SECTION 133.31. Educational Requirements for Applicants

(a) Applicants for a license shall have graduated from at least one of the following degree programs or degree program combinations listed in this section:

(1) Approved engineering curriculums under §1001.302(a)(1)(A) of the Act. The following degrees are acceptable to the board for meeting the educational requirements of §1001.302(a)(1)(A) of the Act:

(A) a degree from an engineering program accredited or otherwise approved by:

(i) EAC/ABET;

(ii) Consejo de Acreditacion de la Ensenanza de la Ingenieria, Mexico (Council of Accreditation for Engineering Education, C.A.); or

(iii) The Washington Accord.

(B) A graduate degree in engineering, provided that:

(i) the graduate degree is obtained from a college having an engineering program approved by one of the organizations listed in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph where either the graduate or undergraduate degree in the same discipline is accredited; and

(ii) the combination of the degrees is acceptable to the board as equivalent in EAC/ABET approved curricula content, and the combination of degrees contain sufficient design curricula to provide minimal competency in the use of engineering algorithms and procedures.

(C) a completed degree that has not been accredited or approved by either of the organizations identified in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph but has been evaluated in accordance with §133.33 of this chapter, (relating to Proof of Educational Qualifications-Non-Accredited/Non-Approved Programs), and determined to meet the ABET general and program criteria requirements for an EAC/ABET-accredited or -approved program.

(2) Other programs under §1001.302(a)(1)(B) of the Act. The following degrees are acceptable to the board for meeting the educational requirements of §1001.302(a)(1)(B) of the Act:

(A) a bachelor degree from an engineering technology program that is accredited by the ETAC/ABET;

(B) A bachelors or graduate degree in engineering, engineering technology, mathematical, physical, or related science that has not been accredited or approved by any of the organizations identified in paragraphs (1)(A) or (2)(A) of this subsection but has been obtained from a recognized institution of higher education as defined in Chapter 131 of this title. Such degree programs must include, as a minimum, the courses listed in clauses (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph or these courses must be taken in addition to the bachelor or graduate degree program:

(i) eight semester hours (12 quarter hours) of mathematics beyond trigonometry, including differential and integral calculus; and

(ii) 20 semester hours (30 quarter hours) of related engineering sciences including subjects such as mechanics, thermodynamics, electrical and electronic circuits, and others selected from material sciences, transport phenomena, computer science and comparable subjects depending on the discipline or branch of engineering. Course work should incorporate hands-on laboratory work as described in the EAC/ABET criteria, and shall contain a sufficient design program to provide minimal competency in the use of engineering algorithms and procedures.

(3) Degree programs submitted to the board by the conferring institutions and determined by the board as meeting or exceeding the criteria of either of the accrediting organizations referred to in this section.

(A) The following programs have been reviewed by the board and determined to be eligible for licensure under §1001.302(a)(1)(A) of the Act:

(i) The engineering programs at the University of Texas at Tyler for those who graduated in 1999.

(ii) Biosystems engineering program at the University of Texas A&M at College Station for those who graduated between 1999 and 2003.

(B) The following programs have been reviewed by the board and determined to be eligible for licensure under §1001.302(a)(1)(B) of the Act and eligible for taking the examination on the fundamentals of engineering, effective the date listed:

(i) Tarleton State University, Accepted Programs: Hydrology (1992) and Engineering Physics (2001);

(ii) West Texas State A&M, Accepted Program: Mechanical Engineering (2003).

(b) Degree programs that have not been accredited or approved by any of the organizations identified in subsection (a)(1)(A) or (2)(A) of this section are not acceptable for fulfilling the educational requirements of the Act if they do not meet the definition of a recognized institution of higher learning as defined in Chapter 131 of this title and:

(1) give credit for life experience; or

(2) consist primarily of engineering, mathematical, physical, or engineering sciences courses that are correspondence courses that are self-taught outside a formal classroom setting.

(c) Applicants who have graduated from a degree program that is accredited by the jurisdictional authority in the Canadian or European community that have been evaluated pursuant to §133.33 of this chapter (relating to Proof of Educational Qualifications/Non-Accredited/Non-Approved Programs) and contain sufficient course hours to meet the requirements of subsection (a)(2)(B) of this section but not found to have sufficient course hours to be deemed equivalent or comparable to a Bachelor of Science degree as would be issued by a recognize institution of higher education in the United States may apply for licensure solely through the examination process.

(d) An applicant holding a verified Canadian P.Eng. or ing. License shall be considered to have academic qualifications substantially equivalent to an accredited engineering program.

Source Note: The provisions of this §133.31 adopted to be effective May 20, 2004, 29 TexReg 4873; amended to be effective June 26, 2005, 30 TexReg 3584; amended to be effective January 1, 2006, 30 TexReg 8685; amended to be effective December 21, 2008, 33 TexReg 10167; amended to be effective September 9, 2012, 37 TexReg 6913