Industrial Engineers

Certification or Licensing

Licensure as a professional engineer is recommended since an increasing number of employers require it. Even those employers who do not require licensing will view it favorably when considering new hires or when reviewing workers for promotion. Licensing requirements vary from state to state. In general, however, they involve having graduated from an accredited school, having four years of work experience, and having passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam. These exams are offered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (https://www.ncees.org). Depending on your state, you can take the Fundamentals exam shortly after your graduation from college or after you have received your bachelor's degree. At that point you will be an engineer-in-training (EIT). Once you have fulfilled all the licensure requirements, you receive the designation professional engineer (PE).

SME, a professional association for manufacturing professionals, provides the certified manufacturing engineer credential to applicants who have a minimum of eight combined years of manufacturing-related education and work experience (a minimum of four years) and pass an examination.