REGISTRATION CRITERIA & APPLICATION FOR GRADUATING STUDENT LUNCHEON MEMBER-IN-TRAINING

Applicants are evaluated according to Section 13 of the Regulations accompanying the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professional Act as follows.

13 A person who meets the following requirements and applies to the Registrar for registration is entitled to be registered as a professional member:

(a) the applicant is a Canadian citizen or is lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residence;

(b) the applicant is of good character and reputation;

(c) the applicant has a knowledge of the Act and the regulations under the Act, and general knowledge related to the practice of engineering, geology or geophysics, which has been demonstrated by passing an examination that is prescribed by the Board of Examiners;

(d) the applicant demonstrates to the Board of Examiners that the applicant has a proficiency in the English language that is sufficient to enable the applicant to responsibly practise the profession of engineering, geology or geophysics;

(e) the applicant meets one of the following requirements:

(i) the applicant is admitted as a member-in-training and has obtained at least 4 years of experience in work of an engineering, geological or geophysical nature that is acceptable to the Board of Examiners;

(ii) the applicant is enrolled as a student under section 6(b)(ii) and

(A) has completed all examinations prescribed by the Board of Examiners, and

(B) has obtained at least 8 years of experience in work of an engineering, geological or geophysical nature that is acceptable to the Board of Examiners, at least one year of which is obtained after completion of the examinations referred to in paragraph (A);

(iii) the applicant is admitted as an examination candidate and

(A) has completed the examinations referred to in section 8(b), and

(B) has obtained at least 4 years of experience in work of an engineering, geological or geophysical nature that is acceptable to the Board of Examiners;

(iv) the applicant is not in a register or record referred to in subclause (i), (ii) or (iii), but has the combined academic qualifications and experience acceptable to the Board of Examiners that would be required for registration as a professional member had the applicant progressed through one of those registers or records.

This brochure gives further information on the registration criteria.

NAME

Provide both your legal name and your preferred name. Your preferred name will appear in the APEGGA member register and on your stamp and seal unless you tell us otherwise on the application form and the stamp and seal form. Your membership certificate will be issued in your full legal name. However, correspondence from APEGGA will include initials only (maximum 3) and your surname.

RESIDENCY

The Application for Member-In-Training asks for your present and mailing address. We know that it is unlikely that you will be staying at your present address after graduation. PLEASE NOTIFY APEGGA OF ALL ADDRESS CHANGES. DO NOT RELY ON POSTAL FORWARDING SERVICES.

Alberta residency is not a requirement for membership. This means that you may freely move in and out of the province while retaining the same status with APEGGA. Should you move out of the province and wish to seek registration in the new jurisdiction there may be advantages in completing your registration with APEGGA before requesting registration in the new jurisdiction. You should become familiar with the requirements in both areas.

CITIZENSHIP

There is no citizenship requirement to be an MIT but a few questions are asked on the Application for Member-in-training. You must be a Canadian Citizen or a Landed Immigrant to request registration as a Professional Member. Otherwise, you apply for registration as a Foreign Licensee. The registration criteria, however, are the same for both categories. The only privilege held by Professional Members, that is not held by Foreign Licensees, is the privilege of taking part in the administration of the Association by running and voting in Association elections. If you were not born in Canada and you wish to be registered as a Professional Member, a copy of your citizenship papers or the Canadian Immigration Record and Visa is required when you apply for Professional Membership.

POST SECONDARY EDUCATION

An applicant must have a 4 year degree in engineering, geology or geophysics; or equivalent. The Application for Member-in-training asks what degree you expect to be awarded.

Engineering

In Canada, the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), a subgroup of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers sets standards for Engineering education and inspects all Engineering schools for compliance with these standards. Programs at the University of Alberta and The University of Calgary meet the requirements and, as such, graduates from these programs are academically qualified for registration as MITs.

Geology

There is no national accreditation system for geology. APEGGA has developed a Geology syllabus against which the transcripts from all geology applicants are compared. Applicants with degrees from the University of Alberta and The University of Calgary usually meet the requirements.

Geophysics

There is no national accreditation system for geophysics. APEGGA has developed a Geophysics syllabus against which the transcripts from all geophysics applicants are compared. Applicants with degrees from the University of Alberta and The University of Calgary usually meet the requirements.

EXPERIENCE

The Application for Member-In-Training asks for the name of your employer, if you know yet. This information provides the university with some early feedback on the job market.

IF YOU ARE SHORT OF TIME, FINISH READING THIS BROCHURE AFTER YOU GRADUATE, BUT TAKE THE TIME NOW TO FILL OUT THE APPLICATION.

Included in this package is a brochure entitled Professional Development: A Guideline for Members-In-Training. It is designed to provide you with a foundation and framework on which you are to build your experience.

