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17 CAR § 285-303. Professional engineer
17 CAR § 285-303. Professional engineer.
(a) Original licensure.
(1)(A) The applicant shall supply proof of graduation from an EAC of ABET-approved, or equivalent, engineering curriculum of four (4) years or more and with a specific record of an additional four (4) or more years of progressive engineering experience of a grade and character that indicates to the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors that the applicant may be competent to practice and has experienced increased engineering responsibilities.
(B) Refer to 17 CAR § 285-501.
(2)(A) The applicant shall submit five (5) references, three (3) of which shall be professional engineers having personal knowledge of the applicant’s engineering experience.
(B) Preferably these references should include both present and past supervisors.
(3)(A) One (1) additional year of education may be substituted for experience for each graduate degree in engineering not to exceed two (2) years of credit.
(B) Four (4) years must elapse after completing the requirements for the EAC of ABET degree.
(4) The applicant shall have previously passed an examination in the fundamentals of engineering that is acceptable to the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors.
(5) The applicant shall be admitted to an approved NCEES Professional Engineer examination once the applicant meets the above requirements, or the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors shall accept the results of an approved NCEES Professional Engineer examination that the applicant has previously passed.
(6) Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements, the applicant shall be licensed in the State of Arkansas.
(7)(A) The State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors may exempt an individual from the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering Examination if the individual possesses an EAC of ABET-accredited engineering degree and an earned doctorate in engineering from a school that has an accredited engineering degree program in that discipline.
(B) An oral interview/examination may replace the written examination.
(C) The NCEES Professional Engineering Examination will not be waived.
(b) Reciprocity (comity).
(1) Required qualifications. An applicant applying for reciprocal licensure shall meet the following requirements:
(A)(i) The applicant shall hold in good standing a substantially similar license in another United States jurisdiction.
(ii) A professional engineer license from another state is substantially similar to an Arkansas professional engineer license if the applicant meets one (1) of the following, whichever is least restrictive:
(a) The applicant graduated from an EAC of ABET-approved, or equivalent, engineering curriculum of four (4) years or more; or
(b) The applicant meets the Arkansas requirements for licensure that were in effect at the time the applicant received his or her initial license as a professional engineer in another state.
(iii) The applicant shall not have had a license revoked for:
(a) An act of bad faith; or
(b) A violation of law, rule, or ethics.
(iv) The applicant shall not hold a suspended or probationary license in a United States jurisdiction;
(B) The applicant shall be sufficiently competent in the field of professional engineering; and
(C) The applicant shall meet the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors’ least restrictive requirements, which are described below in subdivision (b)(2)(C) of this section.
(2) Required documentation. An applicant shall submit a fully executed application, the required fee, and the documentation described below:
(A) As evidence that the applicant’s professional engineer license from another jurisdiction is in good standing and is substantially similar to an Arkansas professional engineer license, the applicant shall submit the following information:
(i)(a) Evidence of current licensure in good standing in that state.
(b) The State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors may verify this information online or by telephone;
(ii)(a) Evidence that the applicant meets the requirements in either subdivision (b)(1)(A)(ii)(a) or (b) of this section, whichever is less restrictive.
(b) The State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors may receive verification of an applicant’s education directly from the applicant’s school or schools, or the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors may verify information online or by telephone; and
(iii) To demonstrate that the applicant has not had a license revoked for bad faith or a violation of law, rule, or ethics, as required by subdivision (b)(1)(A)(iii) of this section, and that the applicant does not hold a license on suspended or probationary status, as required by subdivision (b)(1)(A)(iv) of this section, the applicant shall provide the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors with:
(a) The names of all states in which the applicant is currently licensed or has been previously licensed; and
(b)(1) Letters of good standing or other information from each state in which the applicant is currently or has ever been licensed showing that the applicant’s license has not been revoked for the reasons listed in subdivision (b)(1)(A)(iii) of this section and is not on suspended or probationary status as described in subdivision (b)(1)(A)(iv) of this section.
(2) The State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors may verify information online or by telephone;
(B) As evidence that the applicant is sufficiently competent in engineering, an applicant shall:
(i)(a) Submit five (5) references, three (3) of which shall be professional engineers having personal knowledge of the applicant’s engineering experience.
(b) Preferably these references should include both present and past supervisors; and
(ii) Pass an examination in the fundamentals of engineering, except that the fundamentals exam shall be waived for:
(a) Individuals with at least fifteen (15) years licensed practice; or
(b) An individual with an EAC of ABET-accredited engineering degree and an earned doctorate in engineering from a school that has an accredited engineering degree program in that discipline; and
(C) As evidence that the applicant meets the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors’ least restrictive requirements, the applicant shall:
(i) Have passed the NCEES Professional Engineer examination; and
(ii)(a) Have four (4) or more years of post-graduate engineering experience.
(b) Arkansas will accept an applicant’s experience if the applicant’s experience has been accepted by another state in which applicant holds a professional engineer license in good standing that is substantially similar to an Arkansas professional engineer license.