Academic Documentation for Professional Licensees

To become registered as a Professional Licensee (P.L.) you must have at least two years of post-secondary education acceptable to the Board of Examiners in areas related to engineering or geoscience. Your post-secondary education must be completed and have led to a credential being awarded.

You should include all of your academic records. Depending on your academic background, this may include:

APEGA must receive all academic documents directly from your academic institution in an unopened envelope clearly marked with the institution's official seal or stamp. APEGA also accepts these documents through secure, digital distribution platforms. Your application will be updated from the receipt of the documents at the APEGA office. This process is manual so it may take up to three weeks to process, depending on volume.

APEGA does not accept:

training certificates
published journals or papers
class or university rank or distinctions

Acceptable Academics

Canadian Graduates

For post-secondary degrees obtained at a Canadian university, APEGA requires official sealed and/or stamped physical copies, which must be sent to APEGA from your university.

Documents may also be accepted directly from the applicant if they are still sealed by the university and have not been opened.

International Graduates

If your post-secondary degrees are from a university outside of Canada, you must obtain an academic assessment of your academic records from World Education Services (WES).

APEGA will not accept any other proof of academics, and this report will be delivered directly from WES to APEGA.

To satisfy the academic requirements for Professional Licensee, applicants must have at least 2 years of post-secondary education:

in areas that related to the practice of engineering and geoscience with a level of instruction comparable to that of a Canadian polytechnic
which satisfies the Graduate and Knowledge Attributes Profiles of the Sydney Accord
or an engineering technologist program accredited by Technology Accreditation Canada (TAC)
or an engineering technologist program accredited by the Canadian Technologist Accreditation Board (CTAB)

If you are not a graduate of a program that is accredited as per the bullet points above, you may wish to self-assess your academics before applying:

Compare your completed courses against those of a Sydney Accord accredited program to determine whether the content is similar
Consult APEGA's list of discipline specific syllabi to ensure that you have gained at least 2 years of acceptable courses. Be sure to also read the Preliminary and Basic Studies syllabus for non-discipline specific courses also required for engineering applicants

APEGA's approved syllabi serve to provide guidance for prospective applicants, however please be aware that the acceptability of academics is ultimately determined by the Board of Examiners.

Read about approved discipline-specific syllabi

Applicants who fail to demonstrate the minimum academic threshold will have their application refused. The Board of Examiners will not assign additional examinations to make up for perceived academic deficiencies for Professional Licensee applicants.

World Education Services for International Graduates

If you completed your education outside Canada, you must provide a World Education Services (WES) Course-by-Course International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP) report.

WES is an international credential evaluation service designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to provide educational credential asessments for education completed outside Canada. WES is the only international credential service APEGA recognizes, and we will accept only its Course-by-Course ICAP report.

Read About the WES Course-by-Course ICAP Report

All transcripts, including transfer credits, must be included in your WES Course-by-Course ICAP report. APEGA does not accept industry training (e.g., journeyman) certificates, professional development, or continuing education.

WES Course-by-Course ICAP Report vs. APEGA's Board of Examiners

WES Course-by-Course ICAP Report:

verifies the authenticity of your academic documents
completes any translations required of your academics
establishes the equivalent level of your academic credentials compared with the Canadian university system

APEGA's Board of Examiners:

reviews your degree to ensure it is a degree in engineering or geoscience
confirms the acceptability of the course content and performance of your degree
ensures your degree meets the legal requirements for licensure

How to Obtain a WES Report

Obtain a WES Course-by-Course ICAP report by following the steps below.

Start an application through myAPEGA and receive your APEGA ID. You will need this ID to order your WES Course-by-Course ICAP report.
In myAPEGA’s online application system, complete the required steps. After adding your education in Step 5, follow the instructions to continue to the WES website.
Follow the instructions provided by WES. If you already have a WES evaluation, you may need to upgrade it to a Course-by-Course ICAP report.
WES will send your completed evaluation report directly to APEGA electronically. Physical copies will not be accepted.
Your application will be updated from the receipt of the documents at the APEGA office. This process is manual so it may take up to three weeks to process, depending on volume

Monitor the status of your report through your WES account and notify APEGA at [email protected] if there are any delays in receiving the report. You have 90 days from the date you submit and pay for your application to provide all required academic documents to APEGA.

Please note that if WES does not submit a completed report within 90 days of your application submission, your application will be withdrawn. Consider waiting to submit your application until your WES report has been completed and is ready to be sent to APEGA.