STATE OF ALASKA BOARD OF
REGISTRATION FOR ARCHITECTS,
ENGINEERS, AND LAND
SURVEYORS (AELS) BOARD
REGULATION UPDATE
Brian Hanson, PE
Craig Fredeen, PE
AELS Board Regulation Update

What we’re going to cover in this session:
 Recent
Addition of Engineering Disciplines
 Changes
from Original Proposed Regulation
 Continuing
Education Update
 Helpful
Hints on How to Document in case of Audit
 How Integration of Surveyor CE Regulations Impact
Engineers
 Update
on MOE/B+30
 Questions
History on “General Licensure”



AELS Board receives a “Sunset Audit” every 5 years
from the Legislature.
Past audits have asked for expansion of the
engineering licenses recognized by the State.
If not done, Legislature has authority to make it
happen themselves.
 Continuing

Education is an example of this.
Current regs do not currently accept Structural or
Environmental comity applications.
 They
must take CE exam.
Today’s Engineering Disciplines

AELS Board’s current recognized engineering
licenses
 Chemical
Engineer
 Civil Engineer
 Electrical Engineer
 Mechanical Engineer
 Mining Engineer
 Petroleum Engineer
Path to “General Licensure”




The Board started on this process many years ago.
Examples came in from comity applications that
shaped current regulations.
Significant debate among AELS members.
Proposed regulations are not “General Licensure”.
 Expansion

of current licenses.
Purpose was to integrate all disciplines that NCEES
has test for.
Regulation Process



AELS Board created “General Licensure” committee.
Regulation was crafted by committee and finalized
by the Board.
Sent out for public comment November 4th.
 Min
30 days, General Licensure was out for 90 days.
 Two Board Meetings for verbal testimony
New Engineering Disciplines

The new engineering licenses added at the February
2011 AELS Board meeting:
Agricultural Engineer
 Control System Engineer
 Environmental Engineer
 Fire Protection Engineer
 Industrial Engineer
 Metallurgical and Materials Engineer
 Naval Architectural and Marine Engineer
 Nuclear Engineer
 Structural Engineer
 (Architectural Engineer was dropped)

What Happened at Last Meeting?

Regulation was PASSED by the Board on February
4, 2011 with modifications
 Added
back license identifiers to stamp
 Implementation date of August 31, 2011.

What’s next?
 Reg
goes to Assistant Attorney General for review, then
signed by Lt. Governor.
 Two more Board meetings before August 31st.
 Review
and create implementation regulations.
 Implementation regulations may be public noticed.
Overlapping Fields of Design





New disciplines do create more overlap.
Civil - Structural and Environmental.
Fire Protection – Mechanical and Electrical
Controls – Mechanical and Electrical
Other overlaps occur with Industrial and
Architectural licenses.
Impact to Alaskan Engineers

Will I be able to do what I did before?


Yes!
Board still focuses on three-legged stool for judging
competency.
Education
 Experience
 Testing


Will there be “grandfathering”?
Most likely, but still defining.
 Not necessarily for all disciplines.


Comity or testing is best path to new licenses.
Continuing Education Version 2.0

Halfway through second cycle of CE.
 Need

24 PDHs by end of 2011.
Hints for documenting CE:
 Prove
that you were there.
 Save
your receipts.
 Invitations do not count.
 Save
information about what the topic was about.
 Don’t forget about non-conference PDHs.
 Save documentation for carry-over from last cycle
How Surveyors Impact CE


Recent regulation combined the surveyor CE
requirements with those of the engineers and
architects.
Additional CE methods added:
Authoring papers, articles, or books (max 10 PDH)
 Serving as an officer or active committee member of
professional or technical society (max 8 PDH)

Quick History of B+30/MOE


NCEES created a committee with several other professional societies
including ASCE and NSPE to review “big picture” of engineering licensure.
Study noted that core engineering college courses were being reduced for
BS degree.





NCEES formed committee. Came up with B+30.


Required 30 college credits beyond BS degree.
Contentious debate, close votes, B+30 passed


Increase in number of “soft skills” credits.
Reduction in overall credits.
Expanding technology and Body of Knowledge (BOK).
Study recommended more education beyond BS for eligibility to take PE test.
Eventually passed into NCEES Model Law and Model Engineer 2020.
B+30 now known as Masters or Equivalent (MOE)
Update on B+30/MOE


NCEES Member Boards asked for more alternatives to
B+30.
NCEES committee came back with two alternate paths
to 30 credits that includes:

BS with 150 credits, minimum STEM credits


Mixture of additional years of experience, documented
mentoring, and continuing education


Going to NCEES national meeting for vote
Still in NCEES committee. Being refined.
Still slated for 2020 start for NCEES

No state looking to implement at this time.
QUESTIONS?