Application process for those who applied before May 15, 2023

Applicants who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in an engineering program accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) have satisfied the first step of the licensing process, which is the academic requirement. CEAB applicants must have their postsecondary institution mail their degree transcript with the conferral date directly to PEO.

After confirming that a CEAB applicant has met the academic requirement, they will advance to Step 2 of the licensing process, which is writing the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE).

Applicants who don't have a bachelor's degree in an engineering program accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) will have their academics assessed to determine whether additional requirements must be satisfied to be equivalent to a CEAB-accredited degree. This may involve a referral to PEO’s Academic Requirements Committee (ARC) for a detailed assessment. The applicant must submit academic documents for the assessment, including transcripts for academic degrees and course descriptions if required.

The minimum educational level required to apply for licensure is:

• A three-year diploma in technology from a college of applied arts and technology,
• A bachelor's degree in a relevant science area, or
• Academic qualifications deemed by PEO’s Council to be equivalent to a diploma or degree.

There are three possible outcomes (A, B or C) to PEO's academic assessment:

A. Based on an ARC assessment, applicants who have met the academic requirement advance to writing the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE).

B. Based on the academic assessment, applicants who have not met PEO’s academic requirements are assigned exam(s) to demonstrate if they have equivalent academic knowledge. 

PEO has two streams of technical exam programs: 

Confirmatory exam program: The applicant is assigned four exams to confirm that the content of their engineering studies is equivalent to a CEAB-accredited program. If the applicant assigned a confirmatory exam program has more than five years of engineering experience, they may be referred to an experience assessment interview for PEO's academic requirements for licensure to determine whether they demonstrate a practical application of engineering principles through their work experience that is sufficient to warrant waiving the exam program. 

Specific exam program: The applicant may be assigned up to 15 exams to address identified gaps in their academic knowledge. This exam program may include basic studies exams, technical exams and complementary studies exams, and it may also include an engineering report to satisfy PEO's academic requirement.

If the applicant has more than five years of engineering experience and is assigned fewer than three exams or has more than 10 years of engineering experience, they may be referred to an experience assessment interview to determine whether they demonstrate a practical application of engineering principles through their work experience sufficient to warrant waiving some or all the assigned exams. 

Applicants must complete any assigned basic studies exams first. After completing the basic studies exam(s), the applicant will be assessed and, if eligible, referred to an experience assessment interview for PEO's academic requirements for licensure.

Applicants who have completed a doctoral degree in engineering and were assigned zero basic studies exams may be eligible to be referred to an experience assessment interview for PEO's academic requirements for licensure.

Once confirmed that a non-CEAB applicant has met the academic requirement, they will advance to writing the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE).

C. Based on the academic assessment, applicants who have not met the minimum academic requirement for licensure will be issued a notice of determination to be refused a licence and have their application withdrawn. Please note that PEO fees are non-refundable.