licences
• P.Eng. Licence Requirements • Process Flow
Professional Engineers Ontario
(R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER P.28)
• Through the Professional Engineers Act (PEA),
Professional Engineers Ontario governs licence and
certificate holders and regulates professional engineering in Ontario to serve and protect the public.
• The principal object of the association is to regulate the practice of professional engineering and to govern its members in order that the public interest is served and protected. It protects the public by ensuring all
professional engineers have met the rigorous
qualifications for licensing and that only properly qualified individuals practise engineering
Professional Engineering
(R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER P.28)
Section (1) of the PEA states:
“practice of professional engineering” means any act of planning, designing, composing, evaluating, advising, reporting, directing or supervising that requires the
application of engineering principles and concerns the safeguarding of life, health, property, economic interests, the public welfare or the environment, or the managing of any such act”
Types of Licences
(R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER P.28)
Licences issued to Individuals under the PEA include: • Professional Engineering Licence (P.Eng);
• Limited Licence (LL);
• Provisional Licence (PL); • Temporary Licence (TL);
P.Eng. Licence Requirements
(Guide - Page 3)
To be granted a licence to practice professional engineering the applicant must:
• be at least 18 Years of Age • be of Good Character
• hold an undergraduate engineering degree from a Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board
(CEAB)-accredited program or possess equivalent qualification. • have successfully completed PEO’s Professional
P.Eng. Licence Requirements
(/…cont. academics)
(Guide - Page 3)
33. (1) Each applicant for a licence shall comply with the following rules:
The applicant shall demonstrate that he or she has obtained,
i. a bachelor's degree in an engineering
program from a Canadian university that is accredited to the Council‘s satisfaction, or
ii. equivalent engineering educational
qualifications recognized by the Council. Note:
McMaster B.Tech. graduates who apply for a P.Eng. Licence are assigned a Specific Examination Program (SEP) to demonstrate equivalency.
P.Eng. Licence Requirements
(/…cont. academics)
(Guide - Page 3)
• e.g. Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program
graduates until and including the 2007 academic year the specific program of examinations is the following:
• Section A (2 exams): Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines & Design of Machine Elements;
• Section B (2 exams): excluding Finite Element Analysis; • Engineering Economics;
• Engineering Report
• What about graduates after 2007?
P.Eng. Licence Requirements
(/…cont. academics)
(Guide - Page 5 under SEP)
How to address the SEP: • Write PEO exams;
• More than 10 years of engineering experience following
the conferral of the B.Tech degree, applicants may be
invited to attend an interview to discuss how experiential knowledge should be taken in consideration against each of the assigned exam;
• Course in lieu of writing PEO exams, must be pre-approved by PEO.
P.Eng. Licence Requirements
(/…cont. PPE )
(Guide - Page 6)
• The Professional Practice Exam (PPE) consists of an Examination of Law and Ethics for the Practice of
Professional Engineering in Ontario
P.Eng. Licence Requirements
(/…cont. experience )
(Guide - Page 6)
Regulations section 33.(2) states: “Each applicant for a licence shall comply with the following rules:
The applicant shall demonstrate that he or she has had 48 months of experience in the practice of professional
engineering….
Up to 12 months of the practical experience referred to
above may be acquired after the applicant has completed one-half of the classroom component of the degree or
equivalent educational qualifications. The balance shall be
acquired after the degree or equivalent educational qualifications are obtained……..
At least 12 months of the balance referred to above shall be acquired in a Canadian jurisdiction, under the supervision of a P.Eng.”
P.Eng. Licence Requirements
(/…cont. experience )
(Guide - Page 6)
PEO evaluates each applicant experience against the five, quality-based criteria:
Application of theory;
E.g. Analysis, Design, synthesis…. Practical experience;
E.g. Testing, Implementation methods… • Management of Engineering;
• Communication Skills; and
Process Flow
(Guide - Page 7) CEAB Applicants Academic Assessment Non-CEAB Applicants Academic Assessment Exempt from Technical Exams Assign Exam ProgramDoes not meet minimum Academic Requirements
Pass Exam Program
Professional Practice Exam Experience Assessment ERC Interview ERC Interview P. Eng Licence Applicant Request Staff Referral
Qualifies for EIT (must mark the
box in the P.Eng. Application)
Notes:
•McMaster B.Tech graduates are assigned Specific Examination Program and qualify for enrollment in the EIT.
