Wyoming Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors
Board's Mission Statement
The Board's mission is to safeguard life, health and property of the public by assuring that those who practice the professions of engineering and land surveying are licensed and attain and maintain competence in those professions.
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Hours
Mon-Fri: 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Closed: 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
Board Announcements
Fall Board Bulletin 2022.pdfFall Wyoming Board Bulletin
From the newly appointed PELS to those that are out making a difference with engineering, check out the Board's Fall newsletter, the Wyoming Board Bulletin, for these stories and more!
Outreach - 2023
We invite educators and students in grades 9-12 to connect and collaborate with professional land surveyors and GIS professionals as part of a statewide effort to raise awareness about these professions while supporting STEM objectives. Students will engage in an activity involving a web-based, interactive map called GEOInquiry that will connect students to their communities, Wyoming, the U.S. and the entire globe.
To schedule your in class visit or for more information, contact:
Cindy Jones |307-766-4236 |cynthia.jones@uwyo.edu
Wyoming Paths to Professional Engineering Licensure
The Wyoming Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (WYOPEPLS) assists in providing information and guidance to obtain a professional engineering license. WYOPEPLS’s website provides a “one-stop” location for license application; renewal; search; and related rules, regulations and statutes (https://engineersandsurveyors.wyo.gov/home).
Wyoming was the first state to require licensure of engineers in 1907 due to the “unruly nature of engineering and land surveying in a vast, largely undeveloped state.” Charles Bellamy (patriarch of a Wyoming family of engineers) was the first licensed engineer in the U.S. His license was issued on August 8, 1907. Since 1907, Wyoming has issued over 11,000 professional licenses.
The Wyoming license of professional engineers is based on the “three-legged stool” of engineering education, engineering experience, and examination. To meet these requirements, Wyoming has multiple paths to licensure. Three of the paths are summarized here.
Traditional Pathway. The traditional path requires a degree from an engineering program that is accredited by ABET/EAC, four years of engineering experience completed after the degree, and successful completion of the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination and an NCEES Principles of Practice Exam (PE) or NCEES Structural Exam (SE).
Doctoral Degree Path. A license may also be obtained via the doctoral degree path. For this path, the applicant must have earned a doctoral degree in engineering from an institution that grants ABET/EAC accredited undergraduate or graduate degrees. Four years of engineering experience is also required. The four years of experience must be obtained after the applicant completes their first degree (undergraduate or graduate) in engineering. The applicant must also successfully complete a written examination on professional ethics and Wyoming engineering licensing laws and also complete an interview with the Board.
NCEES Equivalency Path. What if your engineering education does not fit these paths? In this case, your combined educational credentials (undergraduate, graduate) will be evaluated against the NCEES education standard by the WYOPEPLS Application Review Committee (ARC) for schools within the United States. The standard requires:
32 college semester credit hours of higher mathematics and basic sciences.
o Credits in mathematics must be beyond algebra and trigonometry and must emphasize mathematical concepts and principles rather than computation. Courses in differential and integral calculus are required.
o Credits in basic sciences must include at least two courses. These courses must be in general chemistry, general calculus-based physics, or general biological sciences; the two courses may not be in the same area.
48 college credit hours of engineering science and engineering design.
o Courses in engineering science must be taught within the college/faculty of engineering and must have their roots in mathematics and basic sciences but carry knowledge further toward creative application of engineering principles.
o Courses in engineering design must stress the establishment of objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction, testing, and evaluation. Graduate-level engineering courses may be included to fulfill curricular requirements in this area.
12 college credit hours in a general education component that complements the technical content of the curriculum.
o Examples of traditional humanities/social sciences courses in this area are philosophy, religion, history, literature, fine arts, sociology, psychology, political science, anthropology, economics (micro and macro), professional ethics, and social responsibility. Examples of other general education courses deemed acceptable include management (such as organizational behavior), accounting, written and oral communications, business, and law.
If your education credentials are from an international institution of higher education, equivalency analysis is completed directly by NCEES. (https://ncees.org/records/ncees-credentials-evaluations/).
If your education credentials are found to be equivalent to NCEES standards, you will need to complete four years of engineering experience and successfully complete the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination and an NCEES Principles of Practice Exam (PE) or NCEES Structural Exam (SE).
If your education credentials are found to be not equivalent to NCEES standards, the ARC will provide a list of requirements to meet equivalency. Applicants are encouraged to complete additional coursework in a timely manner.
The goal of the WYOPEPLS is to assist all qualified applicants in obtaining a professional engineering license. We are here to help. Feel free to reach out to WYOPEPLS at: wyopepls@wyo.gov
Steven Barrett, Ph.D. P.E.
Steven Barrett, Ph.D. P.E. is a licensed professional engineer in Wyoming and Colorado. He has served on the WYOPEPLS since 2016. He received the BS Electronic Engineering Technology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1979, the M.E.E.E. from the University of Idaho at Moscow in 1986, and the Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin in 1993.
Exam Updates
Fall 2022 Exam Changes
The following exams will transition to computer-based testing (CBT) in October 2022. These exams are only offered once a year (October 17 & 18, 2022). Registration for the exams began November 2021. Register with NCEES to reserve your seat at a Pearson VUE test center as soon as possible.
Applicants may sign up with the Wyoming Board for licensure by using the Professional Initial Exam & Licensure Application after passing exam and obtaining their four (4) years of experience.
PE & Structural Pencil-and-Paper Exams
The PE 16-hour Structural pencil-and-paper exam will be administered on October 20-21, 2022. This will be the only exam offered in pencil-and-paper format and it will be offered at select locations. Registration opens June 13, 2022.
Registration closes at 3:00 PM EST on August 25, 2022.
Examinees may register directly with NCEES. No application needed with the Wyoming Board in order to register for the PE 16-hour Structural pencil-and-paper exam.
Two (2) weeks before exam: Any candidates who have not received their exam authorization by this date should contact NCEES directly at https://ncees.org/contact/.
Important Dates
September 28, 2022
UWCEAS STEM Job Fair | University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Applied Sciences | Wyoming Union, Yellowstone Ballroom | 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Student Information | Employer Information and Registration
October 24, 2022
Board Special Teleconference | 2:00 PM MDT | Agenda
Zoom ID: 826 1342 3356
Passcode: 159697
November 23, 2022
Deadline for all Applicants going before Board for approval of licensure at the December 12th Board meeting.
(applications must be complete with all additional information turned in by this date, no later than 12:00 PM MST) PE Applicants with an MLE NCEES Record Book go before the Executive Director every Friday for approval.
Year Round Outreach Opportunity
LS & GIS Professionals have the opportunity to raise awareness about these professions while supporting STEM objectives in the junior and senior high classrooms with an interactive map called GEOInquiry. Sign up today!