The State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors approved multiple groups of applicants for licensure during its meeting, and voted to deny one reciprocity applicant who lacked a qualifying four‑year engineering undergraduate degree.

The board heard a status report that the Department of Consumer Protection has taken over review of most applications and is approving “model law” applicants (those who meet the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, NCEES, model law criteria) administratively. Board members said 87 model‑law reciprocity applicants have been approved under the new process, a rise from the 65 noted at the prior meeting.

Board members reviewed and voted on non‑model applications and initial exam credit requests in batches. Where reviewers recommended approval, the board moved and approved those recommendations by voice vote with no reported opposition. For example, the board approved several named groups of class‑1 and class‑4 applicants after reviewers verified required fundamentals (EIT) credit and experience.

The board denied one reciprocity applicant, Timothy Manley, after finding he did not hold a four‑year engineering undergraduate degree; members said consistency with the board’s long‑standing policy required a qualifying 4‑year engineering degree for reciprocity and that denial carried on a voice vote. The board also voted to deny two applicants who lacked a 4‑year engineering degree. One applicant, Michael Vera, whose record showed about three years and 11 months of qualifying experience, was approved subject to verification of the missing month of work.

Members discussed a few application‑specific issues during votes: a foreign or non‑accredited degree flagged by NCEES evaluations, scanned EIT certificates that needed verification, and applicants who had previously held but allowed a Connecticut license to lapse and were applying for reinstatement. In at least one case the board approved an applicant who had previously been licensed in Connecticut but allowed the license to expire, explaining applicants who lapse for more than three years must reapply under current procedures.

The board noted generally that education evaluations performed by NCEES are relied upon for applicants with foreign degrees and that the board follows NCEES model law standards for education, experience and examination. Members reiterated that the statutory and regulatory standards require four years of qualifying experience after the degree in most circumstances, and that technology degrees can be acceptable only if supported by longer post‑degree experience per state rules.

No new disciplinary actions or changes to individual sanctions were decided at this meeting. The board set next meeting dates for 2026 and confirmed planned meeting dates for 2025, asking members to flag any immediate scheduling conflicts.

Actions recorded at the meeting included acceptance of the August meeting minutes (with corrections noted and three abstentions recorded), multiple voice‑vote approvals of grouped applicants as described above, the motion to deny Timothy Manley for lack of a qualifying four‑year engineering degree (motion carried), denial of two applicants lacking four‑year engineering degrees (motion carried), conditional approval of Michael Vera pending verification of the final month of qualifying experience (motion carried), and approval of several class‑9 and class‑10 license requests including one applicant with a Dominican degree whose NCEES evaluation showed no deficiencies.

Why it matters: Licensing decisions determine who may legally practice engineering and land surveying in Connecticut. The board’s reliance on DCP administrative review for model‑law applicants means the board now spends more of its meeting time on applications that present evaluation or credential questions (foreign degrees, technology‑degree routes, or lapsed licenses).