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Professional licensing is more important for CEEs than for any other engineering field. Having a PE (Professional Engineer's) License is a requirement for many mid and high level CEE positions. If you plan on becoming a practicing CEE, you will need a PE. The requirements to get one are rather complicated, there are lots of quirky rules and exceptions. In general, you will need six years of engineering experience. The good news is, your BS will count for four of those years, so you'll only need to work for two years before you can apply for a PE.  

There is one stepping stone to the PE that you should be thinking about while you're in school. The Engineer-In-Training (EIT) exam, which is sometimes called the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, is required for you to receive a PE. It is basically an eight hour exam of everything you learned (or should have learned) in your lower division engineering courses. It includes many different subjects, such as math, statics, mechanics, thermodynamics, engineering economics, and circuits.  
 

When to take the EIT 

The best time to take the EIT is during your junior year. Most of the test is based on what you learned during your first two years at Cal, with just a bit from upper division (such as the engineering economics, which you can learn in CEE 167). If you wait too long, such as after your junior year or even after you graduate, you'll have a more difficult time passing the test since you're likely to have forgotten some of the material. 

Tips for Passing the EIT 

Passing the test isn't terribly difficult (the passing rate for Cal undergrads is rumored to be 98%). The hardest part will probably be waking up at 5 a.m. and driving to your test site (the closest is in San Mateo), then spending eight hours in an uncomfortable chair filling in little bubbles. It is a good idea to do a bit of studying: take the sample exam that comes with your registration materials to see what kind of shape you're in, then decide how much more studying you'll need. The Berkeley ASCE chapter provides review sessions during the six or so weeks prior to each exam (they are held in April and October) and also sells review manuals (discounts are given to ASCE members). 

Application Procedures 

Applications for the exam are available in the ASCE office (335 Davis) and in the Engineering Advising Office (308 McLaughlin). The application deadlines are usually pretty far in advance (on the order of months) of the test date and applications tend to run out around those deadlines, so you are highly encouraged to apply early. Currently, the test fee is around $65. 
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