61G15-20.002. Experience

(1)(a) In order to qualify for licensure, an applicant is required to have the requisite number of years of acceptable experience in engineering at the time of application for licensure and acceptable educational qualifications. In determining whether an applicant’s experience background is sufficient to meet the requirements set forth in Sections 471.015(2)(a)1. and 2., F.S., the Board has determined that an individual must have the requisite number of years of acceptable engineering experience gained through education and through the requisite amount of full-time employment in engineering. The type of employment which shall be acceptable must principally involve activities in the field of engineering as defined in Section 471.005(7), F.S. The Board may accept engineering experience in foreign countries if such experience is properly verified by the Board from evidence supplied by the applicant to be equivalent to that accepted as experience by the Board as to any state or territory.

(b) Because the evaluation of experience is a complex and subjective matter, the Board establishes the following guidelines which shall be generally applicable absent extraordinary evidence and documentation supporting a departure therefrom:

1. The acquisition of acceptable engineering experience should logically follow and constitute an application of the engineering education previously obtained.

2. Engineering experience obtained prior to the completion of the approved engineering program is usually of a subprofessional nature. If the full-time experience is obtained within the 2 years immediately preceding completion of the approved engineering program, and involves tasks and responsibilities consisent with the disciplines of engineering, experience credit may be awarded at 50% of actual time. In any event, the total engineering experience credit allowable for pregraduation experience shall not exceed 12 months.

3. Experience credit is based on a 40 hour per week full-time employment basis. No additional credit is allowable for overtime work, or for part-time work experience obtained while pursuing engineering education on a full-time basis. For purposes of this rule, a “full-time basis” means the applicant is enrolled in twelve (12) or more credit hours per semester; less than 12 credit hours is considered to be “part-time enrollment.”

4. Experience must be progressive on engineering projects to indicate that it is of increasing quality and requiring greater responsibility.

5. Experience must not be obtained in violation of the licensure act.

6. Experience gained in the armed services, to be creditable, must be of a character equivalent to that which would have been gained in the civilian sector doing similar work. Normally, it would be expected that the applicant while in the armed services served in an engineering or engineering-related group.

7. Experience should be gained under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer or, if not, an explanation should be made showing why the experience should be considered acceptable.

8. For sales experience to be creditable, it must be demonstrated that engineering principles were required and used in gaining the experience.

9. Teaching experience, to be creditable, must be in engineering or engineering-related courses at an advanced level in a college or university offering an engineering program of four years or more that is approved by the Board.

10. Experience gained in engineering research and design projects by members of an engineering faculty where the program is approved by the Board is creditable.

11. Experience may not be anticipated. The experience must have been gained by the time of the application.

12. Experience in construction, to be creditable, must demonstrate the application of engineering principles.

13. Experience should include demonstration of a knowledge of engineering mathematics, physical and applied science, properties of materials, and the fundamental principles of engineering design.

14. Experience should include demonstration of the application of engineering principles in the practical solution of engineering problems.

15. Engineering experience gained after licensure as a Professional Engineer in another jurisdiction is creditable.

(2) In order to verify an applicant’s experience record, the Board will require evidence of employment from employers or supervisors who are employed in the engineering profession or are professional engineers, who shall set forth the quality and character of the applicant’s duties and responsibilities. In addition to the employer verification, an applicant must list three current personal references who are professional engineers. Should the Board find the information submitted by the applicant is insufficient or incomplete, the Board may require the applicant to supply additional references or evidence regarding the applicant’s experience and background or both so that an intelligent decision may be made on whether admittance to the examination is allowable.

(3)(a) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (c), below, the Board will accept as equivalent to one year’s experience a master’s degree in engineering from an EAC/M-ABET-accredited program or from a college or university in the U.S. that has an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program in a related discipline at the baccalaureate level. The Board will also accept as equivalent to one year’s experience a doctorate in engineering from a college or university in the U.S. that has an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program in a related discipline at the baccalaureate level. Experience equivalents will be given for the master’s or doctoral degree only if the applicant has earned a prior engineering or engineering technology degree from a college or university that solely meets the requirements of a Board-approved engineering program as defined in subsection 61G15-20.001(2), F.A.C.

(b) Experience equivalents shall not be given for a master’s or doctoral degree if credits earned for the degree are used to satisfy educational requirements of Rule 61G15-20.007 or 61G15-20.008, F.A.C.

(c) The combination of experience equivalents and work experience shall not exceed the number of actual months during which the experience is claimed.

(d) The provisions of (1)(b)3., notwithstanding, in situations where the applicant is seeking experience equivalence from part-time graduate enrollment while simultaneously employed full-time, no more than twelve (12) months of experience equivalence shall be awarded.

Rulemaking Authority 471.008, 471.013(1)(a) FS. Law Implemented 471.005(6), 471.013(1)(a), 471.015 FS. History–New 1-8-80, Amended 3-11-80, 6-23-80, 7-7-83, 9-13-84, Formerly 21H-20.01, Amended 8-18-87, 12-4-91, Formerly 21H-20.002, Amended 12-26-94, 5-20-02, 4-5-04, 11-2-15, 8-8-18, 12-18-18, 12-29-19, 1-30-24.