2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 81j - Registration as Professional Engineer or Land Surveyor; Qualifications

Section 81J. The following shall be considered as minimum evidence satisfactory to the board that an applicant is qualified for registration as a professional engineer or professional land surveyor, respectively, to wit:
(1) As a professional engineer:
(a) A person holding a certificate or registration to engage in the practice of engineering, issued to him by a proper authority of a state, commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or any foreign country, who, in the opinion of the board, meets the requirements of this chapter, based on verified evidence may, upon application, be registered without further examination.
A person holding a certificate of qualification issued by the National Council of Engineering Examiners, whose qualifications meet the requirements of this chapter, may, upon application, be registered without further examination.
(b) A graduate of an engineering curriculum of four years or more approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing; and with a specific record of an additional four years or more of experience in engineering work of a grade and character which indicates to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering, and who passes or has passed the required written examination in the fundamentals of engineering, and the required written examination in the principles and practice of engineering. The board may require that the above experience in engineering work be completed prior to admission to the examination in the principles and practice of engineering. Should the board permit the examination to be taken at an earlier date, then the applicant may be required to pass an oral examination as determined by the board. Upon passing such examinations, the applicant shall be granted a certificate of registration to practice engineering in the commonwealth, provided he is otherwise qualified.
(c) An applicant, having satisfactorily completed a four-year college curriculum in engineering or in related science other than the ones approved by the board and eight years or more of progressive experience in engineering work of a character and grade which indicates to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering, and who passes or has passed the required written examination in the fundamentals of engineering designed to show knowledge and skill approximating that obtained through graduation in an approved four-year engineering curriculum, and the required written examination in the principles and practice of engineering, shall be granted a certificate of registration to practice engineering in the commonwealth, provided he is otherwise qualified; provided, however, where an applicant is permitted by the board to be admitted to the examination in the principles and practice of engineering prior to completion of the above experience, the board may require that the applicant pass an oral examination as determined by the board before issuing a certificate of registration.
(d) An applicant having completed twelve years or more of progressive experience in engineering work of a character and grade, including five years or more in responsible charge of engineering work, which indicates to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering, and who passes or has passed the required written examination in the fundamentals of engineering designed to show basic engineering knowledge and skill and the required written examination in the principles and practice of engineering and an oral examination when required by the board may be granted a certificate of registration to practice engineering in the commonwealth, provided he is otherwise qualified.
(e) An applicant, with a specific record of at least twenty years of lawful practice in engineering work, of which at least ten years have been in responsible charge of important engineering work, and of a grade and character which indicates to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering and who has passed an oral or written examination in the principles and practice of engineering, and is otherwise qualified, shall be registered to practice engineering in the commonwealth.
(f) Undergraduate study in an engineering curriculum approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing may be considered as engineering experience on an equivalent full-time basis up to a maximum of three years in computing the number of years of experience in engineering work in clauses (d) and (e) of this subsection.
(g) Engineering teaching in a college or university offering an approved engineering curriculum of four years or more may be considered as engineering experience.
(2) As a professional land surveyor:
(a) A person holding a bachelor of science degree in an approved curriculum and presenting evidence satisfactory to the board that, in addition thereto, he has had at least four years of combined office and field experience in land surveying with a minimum of three years' experience in responsible charge of land surveying projects under the supervision of a registered professional land surveyor and who has passed the oral and written examinations as required by the board.
(b) A person holding two years of formal education in an approved curriculum above high school level with at least sixty semester credit hours passed or equivalent quarter-hours, or the equivalent approved by the board, and presenting evidence satisfactory to the board that in addition thereto he has had at least six years of combined office and field experience in land surveying with a minimum of four years' experience in responsible charge of land surveying projects under the supervision of a registered professional land surveyor and who has passed the oral and written examinations as required by the board.
(c) A person who has a specific record of twelve years or more of lawful practice in surveying work of a character satisfactory to the board and who passes the required written examinations, which shall include questions on laws, procedures and practices pertaining to practices in the commonwealth, and passes an oral examination at the discretion of the board may be granted a certificate of registration to practice surveying provided he is otherwise qualified.
(d) A person holding a certificate of registration to engage in the practice of land surveying issued on comparable qualifications from a state, commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States, will be given comity consideration. However, he may be asked to take such examinations as the board deems necessary to determine his qualifications, but in any event he shall be required to pass the required written examination of not less than four hours' duration, which shall include questions on laws, procedures and practices pertaining to practice in the commonwealth.
(e) Undergraduate study in a surveying curriculum approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing may be considered as surveying experience on an equivalent full-time basis up to a maximum of two years in computing the number of years of experience in surveying work in clauses (b) and (c) of this subsection.
(f) A person, with a record of at least twenty years of lawful practice in land surveying work, of which at least ten years he has been responsible for major land surveying work, of a grade and character which indicates to the board that the person may be competent to practice land surveying and who has passed an oral or written examination in the principles and practice of land surveying, and is otherwise qualified, shall be registered to practice land surveying in the commonwealth.
(3) The board shall certify persons who have passed written or oral examinations and shall specify the nature and type of the examination passed in such certification.
The board may certify persons who have passed appropriate examinations and who have education and/or experience qualifications satisfactory to the board as follows:
(a) A graduate of an approved engineering curriculum of four years or more who has passed the board's eight-hour written examination in the fundamentals of engineering shall be certified or enrolled as an engineer-in-training, if he is otherwise qualified.
(b) An applicant having satisfactorily completed a four-year college curriculum in engineering or in related science other than the ones approved by the board and a specific record of four or more years of experience in engineering work of grade and character satisfactory to the board, who passes the board's eight-hour written examination in the fundamentals of engineering shall be certified or enrolled as an engineer-in-training, if he is otherwise qualified.
(c) A graduate of an approved land surveying curriculum of four years or more who has had in addition thereto at least two years of combined office and field experience in land surveying, with a minimum of one year in responsible charge of land surveying procedures under the supervision of a registered professional land surveyor, and who has passed the written examinations required by the board shall be certified or enrolled as a land surveyor-in-training, if he is otherwise qualified.
(d) An applicant having at least two years of formal education in an approved curriculum above high school level with at least sixty semester credit hours passed, or equivalent quarter-hours, or the equivalent approved by the board, and who presents evidence satisfactory to the board that in addition thereto he has had at least four years of combined office and field experience in land surveying with a minimum of two years in responsible charge of land surveying projects under the supervision of a registered professional land surveyor, and who has passed the written examinations required by the board shall be certified or enrolled as a land surveyor-in-training, if he is otherwise qualified.
(e) All of the examinations above required may be taken during the period of formal education or subsequently either prior to or following completion of the required experience. Upon completion of required experience, the board shall then certify the applicant as an engineer-in-training or a land surveyor-in-training.
No person shall be eligible for registration as a professional engineer or land surveyor or for certification as having satisfactorily completed an oral or written examination who is not of good character and reputation.
The board shall determine the duration, date, place and content of all written examinations. Registered engineers or professional land surveyors may take examinations required for registration hereunder without prejudice to their present registrations.
The execution, as a contractor, of work designed by a professional engineer, or the supervision of the construction of such work as a foreman or superintendent shall not be deemed to be the practice of engineering.
The fact that an applicant for registration by the board is not at the time of application practicing his profession shall not of itself make him ineligible for such registration.