There are many professional engineering organizations that certify environmental engineers but it does not mean the candidate is now a specialist. The BCE (board certified environmental engineer) designation is only for those candidates who have successfully completed a four-year engineering degree from an accredited university or college. Not every four-year engineering program will require this four-year degree. Therefore, candidates must complete their degree from an accredited institution with four years of undergraduate coursework and two years of graduate coursework.
Becoming Board certified does not require completion of a professional engineer certification exam. However, candidates must meet certain criteria before they can be Board certified. The most important criteria is completion of the engineering program. If a student has low marks or no grades at all from his or her engineering program, they will not meet these minimum requirements and cannot become Board certified.
To become a certified Professional Engineer (PE), three requirements must be met. The candidate must complete the associate’s degree as an engineering major or the equivalent, take a written examination and pass the certified exam. The Board has specific written examinations that are required to verify the candidate’s engineering experience following receipt of the PE certification. Once the engineer has successfully passed the written examination and the certified exam, he or she will need to take a final oral examination and then be Board certified. This is considered to be the last step in the process.
Many colleges, schools and universities offer programs in environmental engineering. A student can complete his or her education in as little as two years. After becoming a Board certified professional engineer, the student will be able to work under the supervision of an approved peer reviewer in his or her department. This peer reviewer will be a professional in his or her field who is responsible for reviewing and approving all new PEOs wishing to join the Bureau.
In order to be successful in this area of environmental engineering experience following receipt of a PE certification, it is essential to have excellent communication skills. Communication with peers and with the Board will take precedence during this stage. It is also important to understand the scope of the work expected from the PE certification as well as the expectations of the peer review committee. The student should also have excellent organizational skills and time management skills.
There are two different types of examinations used to verify engineering experience following receipt of a PE certification. The first type of examination is an oral examination where the candidate is required to take and pass an oral examination relating to the specific specialty area of environmental engineering. The second type of examination is a written examination that requires the student to write a specialized paper on the specialty area of interest. Both kinds of examinations are recognized by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) as being part of the Board Certified Professional Engineer (PCE) examination system. Both kinds of examinations must be passed before a person can become a certified Board Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE).
Board Certified Professional Engineers offers the public and employers a variety of services. These services include providing technical support to engineering firms as they prepare their plans and submit them for review and approval. They also provide written examinations to qualifying engineering students who wish to become certified in environmental engineering. Many engineering firms choose to use Board Certified Environmental Engineers to provide cost effective, quality services.
