Geoscientist First Time Applying in Canada
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This category is for individuals who are applying for professional geoscientist (P.Geo.) registration for the first time in Canada.
All applicants are also encouraged to visit geoscienceincanada.ca for general information on getting licensed as a P.Geo. in various jurisdictions across the country. The site has resources about each Canadian regulator as well as a self-assessment tool for prospective applicants.
To apply for professional geoscientist registration with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia you must meet academic, experience, law and ethics, language and good character requirements.
To apply for registration as a professional geoscientist, you are required to have the equivalent of graduation from a 4-year full-time bachelors program in applied science, engineering, geoscience, science or technology. If you do not have an undergraduate degree in geoscience with courses that satisfy the syllabus requirements, you may be assigned academic examinations and/or an interview.
To obtain your P.Geo. status you must demonstrate that you have met the minimum academic requirements for registration. You are required to have the equivalent of graduation from a 4-year full-time bachelors program in applied science, engineering, geoscience, science or technology.
This normally means that you have a university level bachelor's degree related to geoscience. Courses taken as part of the degree program will be assessed to determine if they satisfy the syllabi for the specific discipline of geoscience you are applying for. If you are missing required elements, you may be assigned academic examinations.
You may be granted exemption from examinations if:
- You have an undergraduate geoscience degree recognized by a geoscience accreditation body that has a Mutual Recognition Agreement with Engineers and Geoscientists BC (At this time, only the IGI - Institute of Geologists of Ireland for graduates since 2013), or
- You have an undergraduate geoscience degree and at least 7 years of geoscience experience in professional charge (the decision to grant a reduction or an exemption is based on a detailed review of your academics, experience, references, and possibly a 1-hour interview held at our office).
To become registered as a professional geoscientist, you must demonstrate that you have a minimum of 4 years of satisfactory geoscience work experience. At least one of these years must be gained in a Canadian Environment. Please note that if you gain experience in a different discipline from your academic qualifications, you will need to undergo an academic review and possible interview and/or examinations.
Acceptable geoscience work experience must include the application of geoscience principles and practice. It should also provide exposure to, or experience in, the following broad areas: practical experience, management, communication, and the social implications of geoscience.
Up to a maximum of 1-year of pre-graduation or co-op experience may be accepted if it is supervised by the appropriate professional and if it otherwise satisfies all experience criteria detailed by Engineers and Geoscientists BC.
Applicants with post-graduate degrees may be given credit for geoscience experience gained as part of their post-graduate studies.
Applicants for professional registration or licensure use the Competency Assessment System to record their progress in meeting the competency requirements for geoscience experience and to have it validated and assessed.
Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Work Experience Competencies required for registration by documenting in the system a Workplace Example from their work history that best highlights an appropriate exposure level to each specific competency.
Work Experience Competencies are defined as observable and measurable skills, knowledge, abilities, motivations or traits required for professional registration that are demonstrated through the actions and behaviours of the applicant.
29 Work Experience Competencies with generic (non-discipline specific) Workplace Examples.
The examples you provide will require validation from individuals who have direct, personal and professional knowledge of the applicant and the competency examples they have been asked to validate.
Applicants are asked to assess their level of competency for each competency provided on a six point rating scale (0-5).
English Language Competence for Practice is evaluated through:
- An essay written as part of the Professional Practice Examination (this is phasing out after November 2022),
- Communication competencies through the Competency Assessment System,
- Comments of referees/validators, and
- Comments of interviewers (if an interview is required), and
- If required, an approved English Language Test (IELTS, CAEL or Duolingo English Test*) beginning in January 2023. More guidance can be found in Assessment of English Language Competence (PDF).
*Note that an experience assessment will be conducted first before determining whether an appropriate English language test is required. Do not register or submit results unless an approved English language test is specifically assigned or requested.
All applicants must prove that they are of good character and good repute. Engineers and Geoscientists BC will review the information provided in your application to ensure that you meet these standards. To learn more about these requirements, see the page for Good Character Requirement and Registration Hearings.
All applications are submitted online.
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- A completed online application.
- Certified* copies of 2 pieces of government-issued identification (ID) for registration. Both pieces of ID must contain the applicant’s full legal name, must be valid (i.e., not expired) at the time of registration, and at least 1 piece of ID must contain your photo. For more guidance on acceptable forms of IDs, please review the Guideline on Certified Identification Documents. Applicants are required to upload as 1 document through their application dashboard.
- Official transcripts sent directly to the offices of Engineers and Geoscientists BC from your educational institutions (GITs are exempt if already submitted). If required, a transcript request letter is available to send to your academic institution(s).
- Completed Self-Evaluation Checklist for discipline of application (GITs are exempt if already submitted).
- Course descriptions (GITs are exempt if already submitted). Course descriptions are only required for courses that you will be claiming on your checklist. For more information about acceptable course descriptions, see the Guideline to Completing Geoscience Checklists and Course Descriptions.
- Completed experience report using the Competency Assessment System.
- Thesis abstracts for masters or PhD if applicable, and
- Confirmation of registration/licensure from other professional regulatory or certification organizations outside of Canada if applicable.
*To have your document certified, the copies of both your original IDs must be signed, dated and stamped by an acceptable certifying official. Please refer to the
Guideline on Certified Identification Documents for a list of acceptable certifying officials and the steps for ID certification.
Find more information about application and registration fees on the Fee Schedule.
Throughout your application process, you can expect fees for:
If applicable to your application, additional fees may be required (e.g., academic exams, interviews).
After registration is granted, all registrants are subject to annual fees (prorated in the first year of registration).
We are experiencing delays with geoscience application processing and assessment, and cannot meet previous expected review times. We are working to reduce the delays and appreciate your patience and understanding.
If you have further questions, you may find the answer on our Frequently Asked Questions.
It takes approximately two to four months to review your application once we have received all of the required documents. For information about checking the status of your application please see Application Status.
First, an academic review will be done to determine if you meet Engineers and Geoscientists BC's minimum academic requirements for professional geoscientist status. If these requirements are not met, academic examinations may be assigned. Next, your experience will be reviewed to determine whether it meets minimum requirements. An interview may be required as part of the experience review process.
If you have a geoscience degree that requires some academic exams to be assigned, but have more than seven years of satisfactory geoscience experience, it is possible that you will be granted an interview in order to determine if all or some of the academic exams can be waived on the basis of your experience. There is no guarantee that an interview will result in the waiving of academic examinations.
All applicants for professional membership are required to sit and pass the Professional Practice Examination, complete the Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar and fulfill the English Language Competency and Good Character Requirements.
Upon registration with Engineers and Geoscientists BC, you will be sent a notification email along with a seal and your certificate of registration.