Engineering Registration Trends

Registration in the particular state of desired practice is mandatory for direct-to-client engineering services and in some states, for industrial ancillary services also. State statutory requirements vary, but there is a trend toward greater uniformity in qualification requirements for registration and the adoption of uniform examinations by 48 of the 50 states facilitates multistate registration by reciprocity or comity. A trend toward more exacting educational requirements is noted and will probably continue. College degree programs in engineering technology do not receive full acceptance as satisfying the educational requirements for professional registration but are allowed partial credit in many states. The move toward metrification assures that a generation of professional engineers must be conversant with both English and SI units.