Initial Licensure
To qualify for initial licensure (you neither currently nor have ever been licensed in another jurisdiction), you must have:
- Graduated from an EAC/ABET or CEAB-accredited engineering program or met the NCEES Education Standard
- Passed both the FE and PE/SE exams;
- Gained at least four years of progressive engineering experience acceptable to the Board; and
- Passed an exam, administered by the Board, on the Nebraska E&A Act, the E&A Rules, and the ethics of practicing engineering.
If you are currently or have been licensed in another jurisdiction, please refer to the Comity Licensure page.
Note: If you were approved to sit for the PE exam by the Nebraska Board or your PE exam application packet with the Board was completed prior to November 14, 2020, you are not required to submit the Application for Initial Licensure of a Professional Engineer. Once you have passed the PE exam, you will receive the exam on The Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act, the Board Rules, and ethics with your results notification letter. Once you have returned your successfully passed exam, your license will be issued.
Application Process
It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit the application along with all supporting documents and fees to the Board.
- Complete and submit the Application for Initial Licensure of a Professional Engineer along with the applicable filing fee.
- Have official verification of graduation from an EAC/ABET or CEAB-accredited engineering program to be sent directly to the Nebraska board from the granting institute, its authorized agent, or NCEES. If you do not hold an EAC/ABET or CEAB-accredited degree, have NCEES Credentials Evaluations transmit a copy of its report directly to the Nebraska Board. If any deficiencies are identified, they will need to be corrected or removed by the Board prior to approval. For more information on correcting deficiencies, refer to Rule 2.2 of The Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulations Act (Title 110, NAC).
- If you passed the FE and/or PE/SE exams in another jurisdiction, have verification of your passing the FE and PE/SE exam sent directly to the Nebraska board from the jurisdiction in which you passed the exams. You may be able to request an electronic verification through your MyNCEES account. If your jurisdiction is not listed, have a Verification of Licensure or Examination of a Professional Engineer form completed and sent directly to the Nebraska board.
- Upon receipt of your application, an exam on The Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act will be sent to you. This must be successfully passed and sent back to the Board prior to your license being issued.
Any information requested on the application with respect to education, experience, or references may be provided by submitting an NCEES Council Record.
Once all the above has been received, your application will be reviewed by the Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The license will be issued upon approval.
In Nebraska, licenses are discipline-specific based on the PE Exam discipline. For example, if you have passed the Civil PE Exam, then you will be licensed as a Professional Civil Engineer, and your seal will be designated as such. Your seal must have the specific discipline listed between “Professional” and “Engineer,” i.e. Professional Civil Engineer. Nebraska recognizes all disciplines of the examination as offered by NCEES. However, licensees may practice in and seal documents related to any discipline of engineering in which the individual can demonstrate training, education, and experience.
To be licensed as a structural engineer, an applicant must have passed the 16-hour structural exam.
Application for Initial Licensure of a Professional Engineer
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB)
If you have any questions about the application process for initial licensure, please contact us.