Utility Engineering & Surveying

Become a Board-Certified Pipeline Engineer-Water

• Eligibility

  • Active Practice
    The applicant shall be actively engaged in the professional practice of pipeline engineering.
  • Valid P.E. License or Equivalent
    The applicant shall possess a valid license to practice professional engineering issued by a state, territory, possession, or district of the United States or an equivalent license or certificate issued by a foreign country in accordance with CEC policy.
  • ABET-accredited Bachelor’s Degree and Post-Undergraduate Education
    
    The applicant shall have been awarded a bachelor’s degree in engineering or other related field from a college of engineering program accredited by ABET. Post-graduate education in engineering or other relevant fields from educational institutions of recognized standing is the typical pathway for demonstrating fulfillment of specific elements of the specialty area body of knowledge. Post-graduate education may include completion of a post-graduate degree (master’s or Ph.D.), not less than 30 relevant post-graduate credit hours, or an advanced certificate program recognized by the UESCB.
  • Alternatively, this requirement may be satisfied by additional applicable work experience. If the applicant does not have post-graduate education, the applicant must have a minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible post bachelor’s degree work experience.
  • Minimum 10 Years of Professional Experience*
    The applicant must have a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in the engineering profession of which a minimum of 8 years were attained in pipeline engineering, after the first bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.  
    *If applicant does not have post-graduate education, they must have 15 years of progressively responsible post bachelor’s degree experience.
  • Body of Knowledge
    The applicant has mastered the pipeline engineering-water body of knowledge at the expert level in a manner and form acceptable to the UESCB.
  • Adherence to the ASCE Code of Ethics.

  The applicant shall submit a complete application, together with all fees and supporting documentation as required, including written recommendations endorsing the application from no less than three of the applicant’s peers who possess a valid license to practice professional engineering issued by a state, territory, possession, or district of the United States or equivalent license issued by a foreign country. No more than one recommendation can come from the applicant’s current place of employment. No recommendations can come from a subordinate.
  
  A certified individual does not become a board-certified engineer until that individual has successfully passed the examination and has been notified in writing by the UESCB.
  
  The UESCB may certify an applicant and waive one or more of the certification requirements of this section, provided that the applicant has attained the pipeline engineering body of knowledge. Additionally, applicants must be of good ethical standing and must agree in writing to adhere to the ASCE Code of Ethics.

  To view the full CEC eligibility baseline requirements and if you have any questions regarding your eligibility to apply for the BC.PLW, contact [email protected]. 

   

• Certification application

  Applications for board certification in pipeline engineering-water are not yet open. We anticipate launching the application process in September 2024. Please complete the form located at the top of this page to receive updates.

  The application process entails:

  1. Completing an online application including supporting documentation
      Supporting documentation includes:

  • Your resume and minimum of three references from licensed professional engineers representing at least three different organizations. You may submit more than three references, as long as at least three of them come from different organizations. 

  2. Paying the online application fee.

  • The fee is non-refundable; please ensure you have met eligibility requirements before paying.

  Applicants for the pipeline engineer-water board certification must complete the application in its entirety and remit the appropriate fees to be considered. 
  Once the application has been submitted, CEC staff will review it for completeness before it is sent to the UESCB Committee. If an application is deemed incomplete at the published deadline, further processing/review will be delayed until the next application cycle.

  These are the following possible outcomes once the Admissions Committee has fully reviewed an application:
  1. The applicant be approved to take the written online exam.
  2. The applicant be required to submit additional documentation and/or clarify their professional experience and expertise.
  
  The Utility Engineering and Surveying Certification Board is responsible for issuing an applicant's certificate of special knowledge, which indicates attainment of the pipeline engineer-water board certification.

• Application fees

  All applicants must submit an application fee that covers program expenses including application review, examination fees, record keeping, issuance of a certificate, and first year's board certification fee.

  • ASCE and/or institute members - $350
  • Nonmembers - $450

• Application deadlines, candidate review timeline and outcomes

  • Spring application deadline: March 31
  • Summer application deadline: June 30
  • Fall application deadline: Sept. 30
  • Winter application deadline: Dec. 31
  

   

  Our program involves thorough applicant reviews by volunteer member boards and panelists, so the timeline from application submission to board certification can span several months. Below is an overview of typical processing times. 
  
  1. After submission, your application undergoes a completeness check by CEC staff (7-10 business days) before it is sent to the UESCB Review Committee.
  2. Complete applications are reviewed quarterly for winter, spring, summer, or fall intake (6-8 weeks).
  For example, if an application is received in February, it will be reviewed with other applications received by the March 31 deadline for the spring application review. (Allow 6-8 weeks (about 2 months) for review time by Review Committees after each published application deadline.) 
  3. Incomplete applications received by the deadline are deferred to the next cycle for review. 
  
  Below are the following possible outcomes once an application has been fully reviewed by the Review Committee and the timeline after an application is submitted:
  1. The applicant may be approved to take the online Pipeline Engineering-Water exam. If approved for exam, instructions on scheduling the exam will be provided. (6-8 weeks (about 2 months) after the review deadline)
  2. The applicant may be required to submit additional documentation and/or clarify their professional experience and expertise. (6-8 weeks (about 2 months) after the review deadline + additional weeks for additional review)
  3. Upon passing the exam, the applicant is granted certification or denied certification. (12-14 weeks (about 3 months) after the initial review deadline + additional review of additional documentation of application materials + schedule exam + take exam + notified of exam results)
  4. If the candidate fails the initial exam attempt, they may re-test once for no additional cost within 6 months of the initial attempt.
  
  Please contact [email protected] for any questions regarding the timeline of the application process.
  

   

• Prepare for the exam

  Once a candidate is approved by the UESCB to sit for the computer-based exam, CEC staff will follow up with the candidate to schedule the date and time of their examination. They will receive detailed instructions from CEC staff and Certiverse, the external vendor used to host/deliver the online examination. 
  To prepare for the exam, review the Pipeline Engineering-Water Body of Knowledge (PLWBOK) content and the manuals of practice listed below that are aligned with it.

  Exam outcomes

  • The exam has two forms. If you do not pass the first form, you will be allowed one retake for no additional fee.
  • Exam retakes must be taken within six months of the first attempt and coordinated with CEC staff and Certiverse, similar to the process for scheduling the first examination.
  • Upon passing the examination (1st or 2nd attempt), passing candidates will be confirmed by UESCB for board-certification at their next meeting, and CEC staff will inform them of their official board certification. 

   

Pipeline Engineering-Water Body of Knowledge (PLWBOK)

The Pipeline Engineering-Water Body of Knowledge describes the knowledge and core competencies integral to understanding the practice of pipeline engineering-water.

• Pipeline Engineering-Water Body of Knowledge

  Pipeline Engineering-Water Body of Knowledge coming soon.