Credentials Evaluations

NCEES Credentials Evaluations

NCEES Credentials Evaluations is a service for state licensing boards and applicants. It is designed primarily for candidates who have earned their degrees outside the United States and are pursuing licensure through one of the member licensing boards of NCEES.

Purpose of an Evaluation

To earn a license to practice engineering or surveying, candidates must meet requirements in three areas: education, experience, and examinations. State licensing boards sometimes require that a candidate’s educational background be evaluated to ensure that it is comparable to an accredited degree in the United States.

The evaluation process helps ensure that a candidate is qualified academically for licensure. Usually, this takes place when a candidate applies to sit for a licensing exam offered by NCEES.

The evaluation will contain

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An applicant summary

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A comparability summary

which includes the evaluation result (whether the NCEES Engineering Education Standard has been met), and any area(s) of deficiency relative to the standard

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An education summary

including institution(s) attended, major(s), and degree(s) earned

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A cRITERIA ANALYSIS

which breaks down coursework corresponding to the NCEES standard

Learn about

NCEES Education Standards

Applicants having engineering degrees from programs that are not accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET must demonstrate the following:

  1. 32 college semester credit hours of higher mathematics and basic sciences
    1. 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. Additional courses may include differential equations, linear algebra, numerical analysis, probability and statistics, and advanced calculus.
    2. 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. Additional basic sciences courses may include earth sciences (geology, ecology), advanced biology, advanced chemistry, and advanced physics. Computer skills and/or programming courses may not be used to satisfy mathematics or basic science requirements. Basic engineering science courses or sequence of courses in this area are acceptable for credit but may not be counted twice.
  2. 12 college semester credit hours in general education that complements the technical content of the curriculum
    1. 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.
    2. No more than 6 credit hours may come from courses in management, accounting, business, or law. Courses in engineering economics, engineering management, systems engineering/analysis, production, and industrial engineering/management will not be counted. Language courses in the applicant’s native language are not acceptable for credit; no more than 6 credit hours of foreign language courses are acceptable for credit. Native language courses in literature and civilization may be considered in this area. Courses that instill cultural values are acceptable, while routine exercises of personal craft are not.
  3. 48 college semester credit hours of engineering science and/or engineering design courses
    1. 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. Examples of approved engineering science courses are mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, electrical and electronic circuits, materials science, transport phenomena, engineering economics, and computer science (other than computer programming skills).
    2. 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.

Engineering technology courses cannot be considered to meet engineering topic requirements.

Applicants who hold surveying degrees from programs that are not accredited by ABET and applicants who hold B.S./B.A. degrees in states that also require a “core program” in surveying must demonstrate the following:

  1. 18 college semester credit hours of mathematics and basic sciences
    1. A minimum of 12 credits in mathematics must be beyond basic mathematics, but the credits include college algebra or higher mathematics. These courses must emphasize mathematical concepts and principles rather than computation. Mathematics courses may include college algebra, trigonometry, analytic geometry, differential and integral calculus, linear algebra, numerical analysis, probability and statistics, and advanced calculus.
    2. A minimum of 6 credits must be in basic sciences. These courses must cover one or more of the following topics: general chemistry, advanced chemistry, life sciences (biology), earth sciences (geology, ecology), general physics, and advanced physics. Computer skills and/or programming courses may not be used to satisfy mathematics or basic science requirements
  2. 12 college semester credit hours in a general education component that complements the technical content of the curriculum
    1. Examples of traditional courses in this area are philosophy, religion, history, literature, fine arts, sociology, psychology, political science, anthropology, economics, professional ethics, and social responsibility. No more than 6 credit hours of languages other than English or other than the applicant’s native language are acceptable for credit. English and foreign language courses in literature and civilization may be considered in this area. Courses that instill cultural values are acceptable, while routine exercises of personal craft are not.
  3. 30 college semester credit hours of surveying science and surveying practice
    1. Courses shall be taught by qualified surveying faculty. Examples of surveying courses are basic surveying, route surveying, geodesy, geographic information systems, land development design and planning, global positioning systems, photogrammetry, mapping, legal principles of land surveying, boundary law, professional surveying and mapping, and remote sensing. Graduate-level surveying courses can be included to fulfill curricular requirements in this area.
NCEES Credentials Evaluations Policies

The NCEES Surveying Education Standard was developed by the NCEES Committee on Education for use by the NCEES Credentials Evaluations service and member boards. An educational evaluation provided by NCEES should be accepted as the only official assessment of whether the Surveying Education Standard has been met.

NCEES Credentials Evaluations will adhere to the following in conducting evaluations.

