Fundamentals of Engineering Exam

As an engineer, you can be licensed like other professionals, earning the privilege to put the P.E. designation behind your name. Licensure is very important in some disciplines, such as civil engineering, and less important in others. It depends on the professional culture.

Historically, licensure has not been important for bio- or biomedical engineers, but there is growing discussion of the importance of licensure. At this time, licensure is not required to work in the field, but it does communicate to potential employers a standardized level of knowledge and engineering skill.

One thing to consider during this time in your career is that you will be the most prepared to take the standardized exam required to begin the licensure process because you will have recently taken relevant courses. The process for licensure begins with taking the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (FE, formerly the EIT exam) and graduating from an ABET-accredited engineering program.

The FE exam consists of two parts: the morning exam, which is the same for everyone, and the afternoon specialized exam, where you select to take the chemical, civil, electrical, environmental, industrial, mechanical, or other disciplines (formerly general) exam. Biomedical engineering students would be most qualified to take the other disciplines exam, but you can take the one of your choosing.

The FE exam is offered in October and April.