•EIT program allows applicants with less than three years engineering experience to have the quality of their experience reviewed by the EIT unit, however applicants with substantial years of experience that also have acquired one year of Canadian
engineering experience who met the academic requirements and passed the PPE will have their experience assessed for licensure and not as part of the EIT.
Questions?
Q.1) What information is required for applying to the PEO? McMaster transcripts and course descriptions, college transcripts and course descriptions, Letters from
supervisors, job descriptions, resumes/CVs, etc?
A.1) Applicants should submit all the supporting
documents as stated in the Guide, such as: Academic documents on page 4, Experience record on page 10, References on page 11, Proof of Identification on page 10…..etc.
Questions?
Q.2) How long does the PEO need to review an
application?
A.2) Usually applicants should expect a reply
within 8 weeks from the time PEO receives all the supporting documents. See Guide P 7.
Note: sometimes it may take longer depending on the number of applications in process.
Questions?
Q.3) When is the earliest you can apply/have your file
reviewed by PEO? Can it be reviewed before completion of the B Tech program (in anticipation of graduation)?
A.3) Theoretically any body can apply anytime; however
PEO will not start processing an application unless all the supporting documents are received, transcript must show conferral date (i.e. graduation date).
Questions?
Q.4) When is the latest you can apply/have your file
reviewed by PEO relative to your graduation year?
Questions?
Q.5) How are the B Tech students that apply individually
evaluated? Does a student’s GPA, electives chosen, work experience, etc make a difference during the
evaluation?
A.5) In general, applications are assessed on a case by
case bases (individual assessment), the outcome of the assessment depends on each applicant’s academic
preparations. Applicants may have more than one degree or may have taken different options or may request to be assessed in the discipline of their practice rather than the
Questions?
Q.6) How many students need to apply from my program
stream before the PEO will review the program? Can students that apply individually before the program is reviewed expect to have the same number of challenge exams as those who apply after the review takes place?
A.6) Enough applicants to justify the time taken to undergo
such a review and also to ensure the maturity of the program and its sustainability (it is common for new programs to evolve for improvement purposes).
The number of gap (not challenging!) exams assigned will depend on the (elective) courses taken by each applicants.
Questions?
Q.7) What PEO engineering disciplines would B.Tech.
grads from each stream be eligible to apply to?
A.7) PEO currently has about 30 recognized disciplines
such as Civil, Mechanical, …etc (complete list available on PEO website). Applicants are assessed in the closest discipline to their academics unless the applicant
Questions?
Q.8) I am a student enrolled in Process Automation. The
skills I learn in school fall under control system
engineering, but this field is not listed by Engineers
Canada. How will I be evaluated? In what field will be the exams that I have to write?
A.8) Unless the applicant indicates a specific preference,
PEO will assess an applicant in the closest discipline to the academics resulting in the least number of exams.
Questions?
Q.9) Why do I have to write challenge exams?
A.9) If an individual wishes to practice professional
engineering he/she must meet the legislated
requirements. Rather than rejecting the application PEO provides that individual with an opportunity to augment his/her academics to meet the requirements and
therefore these exams are deficiencies that were
identified, I would not consider them challenging exams. See guide page 4
Questions?
Q.10) When assessing for challenge exams, does the PEO factor in my college program specialization? (for DCP only)
A.10) All applicant's academic preparation will be
considered and applicants would be assigned an exam program to bridge the gap in their preparation in
comparison to the requirements for licensure, usually it is a Specific Examination Program. See page 4 of the
Questions?
Q.11) If I continue with a Master’s program in Engineering, will I be evaluated differently?
A.11) Please note that post graduate degrees are not
accredited by CEAB, however, all applicant's academic preparation will be considered when applying to PEO. Applicants with postgraduate degrees may still be
assigned an exam program because post graduate programs may not necessary cover the deficiencies identified. Bridging the gaps is therefore necessary;
Questions?
