Continuing Education
Continuing Education for Professional Engineers
Currently thirty-two U.S. states require continuing education for professional engineers to maintain licensure. At least four state boards require that continuing education providers be pre-approved. These states are Florida, Louisiana, New York, and North Carolina.
It is the engineer’s responsibility in the other states to determine whether an activity meets the guidelines set forth by the state board.
Continuing education is usually measured in CEU’s (Continuing Education Units) or PDH’s (Professional Development Hours). A PDH is one clock hour (minimum of 50 minutes). A CEU is 10 PDHs.
The state boards typically accept a PDH activity that meets the following criteria: “A course or activity whose purpose and objective are clear with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee’s field of practice”. Additionally, many states require that the course consist of “technical, ethical or managerial content relevant to the practice of engineering”. CHECK WITH YOUR PARTICULAR STATE BOARD FOR SPECIFIC DETAILS.
Correspondence, distance learning and internet courses are accepted by all the states that require continuing education activities provided that the course meets the Board’s requirements and provided that completion of the course can be independently verified. The state boards consider completion of a course to be independently verified if you must take and pass a quiz to successfully complete the course, the quiz is graded and the results are kept on file by the course provider for a prescribed length of time (the number of years varies for each state).
It is generally the engineer’s responsibility to maintain records of continuing education activities and to submit the records to the board upon request.
On-line Resources for Professional Development
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Check out the MIT Open Courseware web site. This is an excellent resource of free engineering, architectural, and science courses. Included are notes, exams, and student projects. Some of the courses even have audio and video available.
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PDH Enterprises is an online provider of continuing education for Professional Engineers, electrical contractors, and other technical professionals. All of their courses are Board approved for engineering credit in the states of Florida and North Carolina and credits are reported automatically. Their Florida Laws and Rules course is accepted by the FL Board and is offered at only $32. Pricing within their course catalog is very competitive at only $16 per CEU. They are also approved to offer courses to electrical contractors licensed in the states of Virginia and Kentucky. Please check with them often as they are constantly adding new courses and approved states.
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ZweigWhite is a registered continuing education provider with the AIA, Florida Board of Professional Engineers, and the Human Resources Certification Institute.
The following seminars may qualify for continuing education credits:
2010 SEMINARS
- A/E Project Management Optimization
- Business Development Essentials for A/E Professionals
- Essential Leadership Skills
- Accounting & Finance Essentials for the Design Professional
- Merger & Acquisition Essentials for A/E Firms
- The Principals Academy
- Ownership Transition & Leadership Succession Solutions
ZweigWhite’s curriculum of seminars are specifically developed for architecture and engineering firm professionals.
From managing firm growth, to leadership, to financial management, to marketing, to project management, to transition strategies, these seminars provide relevant and detailed content and are delivered by people who understand your business.
For more information, to receive a free full-color brochure on any of their seminars, or to register, contact them at 800-466-6275, events@zweigwhite.com, or visit them online.
