Engineering

At Union, you can earn the BSE with a concentration in either electrical or mechanical engineering. Through this ABET-accredited general engineering degree, you will be equipped with a sound technical base for a career in industry, provided with the foundation necessary to succeed in graduate school, and prepared to achieve licensure as a Professional Engineer (P.E.). In the United States, engineers are licensed at the state level by professional licensing boards.

Many jobs in the engineering field are available to qualified but unlicensed graduates of an engineering program. However, Union University strongly supports licensure and requires all engineering seniors to take the FE exam prior to graduation. A BSE degree from Union University fully meets the educational requirements to sit for the FE exam. It also fully complies with educational requirements to sit for the PE exam, but additional work experience along with acceptable professional recommendations are also required. Since these additions generally occur after graduation, the licensure candidate is strongly encouraged to discuss questions with the engineering chair and to confirm eligibility with the applicable state board.

In general, the licensure process requires three steps.

1. The candidate for licensure must pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. This exam is designed for recent college graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program.
2. In most states, the candidate must gain four years of relevant work experience under a licensed Professional Engineer. Some states allow graduate engineering degrees or other special circumstances to substitute for a portion of the required work experience, but the general principle of requiring relevant and progressive work experience as a part of the licensure process exists in some form in all states.
3. The candidate must take the Principals and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam, which is designed to test for a minimum level of competency in a particular engineering discipline. Sitting for the PE exam also requires letters of recommendation from licensed Professional Engineers with direct knowledge of the candidate’s ability and fitness for licensure.

There are some exceptions to this general process, many of which vary on a state-by-state basis. However, the first step in the process — the FE exam — is a national exam, and a passing result in any state is generally accepted nationwide. Information about taking the exam in the state of Tennessee. The PE exam is more varied and depends upon the specific engineering discipline as well as the state in which the candidate desires licensure. For information about licensure rules in a specific state, contact the relevant state board.