Postgraduate Work Experience for Engineering Applicants

If you are applying for a professional member or licensee designation with APEGA and you have completed a significant research project or thesis as part of a master’s degree or a PhD in engineering, you can claim postgraduate work experience credit.

You cannot claim this credit if you are applying for a member-in-training or professional licensee designation.

Work experience credit for postgraduate degrees in engineering:

• must be requested in the Step 6: Work Experience section of the online application
• must be for a granted postgraduate degree
• may be granted for an acceptable postgraduate degree in engineering from Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board programs, a Mutual Recognition Agreement institution, or other institutions, as determined by the Board of Examiners (BOE)
• must be for time spent in full-time study towards the postgraduate degree
• requires you to be recommended as academically qualified by the BOE
• must relate only to the research portion of the program and demonstrate significant engineering design content

The BOE determines eligibility for postgraduate experience credit.

Maximum Amount of Eligible Credit

The maximum number of credited months will not increase with the submission of multiple postgraduate degrees. The maximum credit you can gain from postgraduate credit is 24 months, regardless of the number of degrees.

Please note that postgraduate experience and industry experience gained during the same time period are not cumulative. If there is an overlap, only one form of experience may be credited toward the 48-month requirement.

Requesting Postgraduate Work Experience Credit

To request postgraduate work experience credit, you must:

1. Arrange for an official copy of your postgraduate transcripts to be sent directly to APEGA from your academic institution or submit a World Education Services Course-by-Course International Credential Advantage Package report.
2. Upload a PDF or Word document extracted from the original thesis or project to the Step 6: Work Experience section of the myAPEGA online application system or email it to [email protected]. Include only the title page, abstract, conclusion, and recommendations.
3. Request a letter of recommendation from your thesis or project supervisor, written on university letterhead. Your supervisor must send the letter directly to APEGA at [email protected].
4. Complete and submit a new Work Record Validator List page covering the period of your postgraduate work experience. Complete the form as follows.
   • Work Record Validator section
     • Provide your thesis or project supervisor's information
   • Work Record section
     • Name of the university
     • Dates you completed the postgraduate thesis or project
     • Title: Thesis or Project Student
     • Number of months of full-time and part-time experience
     • Brief description: include the title of your thesis or project and a short overview of the engineering research
   • Work Record Reference section
     • Enter your thesis or project supervisor’s information

The validator you list for your postgraduate work experience credit in the Work Record Validator List can also be used as a validator in the competency-based assessment tool.

Read About References and Validators