In order to qualify, you must meet the general experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Professional and Scientific Positions.
BASIC REQUIREMENT:
Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must:
(1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or
(2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics:
(a) statics, dynamics;
(b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships);
(c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics;
(d) thermodynamics;
(e) electrical fields and circuits;
(f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and
(g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:
All educational requirements must be met no later than June 2026.
You may qualify if you meet one of the following:
GS-7: Superior academic achievement at the baccalaureate level in an engineering program is qualifying for GS-7.
S.A.A. is based on(1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.
a) Class standing-upper third of the graduating class based on completed courses in the college, university, or major subdivision.
b) Grade Point Average -Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.
c) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society (note: freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this position).*Submit a copy of your transcript, (a degree audit will not be accepted). If qualifying based on class standing or honor society membership, provide appropriate documentation.
OR
GS-9: 1. Regardless of the field of undergraduate study, completion of the requirements for a master's or higher degree in engineering is fully qualifying for the grade indicated, provided the applicant's total background, i.e., education and any experience, demonstrates evidence of knowledge, skills, and abilities that are substantially equivalent to those acquired through the successful completion of the courses specified in paragraph A.2. With a bachelor's degree in engineering, graduate education in a related field is acceptable in lieu of graduate study in engineering for appropriate types of positions. For example, a Bachelor of Science in engineering plus a master's degree in business administration would be qualifying for Industrial Engineer, GS-9, but not for GS-9 laboratory positions in research and development. The key consideration in determining if such graduate education should be credited is whether or not the education provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position being filled.
- Meet the qualification standards of the position
- Must be at least 16 years of age
- A U.S. citizen or a national (resident of American Samoa or Swains Island)
- Must sign a mobility agreement