Evaluations will be conducted on the following:

  1. Foreign surveying degree programs
  2. U.S.-based, non-ABET-accredited degree programs in surveying
  3. U.S.-based B.S./B.A. programs for applicants that have met the “surveying core” program requirements.

Evaluations may be conducted on programs that do not meet these criteria if specifically requested by an NCEES member board. Such requests must come directly from the member board to the NCEES Manager of Credentials Evaluations.

  • NCEES will evaluate all programs against the NCEES standard. NCEES will no longer determine substantial equivalence to an ABET-accredited program.
  • In conducting the evaluation, NCEES will consider the breadth of the applicant’s education, to include bachelor’s degree coursework, master’s degree coursework, and doctorate coursework in determining satisfaction of the NCEES standard.
  • NCEES will provide credit for any advanced coursework earned prior to college enrollment that is deemed appropriate for college-level academic credit (such as Advanced Placement, A-levels, Abitur, French Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, Lebanese Baccalaureate, etc.).
  • A maximum of 6 hours’ credit will be granted for thesis, special topics, and independent study at any level.
  • Cooperative training, practicums, internships, and continuing education activities will not receive educational credits to satisfy the NCEES standard.
  • NCEES will not conduct evaluations of degrees that are offered entirely via the internet.
  • NCEES will note any deficiencies in the applicant’s educational history compared to the NCEES standard.

For applicants whose educational record indicates satisfaction of the NCEES standard, NCEES will report that the applicant possesses the education required in order to be considered by a member board for entry into the professional practice of surveying.

For applicants whose educational record indicates deficiencies relative to the NCEES standard, those deficiencies will be noted for any action deemed appropriate by a member board. NCEES will also provide any relevant information concerning the educational requirements and/or any prerequisites for entry into surveying programs in the applicant’s country for consideration and overall qualification by a member board.

Download the NCEES Surveying Education Standard (PDF).

Fee Structure

$350

Evaluation

$100

Re-evaluation

Free

Transmission to an additional licensing board

Fees are paid at the end of the application process. Note that all refunds will be subject to a $50 administrative fee. Also note that NCEES does not grant refunds for applications submitted more than one year prior to the refund request.

Credential Evaluations FAQs

Every U.S. state and foreign entity that offers NCEES exams has unique requirements that examinees must meet before they are allowed to sit for their exams. To begin the registration process, go to the appropriate exam page and select the state board or foreign entity you plan to register with and read about their application process.

You do not need an evaluation if your degree was accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET at the time of your graduation. If you aren’t sure whether your degree program is EAC/ABET-accredited, you can search for it on the ABET website. If your program is not listed, you will likely need to have your educational credentials evaluated by NCEES.

Create or log into your MyNCEES account and then add your education information. In order to have your education information verified, you will need to send an NCEES-generated form to your educational program. Once the requested information is received by NCEES, you can begin your evaluation.

An NCEES Credentials Evaluation compares a licensure candidate’s college-level education to the NCEES Engineering Education Standard to evaluate if it is comparable to a typical U.S.-based engineering degree. If your college-level coursework meets the standard, your evaluation report will indicate this. If it does not, your report will indicate any areas of deficiency.

The NCEES Engineering Education Standard reflects generally agreed-upon educational qualifications for entering the profession.

Most applicants are referred to the NCEES Credentials Evaluations Service by a state licensing board. It is designed primarily for candidates who have earned a degree outside of the United States and are pursuing licensure through one of the state boards.

NCEES Records Program applicants who do not have an EAC/ABET-accredited degree must have their education evaluated by the NCEES Credentials Evaluations Service, which is the only service accepted by all state licensing boards. The completed evaluation will become a part of your NCEES Record.

You do not need an evaluation if your degree was EAC/ABET-accredited at the time of your graduation.

All applicants must provide the following from all universities attended and for all college-level coursework and degrees earned.

  • Official academic transcript
  • Official diploma or certificate of graduation
  • Official course descriptions

No. Applicants must submit all required documentation, and it must be verified before they will be eligible to purchase an evaluation.

Once all of your documents have been received and verified, you will have the option to purchase a Credentials Evaluation from your MyNCEES dashboard.

A credentials evaluation is typically completed within 15 business days from the date of purchase.

Yes. You can monitor the status of your application through your MyNCEES account. To monitor the receipt of your documentation, select “update education” from your profile, which is located in the drop-down menu next to your username at the top of the screen. The status of each document will be noted below the appropriate school entry. When all documents have been received and verified, you will have the option to purchase an evaluation from your MyNCEES dashboard.

Yes. All official documents in the native language must be accompanied by literal English translations, which must be completed by a certified translation service.