se examregistration question

huangyhg

se exam/registration question
in my state of new york, there is no "se" designation. everyone is simply a "pe." so if you took the civil pe exam, you're a pe and if you took the elelctrical pe exam, you're a pe.
the time has come for me to look further. with my pe in hand, i can call myself a structural engineer in the state of new york - which is what my job title is, and it's what i do. i took the civil pe, with the structural portion in the pm.
the time has come... because i see the writing on the wall... for me to get crackin' on the se exam. here's what the ncees web site (
dave,
in illinois, you must take the se-1 and the se-2 to be licensed as a structural engineer.  if you've previously taken the pe exam (not the se-1), you still must take the se-1 to qualify to take the se-2.
whether you take the se tests in ny or any other state doesn't matter...they are the same ncees tests and apply to any state in which you apply for licensure.
california is a different matter.  while illinois restricts any and all structural design to se's, california allows structural design for most structures with a pe.  (se is required there for tall buildings, schools, hospitals, and any other project where the governing agency demands the se).  
to get licensed in ca to do structural, the standard pe exam is required along with a 5 hour california exam consisting on 2 1/2 hours of seismic and 2 1/2 hours of surveying. this gets you a civil pe which you can apply to structural design.   to get an se designation in ca - i believe you must pass all the se tests - i know they used to have a specific "western states exam" but i think they may have converted it over to the se-3 - but not sure....  you also have to have references from other calif. se's to get an se license.
argh. well, i usually pick the hard way when it comes to doing things... from other posts, jae, i understand that you're an illinois se. do you live and practice in il? or did you get registered in il while/during working elsewhere? are you also licensed as an se in california?
since the se tests focus only on structural, they would be "easy" for me... sure...
dave - here are the ncees descriptions of the current se i exam
basically, the se i looks like the pe structural without all the engineering economics...
here is the answer i got back from my state's board:
dear mr. [davevikingpe]:
thank you for contacting the new york state board for engineering and land surveying.  in nys we do not license by discipline.  if you are already licensed and have sat and successfully completed either the civil or structural i pe exam you may request to sit for the structural ii exam. this request may be made to the state board for engineering at the address listed below.
we hope this information is helpful.  if you have any questions, please contact the board office at the contact information listed below.
sincerely,
nys board for engineering & land surveying
(518)  474-3817 ext 140
(518)  473-6282  (fax)
in addition to jae's comments of taking se in ca, you'll need 3 yrs of structural experience after your pe license.
daveviking - what your ny board says is correct...for ny.  for illinois you must take the se-1 (i tried to apply with my pe exam already passed and with pe's in various states but i still had to go back and take the se-1 and then the se-2 to practice in ill).
i'm not located within illinois, just licensed there.  i'm not licensed in ca.
"while illinois restricts any and all structural design to se's, california allows structural design for most structures with a pe.  (se is required there for tall buildings, schools, hospitals, and any other project where the governing agency demands the se)."
what i found several years ago was that while the above was technically true, it seemed customers there expected anything remotely structural to be sealed by an se.  ie, i think an se in ca might be more useful than the above statement would imply.
jstephen, you might be right.  i do know that most of the industrial projects (big box warehouses) that i've worked on in ca have only had a ca pe over me do the sealing, though.  and i had a friend of mine move from texas to california some years back and start his own firm with a civil pe doing structural work.
it doesn't pertain to me, but to help davevikingpe out:
ny, as stated in their policy, requires you to have taken the civil pe **or** the se i to sit for the se ii.
since he has taken his civil pe, he can sit for the se ii without taking the se i.
the question is, can he get a structural license in illinois by taking only the se ii?  or stated another way, does illinois specifically require both the se i and se ii exams to be eligible for their state's se stamp?
if not, that would at least get him out of one test...