Prospective engineering students compare programs on cost, location, research and job placement. One factor that is easy to miss at 17 shapes the next decade for anyone who later wants a professional engineering (PE) license: which commission, if any, accredits the program. In the model licensure law most state boards build on, the answer changes how long the road to a license is and how much paperwork stands in the way.

The model is the NCEES Model Law, published by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. This guide reads its August 2025 version. State boards adopt their own versions, so the details vary by state.

Three kinds of degree, three paths

The Model Law sorts qualifying education into categories, and the experience a PE applicant needs depends on which one the degree falls into:

  • An engineering bachelor's or master's from a program accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (EAC). This is the default path: pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, pass the PE exam, and show four years of progressive engineering experience after the degree.
  • An engineering technology bachelor's from a program accredited by ABET's Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC). The same exams, with six years of experience instead of four.
  • A bachelor's, master's or doctorate in engineering or engineering technology from a program that is not ABET-accredited. The applicant's education must be shown to meet the NCEES Engineering Education Standard before the degree counts, and the experience requirement then follows the four-year path.

The same categories decide who can be certified as an engineer intern, the designation many boards give after the FE exam.

What the evaluation means in practice

For a graduate of a non-accredited program, meeting the NCEES Engineering Education Standard is not automatic. The standard sets minimum coursework in math, basic sciences and engineering topics, and the graduate's transcript is compared against it, typically through NCEES's credentials evaluation service when the board requires one. A transcript that falls short may need added coursework before the board accepts it. That is an extra step, an extra fee and extra time that an EAC-accredited graduate skips.

Engineering or engineering technology

The two-year gap between the engineering and engineering technology paths in the Model Law is the clearest place where the commission matters. Engineering technology programs are accredited under different criteria and lead to different careers, many of them hands-on and applied, and state boards differ on whether, and how, they accept technology degrees for a PE license. A student drawn to an engineering technology program who expects to seek a PE license should read the target state's rules before enrolling, not after graduating.

How to check a program before applying

The accreditation fact to check is specific: the program's exact name, the commission that accredits it, and the date accreditation began. ABET's public accredited program search shows all three. A school's marketing page may say a college is accredited without saying which programs, or which commission, so the search is the place to confirm it. A program that is new and not yet accredited may become accredited later, and ABET's rules can extend accreditation back to recent graduates in some cases.

The questions to bring to an admissions visit

Ask which commission accredits the specific degree, when it was last reviewed, and what share of graduates take the FE exam before they leave. Then check the target state's licensing board for how it treats engineering technology and non-accredited degrees. Those answers decide whether the first job after graduation starts a four-year clock, a six-year one, or an evaluation first.

Licensure and renewal rules differ by state and change over time. Check the current requirements with your state licensing board before you act on them.

Sources