This page will provide you with information on the requirements for registration at Engineers Nova Scotia. If you require further information, or wish to access your file please contact the, Director of Registration,e-mail.

The Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia (Engineers Nova Scotia) is the regulatory body for the practice of professional engineering in Nova Scotia.   Engineers Nova Scotia does not provide employment services.

An engineer practicing in Nova Scotia is required by law under the Nova Scotia Engineering Profession Act & By-Laws to be registered with Engineers Nova Scotia.  An engineer may work in Nova Scotia under the Supervision of a Professional Engineer without registering, but may not call themselves an engineer until they are registered. 

Following is information on becoming registered as an engineer with Engineers Nova Scotia.  Please read the following information carefully before contacting Engineers Nova Scotia. 

Basis for Registration

Under the Nova Scotia Engineering Profession Act & By-Laws you must meet the following criteria to register with Engineers Nova Scotia:

• be academically qualified
• have obtained sufficient acceptable engineering work experience in area of qualification
• have an understanding of local practices and conditions
• be competent in the English Language
• be of good character
• demonstrate an understanding of professional practice and ethics issues. 

Academic Requirement

Applicants for licensure must meet one of the following academic qualifications: 

• An undergraduate degree in engineering accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB).
• An undergraduate degree in engineering accredited by the accreditation body of a country which is part of a Mutual Recognition Agreement with Canada.
• An unaccredited undergraduate degree in engineering or science from a school, college or university recognized by Council and successful completion of assigned examinations.

The CEAB accredited Bachelor of Engineering is the standard for registration in Canada.  The Board of Examiners must assess  academic qualifications if:

• The bachelor of engineering degree was obtained outside of Canada
• The bachelor of engineering degree is from a Country not part of a reciprocal mobility agreement with Canada
• The degree is a bachelor of science not in engineering

A World Education Services (WES) ICAP course by course credential evaluation is required for authentication of academic qualifications obtained outside of Canada.  Apply here.  

The WES evaluation is not sufficient for licensure as the Board of Examiners must review the engineering content of the degree(s) to determine the requirements for registration.   The credential evaluation result will be submitted to the Board for information.  Engineers Nova Scotia does not accept credential assessments done by other agencies.

If you have a recognized Bachelor Degree in Engineering and have completed a Master Degree in Engineering in the same discipline, the Board of Examiners will review the Master Degree to determine if examinations may be waived or reduced.  Course descriptions (syllabus) for both the Bachelor (all years) and the Master Degrees are required to complete the assessment. 

If the Board determines that you are eligible to write examinations, you may demonstrate academic qualification through an examination program as assigned by the Board based on the Engineers Canada Examination Syllabus, available at https://engineerscanada.ca/become-an-engineer/examination-syllabi.

If examinations are required, there is a time frame during which the exams must be completed.

Experience Requirement

The experience requirement is four years of approved engineering experience obtained after having met the academic requirement.   Experience obtained in the last 24 months of your Bachelor of Engineering degree may be eligible for credit of up to 12 months as Pre-Grad Experience. 

If you have a Bachelor of Engineering degree from outside Canadaand are assigned confirmatory exams, experience obtained since graduation may be eligible for credit. 

If you have a Bachelor of Science not in engineeringand are assigned a general examination program, experience does not start until after successful completion of the general examination program, which is when you would be considered academically qualified for registration.

Twelve months of the required 48 months of experience must be obtained in a Canadian environment, or you must have 48 months of engineering experience approved by the Board of Examiners and have successfully completed one of the following to meet the Canadian content requirement:

1. The ISANS study program “Orientation and Communication Skills for Engineers”
2. The “Working in Canada Seminar” provided through Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC) (Must be arranged through the Engineer Nova Scotia Director of Registration)
3. A competency-based assessment through another engineering regulatory body in Canada
4. An equivalent course or program as approved by Engineers Nova Scotia

As the quality and years of experience may be a factor in determining the requirements for registration, it is very important to submit a comprehensive record of your experience.  

If you have 10 or more years of progressive, well documented engineering experience, the Board will review the experience to determine if examinations may be waived.  

The experience must be documented on the Engineers Nova Scotia Engineering Experience Record form, be approximately 4 pages per year of experience and be written according to the Experience Guidelines.  The experience records must be signed by the applicant and verified with the signature and contact information of the Supervisor or Employer where the experience was obtained.  The experience record form and experience guidelines are available at https://engineersnovascotia.ca/registration/assessment/.

