Engineer Interns

Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners

If you are considering pursuing a career in the engineering profession, one of the first decisions you will make will be in reference to your education. Education lays the foundation for developing the skills and knowledge to not only practice a profession, but also to protect the public’s health, safety and welfare.

Engineer Intern certification is the first step on the path to professional engineering registration. The educational requirements for engineer intern certification in the State of Tennessee are either an undergraduate degree in engineering that has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), or an undergraduate degree in engineering that has been determined to be substantially equivalent to an EAC/ABET-accredited degree.

Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process of peer review. It requires an educational institution or program to meet certain defined standards or criteria and serves to notify parents and prospective students that a particular engineering program has met minimum educational standards for its graduates to enter professional practice.

For a list of Tennessee higher education institutions with EAC/ABET-accredited engineering programs, see the Resources and Links page.

For further information

Educational Requirements

  • Senior standing in a 4-year (minimum) undergraduate engineering curriculum that has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); OR
  • A 4-year (minimum) undergraduate engineering degree that has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); OR
  • A 4-year (minimum) undergraduate engineering degree that has been determined to be substantially equivalent to an EAC/ABET-accredited degree.

    [Substantial equivalency means comparable in program content and level of educational experience but not necessarily identical in format or method of delivery. It implies that the graduates of these programs possess the necessary competencies to begin professional engineering practice at the entry level.]
  • An engineering technology program, whether four (4) or two (2) years in length, is not considered by the Board to be an acceptable curriculum.

Examinations