REGISTRATION CRITERIA AND INSTRUCTIONS
FOR FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION:
PROFESSIONAL LICENSEE
A Professional Licensee application is evaluated according to Section 77 of the regulations
accompanying The Engineering and Geoscience Professions of Act (The EGP Act):
77(1) A person who meets the following requirements and applies to the Registrar for
registration is entitled to be registered as a professional licensee.
(a) the applicant is of good character and reputation;
(b) the applicant has at least 2 years of post-secondary education acceptable to the
Board of Examiners in areas that relate to the practice of engineering and/or
geoscience;
(c) the applicant has a knowledge of the Act and the regulations under the Act, and
general knowledge related to the practice of engineering and geoscience which has
been demonstrated by passing an examination for those purposes that is prescribed by
the Board of Examiners;
(d) the applicant demonstrates to the Board of Examiners that the applicant has a
proficiency in the English language that is sufficient to enable the applicant to
responsibly practise the profession of engineering and geoscience;
(e) the applicant has obtained at least 6 years of experience in work of an engineering
and/or geoscience nature that is acceptable to the Board of Examiners, at least 2 of
which are in the applicant's specific area of professional practice and were completed
under the supervision and control of a professional member.
This document describes in more detail each of the above requirements for licensure as a Professional
Licensee.
A. GOOD CHARACTER AND REPUTATION
A Professional Licensee must be of good character and reputation. Good character refers to moral and
ethical strength and includes integrity, candor, honesty and trustworthiness.
An applicant fails to demonstrate good character when he or she
• Willfully obtains or attempts to obtain registration or renewal of registration by cheating on
examinations or making or causing to be made a false statement on the application for
registration
• Commits an act or acts directly related to the practices of engineering or geoscience that
suggest the applicant will not practise in accordance with The EGP Act, Regulations and Bylaws.
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Has committed an act or acts inconsistent with the qualities of honesty and integrity, and has
not been rehabilitated or made adequate reparation
Has been convicted of a criminal offence or found liable of a civil offence impacting the
applicant’s ability to practise
Good character is determined, with other sources of information, by responses to specific questions on
the application form and responses from references to a general question on the Reference
Questionnaire.
All questions about character on the application form must be responded to with a yes or no answer. If
the answer to any of these questions is yes, the applicant must provide details in writing. The details
may be submitted in a sealed envelope. Its contents will be disclosed only to those members of the
APEGA Board of Examiners (BOE) and staff who have a need to know them.
A yes answer to any question does not necessarily mean that the applicant will be refused registration. If
this information raises concern about the applicant’s character, the applicant will be contacted and
given another opportunity to respond to the concern in writing.
B. POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
A Professional Licensee must have a minimum of two years of post-secondary education acceptable to
the BOE in areas that relate to the practice of engineering or geoscience.
Undergraduate degree from a Canadian university
Please list all post-secondary education. Transcripts and confirmation of degrees and diplomas must be
sent directly to APEGA by your academic institution or institutions. For each degree or diploma, this
information must arrive in an envelope that has been clearly marked by the institution with an official
seal or stamp. The envelope must still be sealed and unopened. Documents will not be accepted if
opened, and will need to be requested from your institution again.
Note: APEGA does not accept transcripts or confirmations via fax or email from academic institutions.
For convenience, you may use the form called Request for Academic Documents. Complete and forward
the form directly to the academic institution – do not send the form to the APEGA office. You are not
required to use this form; you may request it from your university in any way that is convenient to you.
Your post-secondary education must be acceptable to the BOE and must have sufficient engineering or
geoscience content acceptable to the Board of Examiners.
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Undergraduate and post-graduate degrees from a university outside of Canada
You must apply to World Education Services (WES) to receive a credential assessment called a WES ICAP
course-by-course report. After obtaining your APEGA ID number, proceed to the WES website and
follow the instructions. Once your academic documents have been received and reviewed, WES will
provide the WES ICAP report directly to APEGA.
C. KNOWLEDGE OF LAW AND ETHICS
To earn a Professional Licence, an applicant must demonstrate knowledge of professional law and
ethics. This is accomplished by passing the National Professional Practice Examination (NPPE).
Information on the NPPE appears on the APEGA website. When you have received your AEPGA ID
number the NPPE can then be written at any time during the application or review process. (You will
receive your APEGA ID Number after your application form for registration has been received and
processed).
D. ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCY
A Professional Licensee must be fluent in the English language. Applicants whose native language is not
English must confirm their ability to write and speak English in one of two ways.
1. The applicant may provide a letter in her or his own handwriting explaining why the
applicant’s English is acceptable, or;
2. The applicant may write an exam called TOEFL. You will need a TOEFL report score of 100 or
better on the internet-based exam.
Note: Exam results must be sent directly to APEGA by TOEFL
E. EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
A Professional Licensee is registered to practise engineering or geoscience within a Defined Scope of
Practice (DSP). A DSP is a written description of an individual’s specific area of professional expertise.
Your DSP will define the limitations of your professional practice in engineering or geoscience.
To become a Professional Licensee, you must have gained at least six years of experience of work of an
engineering or geoscience nature acceptable to the Board of Examiners. At least two years of this
experience must be in your specific area of professional practice, and must have been completed under
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the direct supervision and control of a Professional Member of APEGA, or equivalent senior practitioner
who had responsibility for your technical work.
The Defined Scope of Practice for a P.L.(Eng.) will include only engineering activities as defined by The
EGP Act:
“. . .reporting on, advising on, evaluating, designing, preparing plans and specifications for or
directing the construction, technical inspection, maintenance or operation of any structure,
work or process (A) that is aimed at the discovery, development or utilization of matter,
materials or energy or in any other way designed for the use and convenience of humans, and
(B) that requires in that reporting, advising, evaluating, designing, preparation or direction the
professional application of the principles of mathematics, chemistry, physics or any related
applied subject. . .”
The Defined Scope of Practice for a P.L.(Geo.) will include only geoscience activities as defined by The
EGP Act:
“. . .reporting, advising, evaluating, interpreting, processing, geoscientific surveying, exploring,
classifying reserves or examining related to any activity (A) that relates to the earth sciences or
the environment (B) that is aimed at the discovery or development of oil, natural gas, coal,
metallic or non-metallic minerals, precious stones, other natural resources or water or that is
aimed at the investigation of surface or subsurface conditions of the earth, and (C) that requires,
in that reporting, advising, evaluating, interpreting, processing, geoscientific surveying,
exploring, classifying reserves or examining, the professional application of the principles of
mathematics, chemistry, physics or biology through the application of the principles of
geoscience. . .”
Each activity in the DSP must be supported by a description of experience at a professional level, and
must be verified by professional references confirming competence in the specific area of practice.
All work experience will be submitted on the Professional Licensee Work Experience Records. The Work
Experience Record is structured to help you create a proposed Defined Scope of Practice which is
consistent with your experience and which includes appropriate engineering or geoscience activities.
You will also use the Work Experience Record to submit the details of your engineering or geoscience
experience and to provide references. The Professional Licensee Work Experience Record will be sent to
you by email after you have submitted your Application for Registration with the application fee to
APEGA.
An existing Professional Licensee can apply to modify his or her defined scope of practice. To do so, you
need to submit a new application with all applicable fees.
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