Engineering experience months: what counts toward the minimum
Alberta and the shared system require 48 months of engineering experience. Ontario's August 2026 guide sets 24 months, counted from the date your four-year engineering degree was conferred, with co-op and other work before conferral not counting toward the 24. Overlapping jobs count once, and Alberta requires some acceptable experience within the last seven years.
The rules by regulator
| Rule | Ontario | Alberta | Shared system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum months | 24, from degree conferral | 48 | 48 |
| Pre-graduation months | Do not count toward the 24 | Not stated; 12 used, unverified | Not stated; 12 used, unverified |
| Recency | Not stated | Required within 7 years | Examples within 7 years where possible |
Ontario's change is recent. Its August 2026 applicant guide sets the 24 month figure from conferral and says graduate-study work can count if it meets the criteria. Much of what is online, including Ontario's own earlier guides, still describes 48 months with up to 12 pre-graduation months. The desk follows the August 2026 guide; check Ontario's site before relying on either number.
Alberta's July 2026 guide says to leave out unemployment, education, parental leave and non-engineering work, to explain overlapping periods, and to state hours for part-time roles. Applications with fewer than 48 months are declined without review.
How the desk counts
Each record covers every calendar month from its first to its last, inclusive; a current role runs to the count date. A month covered by two records counts once. Part-time roles count as full months and are flagged, because the regulator decides how part-time work is credited. For Ontario, months before the conferral month you enter in Settings do not count.
Pre-graduation months are capped at 12 for Alberta and the shared system as an unverified default, because neither current guide states a number. If your regulator gives you a figure, enter it in Settings on the competency desk.
Worked example: three applicants
- Ontario: an eight month co-op term in 2021, a degree conferred in June 2022, and a job from June 2022 to May 2024. The co-op months (8) do not count, and the job gives 24 of the 24 months needed.
- Alberta: 16 months of co-op terms before graduation and 36 months of work after. The desk counts 36 post-graduation months plus 12 of the 16 pre-graduation months, 48 in all against 48, and flags the cap as unverified.
- Shared system: two jobs, January 2021 to June 2023 and January 2023 to December 2024. The six months of overlap count once, so the total is 48, not 54.
- Alberta again: seven years of work that ended in December 2018. The desk counts 84 months but finds 0 in the seven years to September 2026, so the recency check fails.
Common mistakes
- Adding up overlapping jobs twice.
- Counting months of study or unemployment between roles.
- Applying the old 48 month Ontario figure, or the new 24 month one, without checking which guide is current when you apply.
- Assuming co-op terms count toward Ontario's minimum. The August 2026 guide says they do not, though they can still support examples.
- Leaving part-time hours unstated.
Draft and check your own examples
The desk holds your experience records, validators and a Situation, Action and Outcome editor for every competency, with live counts against the limit and the rating, category and validator checks, each with its rule cited. Everything stays in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Do co-op terms count?
In Ontario, not toward the 24 month minimum under the August 2026 guide, though they may support examples. Alberta and the shared system do not state a pre-graduation allowance in their current guides; the desk uses 12 months as an unverified default.
Does experience outside Canada count?
Yes, toward the months. The separate question is whether your examples show the Canadian environment competencies, and who may validate them.
Does a master's degree count as experience?
Ontario says eligible engineering work during graduate study may count, but it does not grant experience for completing a graduate degree alone.
Sources
Last reviewed 27 September 2026 against:
- Applicant Guide: Navigating Competency-Based Assessment, Professional Engineers Ontario, August 2026. Used for: 24 months from degree conferral, study-related experience, graduate study
- APEGA Competency-Based Assessment Guide for Professional Engineering Applicants, APEGA, V7.4, 18 July 2026. Used for: 48 months, what to leave out, overlaps, part-time hours, the seven year rule
- Competency Assessment Guide for Engineering Applicants and Trainees, Engineers and Geoscientists BC, revised April 2024. Used for: four years of experience, pre-graduation work in the history, examples from the last seven years where possible
This guide is our own summary of the published documents, not legal advice and not a finding about your application; the regulator's assessors decide. If it disagrees with the current documents, the documents win. Competency Desk is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Professional Engineers Ontario, APEGA, Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Engineers Canada or any other engineering regulator.