NHTI Engineering Grads Reach Career Milestone Early

Three associate degree students pass prestigious Fundamentals of Engineering Civil exam within a year of graduation.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Three graduates from NHTI's two-year Civil Engineering Technology program have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Civil exam, a milestone typically reached by bachelor's degree students in their third or fourth year. Sean Dwyer, Lane Madeja, and Hoang Nguyen passed the intense six-hour exam within nine months of earning their associate degrees, putting them on a fast track to becoming professional engineers.

Why it matters

Passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam is a critical step in the process of becoming a licensed professional engineer. By accomplishing this milestone so early, the NHTI graduates have demonstrated exceptional academic preparation and are positioned to enter the engineering field more quickly and at a lower cost than their four-year university counterparts.

The details

The three NHTI graduates - Sean Dwyer, Lane Madeja, and Hoang Nguyen - were initially intimidated by the Fundamentals of Engineering Civil exam, but each passed it within nine months of earning their associate degrees. This exam is typically taken by bachelor's degree students in their junior or senior year. The NHTI students credit the school's smaller class sizes and focused engineering curriculum for preparing them so well that they felt ready to take and pass the exam shortly after graduating.

  • The three NHTI graduates passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Civil exam within nine months of earning their associate degrees.
  • NHTI's Civil Engineering Technology program is a two-year associate degree program.

The players

Sean Dwyer

A graduate of NHTI's two-year Civil Engineering Technology program who passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Civil exam within nine months of graduation.

Lane Madeja

A graduate of NHTI's two-year Civil Engineering Technology program who passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Civil exam within nine months of graduation.

Hoang Nguyen

A graduate of NHTI's two-year Civil Engineering Technology program who passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Civil exam within nine months of graduation.

NHTI

A community college in Concord, New Hampshire that offers a two-year Civil Engineering Technology associate degree program.

University of New Hampshire (UNH)

The four-year university where the NHTI graduates are now pursuing their bachelor's degrees in engineering.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I felt I had everything I needed from NHTI. All I needed to do was practice for the test.”

— Sean Dwyer (The Concord Insider)

“NHTI is smaller, so it's easy to get help. I could not have gotten into UNH right out of high school, but NHTI sets you up for success.”

— Lane Madeja (The Concord Insider)

“The NHTI engineering curriculum is equivalent to a junior or senior year at UNH.”

— Lane Madeja (The Concord Insider)

What’s next

The three NHTI graduates will now primarily complete courses typical for freshmen and sophomores at UNH, along with an intense senior capstone project, to wrap up their bachelor's degrees in engineering.

The takeaway

The success of these NHTI graduates in passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam so early demonstrates the strength of the school's two-year engineering program and its ability to prepare students for a smooth transition into four-year engineering programs at a significantly lower cost.