Professional Engineers (Approved Qualifications) Notification 2009

Professional Engineers Act 1991

(Section 21(1)(a))

Professional Engineers
(Approved Qualifications)
Notification 2009

2025 REVISED EDITION

(2 June 2025)

[30 December 2009]

Citation

1.  This Notification is the Professional Engineers (Approved Qualifications) Notification 2009.

Definitions

2.  In this Notification —

“on‑campus study”, in relation to any qualification, means attendance on the home campus of any university, college or institution specified in the Schedule that awards that qualification, and —

(a) includes attendance on the home campus of any other university, college or institution specified in the Schedule, or on any other campus that may be approved by the Board; but

(b) does not include any study through —

(i) a distance learning programme; or

(ii) a twinning programme conducted wholly or partly by a university, college or an institution that is not specified in the Schedule, unless that twinning programme is approved by the Board;

“post‑graduate qualification acceptable to the Board”, in relation to a qualification awarded upon graduation after the completion of an undergraduate engineering degree programme, means —

(a) a Master degree or an equivalent post‑graduate degree in the same branch of engineering from any university, college or institution specified in the Schedule, with relevant majors or electives, and which is awarded upon graduation after the completion of not less than one year of full‑time on‑campus study, or not less than 2 years of part‑time on‑campus study; or

(b) a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the same branch of engineering from any university, college or institution approved by the Board;

“undergraduate engineering degree programme” means an undergraduate engineering degree programme with majors or electives relevant to a prescribed branch of professional engineering work.

Qualifications specified in Schedule

3.—(1)  Any qualification specified in Part 1 of the Schedule is an approved qualification for the purposes of section 21(1)(a) of the Act, only if it relates to a prescribed branch of professional engineering work.

(2)  Any qualification specified in Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Schedule is an approved qualification for the purposes of section 21(1)(a) of the Act, only if it relates to a prescribed branch of professional engineering work, and if such of the following conditions as may be applicable are satisfied:

(a) in the case of a qualification specified in Part 2 of the Schedule, the qualification is awarded upon graduation after the completion of a full‑time undergraduate engineering degree programme of not less than 4 years, or of an equivalent programme approved by the Board;

(b) in the case of a qualification specified in Part 3 of the Schedule, the qualification —

(i) is awarded upon graduation after the completion of a full‑time undergraduate engineering degree programme of not less than 4 years, or of an equivalent programme approved by the Board (not being a programme referred to in sub‑paragraph (ii)); or

(ii) is awarded upon graduation after the completion of a full‑time undergraduate engineering degree programme of not less than 3 years, and is supplemented by a post‑graduate qualification acceptable to the Board;

(c) in the case of a qualification alluded to in Division 1 or 2 of Part 4 of the Schedule —

(i) the qualification is awarded upon graduation after the completion of a full‑time undergraduate engineering degree programme of not less than 4 years;

(ii) the qualification is accredited by the accrediting organisation as fully meeting the academic requirements for registration as a professional engineer;

(iii) in the case of a qualification specified in Division 2, the qualification meets the requirement specified in the fourth column of that Division; and

(iv) the qualification is supplemented by a post‑graduate qualification acceptable to the Board, if it is awarded before the date specified in the third column of Division 1 or 2 (as the case may be), unless it is a qualification specified in Division 3 of that Part or alluded to in Division 4 or 5 of that Part;

(d) in the case of a qualification alluded to in Division 1 of Part 5 of the Schedule —

(i) the qualification is awarded upon graduation after the completion of a full‑time undergraduate engineering degree programme of not less than 3 years;

(ii) the qualification is accredited by the accrediting organisation either as fully meeting the academic requirements for registration as a chartered or professional engineer, or as meeting the academic requirements for registration as a chartered or professional engineer subject to further learning; and

(iii) the qualification is supplemented by a post‑graduate qualification acceptable to the Board, if —

(A) it is awarded before the date specified in the third column of that Division, unless it is a qualification specified in Division 2 of that Part; or

(B) it is accredited as meeting the academic requirements for registration as a chartered or professional engineer subject to further learning;

(e) at least one‑half of the total modular credits or academic units required for graduation in the undergraduate engineering degree programme for the qualification has been obtained through on‑campus study;

(f) if the qualification has been obtained partly on account of advanced standing credits awarded for any other qualification —

(i) that other qualification must be approved by the Board; and

(ii) the advanced standing credits must not exceed one‑half of the total modular credits or academic units required for graduation in the undergraduate engineering degree programme for the qualification.

Qualifications not specified in Schedule

4.—(1)  Where a person holds a qualification in a prescribed branch of professional engineering work, but the qualification is not specified in the Schedule, the Board may consider him or her for registration as a professional engineer, if —

(a) the qualification is awarded upon graduation after the completion of a full‑time undergraduate engineering degree programme of not less than 4 years, or of an equivalent programme approved by the Board;

(b) the qualification satisfies all applicable conditions set out in paragraph 3(2)(e) and (f);

(c) the qualification is supplemented by —

(i) a Master degree in the same branch of engineering, with relevant majors or electives, from the National University of Singapore or the Nanyang Technological University; or

(ii) a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the same branch of engineering from any university, college or institution approved by the Board;

(d) the qualification is accredited by a national accreditation organisation or an international accreditation organisation acceptable to the Board;

(e) the qualification is recognised for independent professional engineering practice by a local authority of the country or region in which the qualification was awarded; and

(f) the undergraduate engineering degree programme for the qualification is preceded by a course of education leading to the award of the Singapore‑Cambridge General Certificate of Education ‘Advanced’ Level Certificate or of an equivalent qualification approved by the Board.

(2)  The Board may, if it thinks fit in any particular case, waive all or any of the conditions under sub‑paragraph (1)(a) to (f).