What Counts as PE Continuing Education

We license professional engineers to protect the public. Professional development helps the PE stay current with technology and professional, managerial and ethical standards.

By: Ryan Malone
Published: 08/17/2019

The specific requirements for PE professional development hours and continuing education will vary for each state.  The article below provides generic guidance for the Professional Engineer.  Give us a call for specific questions related to your state, or reference the guidance on our website licensing page: Licensing Requirements

License professional engineers are required to protect the public. Professional development helps the PE stay current with technology and professional, managerial and ethical standards.

• In most states the PE is required to complete a specified number of hours of professional development (PDH) in each licensure period.
• Licensees must keep records of PDHs and documentation to prove attendance if audited.
• Typically licensees must keep records for three years.
• PDH activity must be reported on the PDH Activity Log when required.
• Most states do not pre-approve PDH courses, however there are some exceptions
• PDH courses should be relevant to the practice of engineering and may include technical, management and ethics topics.  A good guideline for choosing acceptable courses is: "Any qualifying course or activity with a clear purpose and objective which will maintain, improve, or expand the skills and knowledge relevant to the licensee's field of practice."

Typical Qualifying PDHs

• Courses, seminars, instruction, in-house programs, or training with engineering content that relates to the licensee’s field of practice
• Technical or professional society meetings when an engineering topic is presented as a principle part of the program
• Teaching an engineering course for the first time
• Teaching a previously taught course if substantial time was spent in updating material
• Satellite or online video courses where attendance is verified and program material meets requirements
• Computer-based online PDH courses which relate to the improvement of one’s business or profession
• Language courses related to one’s business or profession
• Management or ethics courses related to one’s business or profession
• Correspondence courses on an engineering topic where lessons are prepared and returned for correction and/or grading and where testing at the end of the course is required

Typical Non-Qualifying PDHs

• Employment or job-related functions
• Real estate licensing courses
• Personal, estate, or financial planning
• Self-study
• Personal self-improvement
• Service club meetings or activities
• Equipment demonstrations or trade show displays
• Topics not relevant to engineering profession
• Enrollment without attendance at courses, seminars, etc.
• Repetitive attendance or teaching of the same course
• Attending committee meetings or general business meetings of organizations not directly related to engineering
• Language courses for personal use

PDH Now continues to provide quality Professional Development Hours in a quick, affordable, and easy to use format. Learn more about our PE continuing education courses.