Engineering is a self-regulated profession and sets certain standards for engineers to practice in some jurisdictions - for example, most public agencies. Professional Engineers (P.E.) in California have met a specific set of standards set by the California Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, which falls under the state's Department of Consumer Affairs. Licensure exams are administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).
Approximately half of all Civil Engineering graduates will go on and become licensed. Roughly a quarter of all Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering graduates will become licensed, and about 10% of all Electrical Engineering graduates will become licensed. Most other programs have low licensure rates since large corporations will accept liability for the work of their engineers. Industries like Aerospace which involve public safety issues are covered by the respective companies (Boeing, etc.) Computer Engineering often does not involve public safety issues, so licensure has not yet become a factor, though Texas has become the first state to offer licensure for Computer Engineering. Biomedical Engineering may require licensure in time, though other mechanisms currently exist to protect the public, such as review by the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies.