To earn a P.E. license in nuclear engineering, an engineer must have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and gained the requisite work experience (typically four years), and then must pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam in nuclear engineering. The PE exam is developed by the PEEC in cooperation with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).
The next nuclear engineering PE exam will be conducted nationwide on Thursday, October 22, 2020, and registration is now open. The deadline to register varies by state, but applications are generally required by June. You can access your state requirements through links provided on the NCEES website (www.ncees.org/) or the website of the National Society of Professional Engineers (www.nspe.org/).
PEEC volunteers have developed a new study aid to help prepare engineers who are interested in becoming licensed in nuclear engineering. The PE Nuclear Exam Preparation Module Program aims to be a comprehensive study resource. The video-based online program replaces and expands upon the nuclear engineering PE exam study workshop formerly held each June at the ANS Annual Meeting. Each module presents content that follows a list of learning objectives and is aligned with the nuclear engineering PE exam specifications.
Three groups of modules are currently available for purchase at www.ans.org/pe/modules: Specification Area 1: “Nuclear Power Systems,” which covers steam, fluids, pumps, probabilistic risk analysis, and heat exchangers; Specification Area 4: “Nuclear Criticality/Kinetics/Neutronics”; and a General Knowledge area, which provides an introduction, general information, and science background material.
Modules for the remaining two specification areas—Specification Area 2: “Nuclear Fuel Cycle” and Specification Area 3: “Interaction of Radiation with Matter”—are still under development and will be available for purchase in late April.
In addition to the ANS online study modules, NCEES is offering a Nuclear PE Practice Exam, which will be available for purchase in April. The NCEES practice exam contains 80 questions from past exams; simulates the format, style, and level of difficulty of exam questions; and provides solutions to enhance examinee understanding for each topic area. You will be able to purchase the NCEES Nuclear PE Practice Exam through a link provided on the NCEES website.
For more information about the nuclear engineering PE exam, visit www.ans.org/pe and https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/nuclear/. To purchase the module program, visit www.ans.org/pe/modules. Exam takers may also be interested in the Study Guide for the Professional Engineering Examination In Nuclear Engineering, which is available in the ANS Store.
