PE Licensure

Becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) is a powerful way to take your engineering career to the next level. It signals to employers, clients, and peers that you’re not only technically skilled, but also professionally accountable, ethically grounded, and legally recognized to sign off on critical engineering work.

For many mechanical and aerospace engineers—especially those pursuing roles in consulting, government, or leadership—earning your PE license is a smart career move.

Why get licensed?

Even if you don’t need it right away, getting licensed can set you apart and give you long-term flexibility in your career. A PE license:

• Expands your job opportunities
• Enhances your credibility and earning potential
• Allows you to work on public projects or start your own firm
• Shows a strong commitment to your profession and public safety

How to Get Started at UT

At UT, the first step in becoming a PE is taking the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam, usually in your senior year. Our programs are structured to prepare you for this exam through a rigorous ABET-accredited curriculum and hands-on engineering experiences.

The FE exam is administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and is required before applying for full PE licensure. After passing the FE and gaining relevant work experience (typically 4 years), you can sit for the PE exam in your discipline.

Why take the exam now?

The exam covers fundamentals like statics, dynamics, strength of materials, and more. Preparing for and taking the exam now can be beneficial as no job requires you to use all of those in your everyday work. Delaying taking the exam several years after college could be very difficult as it would be easy to forget some of those fundamentals. Finding time to review the fundamentals on your own while working a full-time job and balancing your home-life can be difficulty. Once you pass the FE exam, you would then have to prepare for the PE exam as well.