The Historical 20th Century and the Future 21st Century of Petroleum Engineering Professional Registration

Abstract

Professional recognition for the Petroleum Engineering profession began developing in the early 20th century1,2. Professional Registration for the Petroleum Engineer has seen some drastic changes since its implementation unto the national scene in 1907. Most of these changes occurred through the nationally administered National Council of Engineering and Land Surveyors (NCEES). The national Petroleum Engineering Professional Exam began in 1973 when NCEES started offering it to all states. The requirements to become registered gradually became stiffer. The advent of the Sunset Legislation fad in the 1980's really changed the state requirements. In 1973, the PE Exam began as a twenty problem offered, choose eight to work, objective style exam. By 1999, it had evolved to an eighty question, no choice, all multiple choice exam. As we enter the 21st century, computers will eventually administer the PE Exam. Introduction Professional Registration did not exist at the birth of the 20th Century. It started because of devious means being used by so called irresponsible individuals and/or groups that exploited the lack of any governing control over their known inexperience of details important to the public. Qualified groups began approaching the states to step in and create an acting legal agency to properly police the actions of obvious engineering and land surveying concerns. The state boards began forming in the early 1900's. This was accomplished in four decades (Fig. 1). Each state board set up their own requirements for professional registration. At first, these just consisted of getting one's education and work experience verified. This was the so-called Grandfathering Era. After World War II, many states implemented, at first a basic, or fundamental test given near college graduation, and then a second, more practical oriented exam that was given after a few years of work experience. This latter exam became known as the Professional Engineering Exam. In itself, it has gone through its own metamorphous. Formative Era Laws Enacted. The first Professional Engineering state board was created in Wyoming in 1907. It was an attempt to regulate the misdeeds of filing for water rights. Most of these were being filed by competent Civil Engineers, but there were also filings by incompetent lawyers, real estate agents, notaries, insurance agents and pawn brokers. Wyoming wanted to set up a state registry of those who had demonstrated their necessary qualifications. Louisiana followed the next year and enacted their Professional Engineering state board in 1908. The rest of the states waited until after the World War I years to get their state boards over the next four decades. Ironically, Wyoming's neighbor, Montana, completed the full 50 states in 1947. Oklahoma enacted in 1935 and Texas enacted in 1937. All the protectorates and territories enacted their PE laws by 1968 when the Virgin Islands finally enacted theirs. National Societies. In 1916, the five engineering founder societies formed a federation. These were the Civil, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical societies and the combined Mining and Metallurgical (AIME) society. Petroleum Engineering joined AIME later. This group became the American Engineering Council in 1921.3 Herbert Hoover, an AIME member, and then Secretary of Commerce, was its first president.3 The National Council of State Boards of Engineering Examiners was founded in 1920.3 The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) was formed in 1934.3 In 1932, the Engineers Council for Professional Development (ECPD) was formed.3,6 They began accrediting engineering schools in 1935. This is today's American Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET). (Figure 2).