Americas - Registration and Licensing

British Columbia, Canada

An engineer obtains a licence to practice by registering as a Professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC). This is typically achieved through an accredited engineering degree, four years of training, and passing a professional practice examination.

A new public safety initiative has been launched where engineers who wish to accept responsibility for building projects by signing Letters of Assurance to a building authority, will need to register with APEGBC as a Structural Engineer of Record (SER). Applicants must be registered professional engineers with at least six years of experience in structural engineering, and have passed a qualifying structural examination. Acceptable examinations include those required for Structural Engineer registration (SER)in Washington State, and the IStructE Chartered Membership examination. Applicants selecting IStructE's route and meeting the entry requirements may also apply for the MIStructE qualification. All SER applicants are also required to pass a four-hour locally administered examination testing BC Building Code knowledge and seismic design ability.

Early interest by SER applicants has been in IStructE's exam, with 60% applying for full Institution membership.