Q.12) For the exams to be written for the PEO, could university courses be taken in lieu?
A.12) Yes, this may be an option, but course(s) in lieu of writing PEO exams must be pre-approved by PEO, see Guide page 5.
In general for a course-in-lieu to be approved, it must satisfy some criteria such as:
– Cover PEO’s exam material, some exams may not be
covered by one university course and multiple courses may be required to cover one PEO exam;
– Must be a course taken by CEAB students;
– Taught by a P.Eng.;
Questions?
Q.13) Does the PEO take into consideration past work
experience besides academics when evaluating for challenge exams?
A.13) Applicant’s who are assigned Specific Examination Program (Gap exams) and has acquired more than 10 years of engineering experience following the conferral
of the B.Tech degree, may be invited to attend an
interview to discuss how experiential knowledge should be taken in consideration against each of the assigned
Questions?
Q.14) Where does one find the necessary study material for PEO exams?
A.14) PEO provides to its applicants the syllabus and suggested text listings, past exams are available from PEO office at a nominal value. Applicants have the freedom to choose how they prepare for the exams.
Questions?
Q.I5) If I complete all the technical exams but haven't gotten my 4 years of work experience, can I still go to Kipling and get my ring? Or do I have to wait till I
complete all the PEO requirements and attain my P.Eng first?
A.15) To find out about “The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer” please contact Camp #13 which is at
Questions?
Q.16) When does the PEO begin counting experience requirements? (i.e. before or after the academic
requirements/challenge exams are satisfied)? Q.17) For the more experienced student who have
performed engineering work under the guidance of an engineer before graduation, can that work experience be taken into consideration? Is management of
technical/engineering staff and activities consideration for work experience?
Q.18) Will my co-op placements be considered as work experience?
Questions?
Q.19) Do I need to be working directly under a P.Eng. for all 4 years?
Q.20) Once the PEO examinations are completed, how do you go about getting your experience considered if
previous work experience is present? Does the PEO need a signed form from supervisor(s) (P Eng) to prove that
work before completion of examinations was at the EIT level (or an equivalent form of proof)? Can you challenge PEO’s decision on this matter?
Questions?
Q.22) Would a Master’s degree count towards the experience requirements?
A.16-22) Covered before, see page 10 of the licensing guide and for more information please read the “Guide to the Required Experience for Licensing as a Professional Engineer in Ontario”.
Questions?
Q.23) Does the PEO have any statistics on graduates from the B. Tech program becoming Licensed successfully?
A.23) Stats does not help much. Meeting the licensure
requirements are individual achievements. Some B.Tech graduates not only were licenced but they did very well and were offered awards in PEO’s Annual General
Questions?
Q.24) Does the PEO accept engineers that have been licensed in the US or other provinces?
A.24) PEO has no reciprocity agreements with any of the US states. However a P.Eng. in another Canadian
province or territory in good standing can transfer to PEO. Refer to page 3 of the licensing guide under transfers.
Questions?
Q.25) Would my P.Eng. license be recognized in other provinces or outside of Canada?
A.25) You should inquire at the other Canadian province or territory.
Questions?
Q.26) Does the PEO recommend any other pathways to becoming Licensed for B. Tech graduates after
graduation that would lead to greater career success?
A.26) Not too sure that I understand the question. But it was explained earlier how B.Tech applicants can meet the
Questions?
Q.27) What is the difference between a limited and full license?
Q.27) I hope by now, you have a clear understanding of the P.Eng. Licence. As for a Limited Licence, it is issued to an individual who, as a result of at least 13 years of
specialized experience, has developed competence in a certain area of professional engineering, this area defines the limitation of his/her practice. To find out all the
Questions?
Q.28) Can you explain Bill 68 – Repeal of Industrial
Exemption – and what it will mean for B.Tech. grads?
A.28) To put it simply, I like to quote President Denis Dixon, P.Eng, he wrote in the Engineering Dimension
March/April 2013 issue: “ As approved by the
government on February 27, 2013, effective September 1, 2013, those responsible for professional engineering work in relation to production machinery or equipment must be licensed by PEO to perform such work. The repeal will improve workplace safety and efficiency and provide higher standard of professional accountability”
