PDH Now
Courses Licensing About Us Contact Us FAQ News Discount Codes
Sign in Cart (0)
☰ Menu
  • Courses
  • Licensing
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • News
  • Discount Codes
  • Sign in
  • Cart (0)
Home > News > What Counts as PE Continuing Education

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.

Copyright © 2023 PDH Now. All rights reserved.


Engineereducatorslogo2
Engineer Educators
7100 Driftwood Drive
Farmington, New Mexico 87402
Blog  ·  FAQ  ·  Sitemap  ·  Privacy Policy