(a) General requirements. – Every person who desires to be certified as an engineer intern or to be registered as a professional engineer in this state must comply with the following requirements:

(1) Submission of a completed application specified by the board and payment of the application fee specified by rule of the board;

(2) Be at least eighteen years of age;

(3) Be of good moral character;

(4) Submit statements of reference as specified by rule of the board;

(5) Graduate from a four-year engineering curriculum accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (EAC/ABET), or an equivalent as approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing; and

(6) Be free of any grounds for disqualification as set forth in subsection of (a) of section twenty-one of this article.

(b) Certification of an engineer intern. – In addition to the foregoing general requirements, an applicant must meet the following requirements to be certified as an engineer intern in this state:

(1) Satisfactorily complete the required examination on the fundamentals of engineering; and

(2) Complete each additional requirement that the board may specify by legislative rule.

(c) Registration of a professional engineer. – In addition to the general requirements specified in subsection (a) of this section, an applicant must meet the following requirements to be certified as a professional engineer in this state:

(1) Meet all the requirements for certification as an engineer intern;

(2) Submit a record of four years or more of progressive experience in engineering work of a grade and a character that indicates to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice engineering;

(3) Satisfactorily complete the required examination on the principles and practice of engineering;

(4) Complete each additional requirement that the board may specify by legislative rule.

(d) Registration of a professional engineer through comity or reciprocal registration. – Notwithstanding the requirements of the foregoing subsection of this section, the board may issue a license to an applicant who holds a valid license or other authorization to practice engineering from another state, if the applicant satisfies the general requirements of subsection (a) of this section, satisfies the additional requirements specified by rule of the board and meets one of the following requirements:

(1) Holds a license or other authorization to engage in the practice of engineering issued by a proper authority of any jurisdiction, based on requirements that do not conflict with the provisions of this article and possesses credentials that are, in the judgment of the board, of a standard equivalent to or not lower than that specified in the applicable licensure act and rules in effect in this state at the time such license was issued, upon application, which may include a council record with NCEES; or

(2) Holds a valid council record with NCEES, which is the compilation of documents maintained by NCEES of an applicant's qualifications as a professional engineer, including official transcripts, engineering examination results, employment verifications and references, which indicates that the applicant meets the requirements of this article.

(e) Certification or registration of qualified applicants. – The board shall issue a certification to a qualified applicant who meets the requirements for certification as an engineer intern and shall issue a professional engineer registration to a qualified applicant who meets the requirements for registration as a professional engineer.

(f) Continuation of existing registrations and certificates. – A registration or certificate issued by the board prior to July 1, 2013, shall for all purposes be considered a registration or certificate issued under this article: Provided, That a person registered or certified prior to July 1, 2013, must renew the registration or certification pursuant to the provisions of this article and the rules of the board.