What is a Structural Engineer?

The art of Structural Engineering is one of the oldest professions dating back to the time of the pyramids. Today’s infrastructure is built on structures of all types which require sound engineering to ensure the safety and livelihood our modern society.

Structural Engineers design the ‘bones’ that keep buildings, bridges or towers from falling over. This is done by determining the loads that a structure must support and then ensuring that the ‘bones’, the framing and foundation, that make up the structure are strong enough to support these loads.

The design loads an engineer must consider include the weight of building materials, occupants within a building, wind gust, snow drift, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricane, oh my!. All of these must be supported by structures built out of steel, concrete, timber or other materials. Without such careful attention the collapse of buildings and bridges would be a common occurrence.

Whenever there is an major wind storm or a strong earthquake, pause and thank a structural engineer for saving lives and preserving our community!

The life of a Structural Engineer in Alaska is rarely boring as each day brings new challenges. From extreme snow storms to major earthquakes events, our engineers can conquer it all!

When is a SE License Required?

In Alaska, the structural design of certain ‘significant structures’ requires a licensed Structural Engineer (SE). Other non-significant structures can be designed by an SE or a Civil Professional Engineer (PE).

Significant Structures in Alaska are defined as:

  • Hazardous facilities

  • Special occupancy structures

  • Essential facilities

  • Occupied structures exceeding 45 ft or 4 stories

  • Unoccupied structures exceeding 100 ft

  • Bridges with a span greater than 200 ft

  • Piers with a surface area greater than 10,000 sq ft

These terms are fully defined in Alaska Regulation 12 AAC 36.990(a)(44). For further clarification contact the Alaska State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors.

How Do you become a structural engineer?

Becoming a licensed Structural Engineer requires many years of study and professional practice.

The first and most important step to becoming a Structural Engineer is that you must have a passion for building things. As a child did you love legos and construction sets? Do you still love them? You may be good engineering material!

A four-year college degree is the next step to becoming and engineer. The most common degree course is Civil Engineering with an emphasis on structural courses. You can also find programs that are Structural Engineering specific or get a General Engineering degree and specialize later. The University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Alaska Fairbanks both have excellent Civil Engineering programs! As a senior in an engineering degree program, you can  take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam which exam certifies you as an Engineer in Training.

After graduation, you will join the workforce learning on-the-job how to do structural engineering. You should be working under a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Structural Engineer (SE) who will guide and mentor you in the art of engineering.  If not, you will need to find one to be your mentor.

When you have obtained the required years of experience you can then apply to the State of Alaska to take the 8-hour Civil PE Exam. Once you pass, congratulations you are now a licensed Civil Engineer! You can now practice structural engineering for most types of structures on your own.

The final step to becoming a licensed SE is to get two more years of experience under an SE after passing the PE.  You can then apply to take the SE Exam. This is a 16-hour exam which focuses on detailed structural engineering topics related to gravity and lateral design. The lateral design section focuses on high wind and seismic building code provisions.

Upon passing this exam you are now officially a Structural Engineer! Simple right?

For details on PE and SE licensure requirements in the State of Alaska, please visit the site for the Architects, Engineers and Land Surveys Licensing Board.