Professional Registration

A profession is an occupation which

Renders a service based upon advanced, specialized knowledge and skill.
Performs its services to a large degree in the general public interest and has a substantial public obligation; and
Is bound by a code requiring specific ethical behavior including trustworthiness and maintenance of confidential client relationships.

Professional registration gives assurance that only those persons who meet fixed educational and experience requirements may practice as registered professional engineers. Regulation is achieved in Arizona by protecting the use of the title “Professional Engineer (PE).”

You should become registered to

Establish your professional standing on the basis of legal requirements and - Receive authority to practice your profession before the public.

Arizona registration requires that the engineer

Have at least eight (8) years of appropriate engineering experience and education and - Pass the engineer-in-training and professional engineers exam.

Students are to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (previously called the engineer-in-training) exam during their last semester at the University of Arizona. This is a requirement of students in BE 498B which is based upon the following rationale:

Before they forget the engineering fundamentals tested in this exam,
While it is convenient,
Review sessions and the exam is held are available at the UA, and
So that students will get an “Engineer-In-Training” status certificate (if they pass), a useful addition to their résumé

The FE exam is computer-based and can be taken year-round at National Council for Examiners for Engineering (NCEES) approved Pearson VUE test centers. There are four in Arizona (Tucson, Chandler, Phoenix, and Flagstaff). The one in Tucson is located at the Pearson Professional Center, 5210 E Williams Circle, Suite 810, Merrill Lynch Building, Tucson, AZ 85711. The test consists of 110 questions, and you are given 6 hours to complete the exam. The FE is offered in seven disciplines: Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, Environmental, Industrial and Systems, Mechanical, and Other Disciplines. You may choose whichever discipline you want.

The exam is offered monthly at approved testing centers. HOWEVER, YOU MUST OBTAIN APPROVAL FROM THE ARIZONA BOARD OF TECHNICAL REGISTRATION FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN SCHEDULE YOUR FE EXAM DATE. Gaining approval can take as much as 8 weeks, so do not delay in obtaining AZ BTR approval to sit for the FE exam. For more information about obtaining AZ BTR approval to sit for the exam, go to Arizona BTR application to schedule FE Exam document.

The BE department recognizes that the exam registration fee is expensive. We are fortunate that we have alumni who both value the FE exam AND understand the financial burden that the FE exam can impose. Currently, the department can help defray half the cost of the FE exam registration fee. Application form here