When you apply for professional membership full details of all positions held will be required and should include the position title, the general responsibilities that can be found in a job description, the specific assignments, values, successes, degrees of independence and initiative needed and evidence of increasing levels of responsibility. Evidence of the 5 elements outlined in the Professional Development Guideline should be included with an emphasis on the application of technical theory and practical experience. Your experience will only be judged on the information you supply. It is unlikely that a brief summary will provide all the information required.

APEGGA requires that an applicant with a degree in engineering, geology or geophysics have at least four years of experience that is acceptable to the Board of Examiners. Generally, the experience requirement must be met after completion of your degree requirements (i.e. not graduation) although summer, co-op and intern work experience may be awarded up to six months credit. Extensive technology experience may also be given some credit.

The Board recognizes that not all applicants are able or given the opportunity to perform full professional work immediately after graduation. However, the Board is prepared to grant credit for some amount of work that is below the level where the full application of engineering, geological or geophysical principles is expected, but where it is obvious that an increasing level of responsibility and initiative is being assumed.

The Board will award credit for A Level experience - orientation and non-technical training -if the orientation is in the early stages of the career and does not exceed 1 or 2 months and if the non-technical training falls within the areas of management skills, communications skills and understanding the societal implications of the work that is being done.

Full credit may be awarded for B Level experience - formal technical training - if it is a logical extension of the academic background on which your enrollment has been granted. In house courses may be acceptable. An approved post graduate program may be eligible to receive some experience credit. Please refer to the Professional Development Guideline for more detailed information.

Full credit may be awarded for C Level experience - technician, technologist or technical support level - to a maximum of 12 months.

Full credit will be awarded for D Level experience - where the application of engineering, geological or geophysical principles and practical experience are evident. At least 2 years must be at D Level.

The Professional Development Guideline provides more details on levels A and D experience, the need for professional supervision, mentoring, documentation, and at least one year of North American experience and outlines types of experience that may need greater documentation to prove the extent of D Level experience.

Post graduate studies experience credit is not assessed when you seek enrollment as a Member-In-Training; it is assessed when you apply for professional membership.

REFERENCES

When you apply for professional membership you will be expected to provide the names and current addresses of at least three persons who are familiar with significant time elements of your experience, at least one of whom is/has been your supervisor and at least two of whom are professional members with APEGGA or another comparable professional association. A standard Reference Questionnaire will be sent by APEGGA to the three references listed and to supervisors to confirm your employment experience, your character, and your English language competency.

CHARACTER

Members in all categories must be of good character and reputation. Character is defined as the combination of qualities which distinguish one individual from another. Good character connotes moral and ethical strength and undoubtedly includes integrity, candour, honesty and trustworthiness. Character is what a person is, while reputation is what others believe that person to be.

Good character is determined primarily at the time you apply for professional membership. It is determined, with other sources of information, by the response to a general question on the Reference Questionnaire and by the responses to specific questions on the application form that relate to civil or criminal offences. An affirmative answer to any question does not necessarily mean that you will be refused registration. If this information raises concern about your character, you will be given another opportunity to respond to the concern in writing.

KNOWLEDGE OF LAW AND ETHICS

Professional Members must demonstrate knowledge of professional law and ethics. This may be accomplished by passing the National Professional Practice Examination (NPPE). The examination may be written when you have at least two years of experience. More information on the NPPE is available on our web site at www.apegga.org or by contacting our office.

If you pass an equivalent examination for another Canadian Association you need only read the Engineering Geological & Geophysical Professions Act, Regulations & By-laws and the Manual of Professional Practice under the Code of Ethics; and sign and return the Act, Regs and By-laws Confirmation. These will be provided to you when we acknowledge receipt of your application for professional membership.

You need not have passed the National Professional Practice Examination to apply for Professional Membership although registration will not be granted until you have done so.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCY

Professional Members must be fluent in the English language. If English is your native language you will meet this requirement. Applicants whose native language is not English must confirm their ability to write and speak English in one of two ways. Either provide a letter in your own hand writing explaining why you feel that your English is acceptable or get a TOEFL score of 600 or better on hand-written exam or 250 or better on computer exam. Lengthy exposure to English through education or experience may be sufficient to meet the competency requirements but your comments will be verified by your references. For more information on TOEFL, contact TOEFL, Box 6155, Princeton, New Jersey, 08541-6155, USA. Several organizations can help you prepare for the TOEFL test. Results should be sent back to APEGGA directly from TOEFL.

PROFESSIONAL STATUS

When you apply for professional membership you will be expected to fully disclose any activity or registration with APEGGA or other associations. This will facilitate and ensure consistent treatment of your application. If you are registered with another Canadian or US Association/Ordre/State Board, APEGGA will confirm your registration with your home association. You must be a fully paid up Professional Member and must realize that APEGGA reserves the right to conduct a full review to ensure full compliance with all the registration criteria.

Revised October 2000