Side-by-side license comparison
| Metric | Professional Engineer (PE) | Teacher (K-12) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Engineering | Education |
| Median Salary | $100,640 | $65,090 |
| Avg Initial Fee | $340 | $199 |
| Difficulty | Very High | High |
| Education | BS Engineering + 4 years experience | Bachelor's + Student Teaching |
| Exam | FE + PE Exam | Praxis or State Test |
| Time to License | 8 years | 4-5 years |
| Renewal Period | Every 2 yr | Every 5 yr |
| CE Hours / Cycle | 30 hrs | 60 hrs |
| States Requiring | 53 of 53 | 53 of 53 |
Professional Engineer (PE) earns $35,550 more per year on average. Over a 10-year career span, that adds up to approximately $355,500 in additional earnings.
The LicenseWize editorial team aggregates and verifies licenses data from Bureau of Labor Statistics & State Licensing Boards. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.