Post-Graduate Degree Experience Credit

Applicants applying for a Professional Member or Licensee designation may receive work experience credit from the APEGA Board of Examiners if they have completed a significant research project or thesis as part of a master’s degree or a Ph.D. in engineering. 

All Professional Member and Licensee applicants that have completed a research project or thesis as part of their Masters or Ph.D. in Engineering, can claim Post-Grad Experience Credit. Applicants initially applying for a Member-in-Training or Professional Licensee designation cannot claim Post-Graduate Work Experience Credit.

Work experience credit for post-graduate degrees in engineering:

  • Must be requested in Step 6 – Work Experience of the online application
  • Cannot be given for more than 24 months, regardless of how many degrees the applicant has
  • Will only be granted to completed post-graduate degrees
  • Can be given for a postgraduate degree from an accredited Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, a Mutual Recognition Agreement institution, or other institutions, at the consideration of the Board of Examiners (BOE)
  • Is only available for time spent in full-time study towards the post-graduate degree
  • Is an option for applicants recommended as academically qualified by the BOE
  • Is only for the research portion of the program and must demonstrate significant engineering design content

Maximum Amount of Eligible Credit

Master's degree that was course-based0 months credit
Master's degree that included a thesis or project0-12 months credit
Ph.D. that included a thesis 0-24 months credit

Requesting Post-Graduate Work Experience Credit

To request Post-Graduate Work Experience Credit applicants must:

1. Have an official copy of the post-Graduate transcripts directly from the academic institution or a WES ICAP Course by Course Report sent to the APEGA Edmonton Head Office

2. Upload the following information into Step 6 Work Experience of the online application or email the information to [email protected]

  • Only the Title Page, Abstract, Conclusion and Recommendations of the Thesis or Project as a PDF or Word document

3. Request a Letter of Recommendation from the Thesis or Project Supervisor, written on university letterhead to be sent to [email protected] directly from the supervisor

Read about the Letter of Recommendation

4. Complete and submit a Work Record Validator List (WRVL) record covering the period of their post-graduate work experience. It must contain the following information:

  • In the Work Record Validator section, provide the thesis or project supervisor's information
  • In the Work Record section, provide:
    • Name of the university
    • Dates the Post-Graduate Thesis or Project was completed
    • Title: Thesis or Project Student
    • The number of months of full-time & part-time experience
    • In the brief description, the title of the thesis or project and a brief overview of the engineering research project or thesis
  • In the Work Record Reference section, the information for your reference should be the applicant's research project or thesis supervisor

The validator used for Post-Graduate 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