Most states require engineers to attest that they have met the PDH requirements for license renewal, but don’t require engineers to submit documentation of the PDH credit – unless the Board elects to perform an audit of the engineer’s compliance with the PDH requirements.

PDH carryover refers to the practice of a professional engineer earning PDH credits in one renewal cycle and carrying the credits forward to be applied in the next renewal cycle. Most states allow between 50% to 100% of the required number of PDH to be carried forward, although no state allows more than 15 PDH of carryover.

The following states do not allow any PDH carryover: District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, and Virginia.

There is no language in the NCEES indicating that teaching a course, webinar, or seminar earns double the PDH credits. Some states do award 2 PDH for teaching a 1 PDH seminar, but many states do not.

Yes. All states that mandate PDH audit a percentage of renewing licensees to ensure compliance with the Board’s PDH requirements. In the event of an audit, the engineer is required to submit certificates of completion or other documentation to support completion of the PDH activities being claimed by the engineer.

No. But, the NCEES Model Rules and all the state boards’ rules have language requiring the instructor to be qualified in the subject matter being taught.

The requirement to maintain adequate records of PDH credits is the responsibility of the engineer. The required length of time varies by state, but in some states, engineers must maintain records for as long as 6 years.

The NCEES and many of the state licensing boards specify a minimum of 50 minutes contact time to qualify for one PDH. Other state licensing boards are not explicit in their rules about this topic and the implication is that a full 60 minutes of contact time is required to earn one PDH. For example, the Ohio Board of Engineers and Surveyors lists the following in their CPD Conversion chart: “1 hour of attendance at a conference, seminar or workshop = 1 CPD hour.”

Per the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Model Law, the PDH credit allowance for college/university qualifying courses is as follows:
1 semester hour: 45 PDHs
1 quarter hour: 30 PDH

The number of PDH credits needed for PE license renewal varies by state. For states that mandate annual license renewal, the requirement is typically 15 PDH. In states that have biennial license renewal, it is typically 30 PDH.

But, there are exceptions in the biennial renewal states, including Alaska, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia, which all require less than 30 PDH.

New York is the only state with a triennial renewal cycle. Professional engineers registered in New York must earn 36 PDH every 3 years.

One (1) Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is equal to 10 PDH.

The International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) developed the Continuing Education Unit (CEU). State engineering licensing boards specify continuing education requirements in terms of PDH (or CPD or CEH in some cases), not CEU.

Most of the state engineering licensing boards’ rules are modeled after the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Model Law. Although specific requirements vary by state, in general, the following are activities that qualify for PDH credits:

• Completion of college courses, online courses, seminars, webinars, and workshops
• Attending professional and technical presentations at meetings, conventions, or conferences
• Teaching a course or seminar for the first time only
• Authoring published technical engineering papers, articles, or books; or accepted licensee examination items for NCEES
• Obtaining a patent
• Active participation in professional or technical societies, which requires that the licensee serve as an officer of the organization or actively participate on a committee in the organization

Courses and webinars must have a clear purpose and objective which will maintain, improve, or expand the skills and knowledge relevant to the licensee’s field of practice. Technical topics covering the engineer’s area of practice are generally acceptable, as well as engineering ethics and managerial topics.

Business skills topics and personal development topics relevant to the engineer’s practice are accepted in some states, but not others.

A non-qualifying activity is any activity that isn’t explicitly listed by a state licensing board as qualifying for PDH credits. The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Model Law has a list of typical non-qualifying activities:

• Regular employment
• 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 professions
• Enrollment without attendance at courses, seminars, etc.
• Repetitive attendance at or teaching of the same course
• Attending committee meetings or general business meetings of any organization
• Conversational language courses for personal use

PDH is an acronym for “professional development hour”. Professional engineers (PE) in most U.S. states are required to earn PDH credits to renew their PE license.

Successful completion of a quiz at the end of an online PDH course is considered by state licensing boards to be an acceptable method to assess the engineer’s knowledge of the subject matter.

PDH (professional development hour) is a unit of measure for one nominal hour of professional development credit for engineers.

CPC is a term coined by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Model Law, which means “continuing professional competency.” CPC is the NCEES’ equivalent term for professional development.

PDH, CPD (hours) and CEH are different terms representing the same thing. PDH stands for “professional development hour.” CPD is an acronym for “continuing professional development.” CEH means “continuing education hours.”

Most U.S. states use the term “PDH.” The Florida Board uses the term “CEH.” The Ohio board refers to continuing education for engineers using the term “CPD hours.”

Exemptions from completing PDH vary by state. Typical exemptions include disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances; engineers in their first renewal period; engineers on active duty in the armed forces of the United States; and retired engineers.

The only states that do not require professional engineers to earn PDH credits for license renewal are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington.