Becoming an engineer requires a combination of the right high school preparation, a four-year degree from an accredited program, and (for many career paths) professional licensure through two exams and several years of supervised work experience. The exact timeline from start to finish typically spans eight to ten years, from your first day of college to earning a full Professional Engineer license.
High School Preparation
Engineering programs at the college level hit the ground running with advanced math and physics, so your high school coursework matters more than you might expect. The single most important thing you can do is take as much math as possible across all four years. Ideally that includes calculus, but don’t rush past pre-calculus or algebra 2, since concepts from those courses come back repeatedly in engineering coursework. If you have a choice between statistics and introductory calculus in your senior year, take calculus. If you run out of math courses at your high school, taking a class at a local college is a worthwhile option.
Physics is the second priority. You’ll need a college-preparatory physics course, ideally in your junior or senior year, that uses at least algebra-level math in its calculations. A general ninth-grade science class that happens to be called “physics” isn’t sufficient preparation on its own. A rigorous chemistry course rounds out the core sciences. Biology is increasingly relevant too, especially for fields like biomedical or environmental engineering, but it shouldn’t replace physics or chemistry in your schedule.
Some high schools offer introductory engineering or design courses. These can give you a useful window into what engineers actually do, but treat them as enrichment rather than substitutes for math and science.
College Degree Requirements
A bachelor’s degree in engineering is the standard entry point into the profession. For your degree to carry the most weight with employers and licensing boards, it should come from a program accredited by ABET, the organization that sets curriculum standards for engineering education in the United States. ABET-accredited programs must meet specific minimums for coursework:
- Math and basic sciences: At least 30 semester credit hours, including mathematics through differential equations, calculus-based physics, and chemistry. “College-level math” in this context means anything at least as rigorous as introductory calculus, so courses like linear algebra, probability, statistics, and discrete mathematics all count.
- Engineering topics: At least 45 semester credit hours covering engineering sciences, computer sciences, and engineering design, all using modern engineering tools.
- Broad education: A general education component (humanities, social sciences, communications) that complements the technical curriculum.
- Capstone design project: A culminating design experience that pulls together knowledge from earlier coursework and incorporates real engineering standards and constraints.
That adds up to a minimum of 75 credit hours just in technical content, which is why most engineering degrees require around 120 to 130 total credits and take four to five years to complete. The specific courses beyond those minimums vary by discipline. An architectural engineering program, for instance, must cover building structures, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and construction management, with deep design-level work in at least one of those areas.
Technical Skills You’ll Need
Beyond coursework, employers expect graduating engineers to be fluent in certain tools. Proficiency with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software is essentially universal across disciplines, whether you’re designing circuit boards, bridges, or aircraft components. MATLAB or similar computational tools are standard for data analysis, modeling, and simulation. Microsoft Office, particularly Excel for data handling and PowerPoint for project presentations, remains a baseline expectation.
The deeper skill, though, is adaptability. Engineering tools evolve constantly, and the ability to pick up new software quickly is often more valuable than mastery of any single platform. Your degree program will expose you to the foundational tools, but expect to keep learning new ones throughout your career.
The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam
If you plan to pursue professional licensure, the Fundamentals of Engineering exam is the first step. It’s designed for students in their final year of an ABET-accredited program or recent graduates. The exam covers the broad technical knowledge you acquired during your degree, and passing it earns you the designation of Engineer Intern (EI) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT), depending on your state.
Eligibility rules vary by state. Some licensing boards let you register while you’re still in your final year of school, while others require you to have completed a certain number of credits or already hold your degree. You’re allowed one attempt per testing window and no more than three attempts in any 12-month period. The FE exam isn’t required for all engineering jobs, but it’s a prerequisite for eventually earning a Professional Engineer license.
Work Experience for Licensure
After passing the FE exam, you’ll need to accumulate qualifying engineering experience before you can sit for the PE exam. Most states require four years of work under the supervision of someone legally qualified to practice engineering, typically a licensed Professional Engineer. In some cases, employees of the federal government or certain industrial corporations can also serve as qualifying supervisors.
The experience has to involve actual engineering tasks: design, analysis, project management, applied research. It’s calculated on actual hours worked, capped at 40 hours per week, so there’s no shortcut through overtime. The intent is to ensure you’ve spent enough time applying engineering principles in real-world settings before practicing independently.
The Professional Engineer (PE) Exam
The PE exam is the final hurdle for licensure and is significantly more challenging than the FE. It tests deep expertise in your specific discipline rather than broad fundamentals. Pass rates tell the story: first-time test takers pass at rates ranging from about 48% in nuclear engineering to 91% in agricultural and biological engineering. Most disciplines fall in the 55% to 70% range for first-time attempts. Civil engineering specialties, for example, see first-time pass rates between 55% and 68% depending on the focus area. Mechanical engineering disciplines range from 64% to 71%.
Repeat attempts are substantially harder. Pass rates for repeat test takers drop to the 30% to 50% range in most disciplines, with some as low as 0% for computer engineering and 29% for industrial and systems engineering. This underscores the importance of thorough preparation on your first attempt.
Do You Actually Need a PE License?
Not every engineering career requires professional licensure. The PE license is legally required when you need to sign off on engineering plans submitted to public authorities, offer engineering services directly to the public, or take responsible charge of work that affects public safety. Civil, structural, and environmental engineers almost always need it. In fields like software engineering, manufacturing, or tech-focused roles, many engineers work their entire careers without one.
That said, holding a PE license expands your career options, increases earning potential, and carries significant professional credibility. Even in fields where it isn’t strictly required, it can set you apart.
Continuing Education After Licensure
Once licensed, most states require Professional Engineers to complete continuing education to keep their license active. The specific requirements vary widely. Some states mandate a set number of professional development hours per renewal cycle, while others, like Colorado, don’t require any continuing education at all for PE license renewal. Check your state’s licensing board for the exact rules that apply to you.