When  the academic requirements for registration as set by the Board have been met, apply for registration as an Engineer-in-Training in the Mentorship Program to complete the experience requirement.  

English Language Requirement

Correspondence must be in English as that is the language of commerce in Nova Scotia and proficiency in English is a requirement for registration with Engineers Nova Scotia.

Proof of the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing in English, is required. Acceptable documentation of English proficiency may include positive results of the TOEFL or the International English Language Test (IELTS) – Academic level 6.5, Canadian Language Benchmark test, level 8,  confirmation of education in English, or P.Eng. reference letters.

Good Character Requirement

When applying for P.Eng. registration, three references are required.  Provide the names of three people who have known you for a minimum of one year and have agreed to attest to your character.  Two of the three must be registered Professional Engineers in Canada who are also willing to attest to your engineering experience.

National Professional Practice Exam Requirement

The NPPE is a combined Law and Ethics and Professionalism online exam consisting of 110 multiple choice questions.  All engineers in Canada are required to successfully complete the NPPE to demonstrate an understanding of professional practice and ethics issues before the Professional Engineer designation may be granted.  The requirements for registration, as set by the Board of Examiners, must be completed to be eligible to take the NPPE.   

Assessment Application Requirements

(All required documents must be officially translated to English)

• completed Online Application for assessment
• non-refundable assessment application fee of $230 (Schedule of Fees)
• a WES ICAP course-by-course credential assessment.  Apply here and select Engineers Nova Scotia as a recipient of the report
• copy of degree certificate(s)
• copy of transcript of marks
• official university program syllabus (course descriptions / calendar)* for all years of the above degrees sent from the  university to Engineers Nova Scotia, or copies of the official handbook, or or course descriptions downloaded from the university’s official website (must contain the university’s official url on each page).  The courses on your course descriptions must correspond to the courses on your transcript.  If not clear, you must create an index to cross reference to your transcript.  Upload all course descriptions as one document.
• current detailed resume
• detailed work history on the Engineers Nova Scotia form of all engineering experience since completing your undergraduate degree - PDF.  Experience must be a minimum of 4 pages per year of experience and be written according to the Experience Guidelines.  Please refer to the Experience Guide and Forms available at https://engineersnovascotia.ca/registration/assessment/.  Upload all experience records as one document.
• current valid government issued photo identification with your signature 
• confirmation of English language proficiency. 

*  If it is not possible to obtain course descriptions from the University, after all attempts have been exhausted, you must submit a letter with your application advising Engineers Nova Scotia that the official program syllabus is not available and why.  If the  official program syllabus is not available, then the Board of Examiners will attempt to perform an assessment.  However, this may affect the outcome of your assessment as without course descriptions, the Board is unable to properly assess academic qualifications and a more comprehensive examination program may be assigned.

The above documents must be uploaded with your online application or through your online account once your application has been processed.  The online application for assessment and the application requirements are also available at https://engineersnovascotia.ca/registration/assessment/.

Emailed applications or documents are no longer accepted. 

When all required documents are received and your application is complete**, the Director of Registration will review the application and submit it to the Board of Examiners at the next available meeting.  The Board meets at the end of each month from September to June.  All required documents must be received at least one month prior to a Board meeting, in order to be added to the agenda for the next meeting.   The Board 's decisions on the requirements for registration, or acceptance / rejection of an application, including internal reviews, will be mailed to you within three to four months after receipt of a complete* application.  **Complete means that all required documents have been received by the Association. 

For information on other  Categories of Registration, please refer to the application categories listed under the Registration tab.

Every effort will be made to accommodate applicants with special needs.  Confirmation from a medical practitioner may be requested.  Please contact registration@engineersnovascotia.ca if you have a special needs requirement.

Subject to staff availability and workload, every effort is made to respond to Registration-related inquiries within 3 - 4 business days. 

Nova Scotia's Government has created the Fair Registration Practices Act (FRPA) Review Office that oversees Regulators in the province with the goal of ensuring all registration practices are fair and transparent. In March 2017, Engineers Nova Scotia's licensing processes were deemed to be "fully compliant with the FRPA." The Review Office went on to state the association is "a leader among regulatory bodies in its support for the development of licensing systems that are objective, transparent and procedurally fair."

The complete FRPA Review Office letter is available here and the final report is available here.