How to Become a Licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario

Professional engineers, who number more than 65,000 in Ontario and more than 160,000 across Canada, are committed to enhancing the quality of life, safety, and well-being of Canadians.

An individual can do engineering work in Ontario without having a professional engineer (P.Eng.) licence, provided a licensed professional engineer supervises and takes responsibility for the individual's work.

Education

To become a licensed professional engineer in Ontario, an applicant must first have graduated from a university engineering program accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board or recognized equivalent. The education of international engineering graduates is assessed to determine how closely it meets the equivalency requirements. International engineering graduates can apply to PEO to start the licensing/registration process before immigrating to Canada; however, a licence can only be granted once they have received Canadian permanent residency status.

All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, and of good character.

Internship

Like other professions, engineers must complete an internship program. In Ontario, applicants must work for 48 months under the supervision of a P.Eng., who takes professional responsibility for all the work, at least 12 months of which must be obtained in a Canadian jurisdiction.

The experience gained during the internship must include applying engineering theory, gaining practical experience, improving communications skills, and building an understanding of professional ethics and how the work of professional engineers impacts society.

Professional Practice Examination

The last requirement to become licensed is to write and pass the PEO professional practice examination about engineering laws, professional liability and the code of ethics. Successful completion of this exam demonstrates the applicant understands and accepts a professional engineer's responsibility to hold public safety paramount and protect the environment.

Licensing Ceremony

When all requirements are met, newly licensed professional engineers are invited to attend a ceremony and have their licence certificates officially presented by their local PEO chapter. A professional engineer's licence to practise, enables the engineer to take responsibility for their own professional engineering work, including designs and drawings, and the work of other members of the engineering team they supervise, by stamping it with their professional engineer's seal.

For more information on how to become a professional engineer, visit the Licensing and Registration section of the Professional Engineers Ontario website.

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