Pennsylvania is in the process of implementing continuing education requirements for professional engineers, land surveyors, and geologists licensed by the commonwealth. This page is my attempt to describe the current situation. I hope you find it useful.

Terry J. Reed, PE

Director, Engineering Continuing Education

E-mail: tjr10@psu.edu

July 1, 2010

What is required

Act 25 of 2010, the law, mandates that Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists licensed in Pennsylvania must complete 24 Professional Development Hours, PDHs, of continuing education in each two-year renewal cycle as a condition of license renewal. To see a copy of the Act Click here.

Reason for the requirement

The law states the following reasoning for mandatory continuing education: “In order to help safeguard life, health and property and to promote the public welfare, the practice of professional engineering, professional land surveying and professional geology in this Commonwealth requires continuing professional competency.”

Exemption for retired persons

In April 2012, the General Assembly passed and the Governor signed House Bill 1054 of the 2011 Session permitting retired Professional Engineers to obtain a "retired" license. A licensee who lists his/her occupation as retired on the renewal form and who certifies that he/she no longer engages in the practice of their licensed profession is exempt from the continuing education requirements and will be issued a "retired" license. The holder of such a license is not permitted to practice the profession.

Relevant definitions

The following definitions, set forth in the law, relate to the requirements of the law. Content in italics has been added by the author in an attempt to help clarify the definitions and the paragraphs that follow.

“Activity” shall mean any qualifying activity with a clear purpose and objective which will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge relevant to a licensee’s professional practice. This is further qualified in acceptable activities below, which states that activities should maintain, improve or expand skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure … or develop new and relevant skills and knowledge.

“College or unit semester hour” or “college or unit quarter hour” shall mean credit for courses in programs approved by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology or the National Association of State Boards of Geology or other related college courses.

The following definition from Penn State’s Undergraduate Bulletin will be helpful in relating semester hours to credits. “CREDITS--Credits are awarded on the semester-hour basis. The distribution of time between class activities and outside preparation varies from course to course; for the average student, however, at least forty hours of work per semester planned and arranged by the University faculty are required to gain 1 credit.”

“Continuing education unit” or CEU shall mean a unit of credit customarily used for continuing education courses. One CEU is typically awarded for each ten hours of time spent in an activity.

“Course” shall mean any qualifying course with a clear purpose and objective which will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge relevant to a licensee’s professional practice.

“Professional development hour” or “PDH” shall mean fifty minutes of instruction or presentation relevant to professional practice or any equivalent.

The Board: The Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists.

Activities acceptable to earn PDHs

Continuing professional competency obtained by a licensee should maintain, improve or expand skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure, including law and ethics applicable to the profession, or develop new and relevant skills and knowledge. No credit shall be given for a course in practice building or office management.

PDH units may be earned as follows:

1. Successful completion of college courses relevant to professional practice.

2. Completion of continuing education courses relevant to professional practice.

3. Completion of correspondence, televised, videotaped and other short courses or tutorials relevant to professional practice.

4. Completion of seminars, employer-sponsored courses, workshops or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, conventions or conferences relevant to professional practice.

5. Teaching, presenting or instructing in any of the activities listed in clauses 1, 2, 3, and 4.

6. Authoring published papers, articles or books relevant to professional practice.

7. Obtaining patents relevant to professional practice.

PDHs earned for various activities

Following are the PDH values of various activities, according to the law. The law states that units of other types of credit shall be converted to PDH units as follows:

The Board shall have final authority regarding approval of courses, credit, PDH value for courses and other methods of earning credit. The Board shall accept credits earned in other jurisdictions if the activity otherwise complies with <the Pennsylvania requirements>. The Board shall not require courses to be preapproved. The Board may pre-approve course providers.

If a licensee exceeds the requirement in any renewal period, a maximum of twelve PDH units may be carried forward into the subsequent renewal period.

The following table summarizes the activities for which PDHs may be earned and the PDHs that may be earned for the activity.

Table 1. Summary of acceptable activities and PDHs that may be earned for each.

Information to be provided by the supplier of continuing education

The supplier of continuing education shall provide participants in the activity with a certified record as proof of completion of the activity. That record shall include:

Responsibilities of the licensee

The law states that: The licensee shall be responsible for maintaining records to be used to support credits claimed. Required records shall include all of the following:

A licensee shall retain proof of completion of continuing education for 5 years after completion of the continuing education or after the completion of the renewal period during which the continuing education was required, whichever is later.

 

Implementation of the law

The Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists is responsible for promulgation of rules to implement the provisions of the law and for subsequent enforcement of those rules. The Board’s website is: http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/cwp/view.asp?a=1104&q=432715

The Board has stated that PDHs will be required for license renewals in fall 2011. See the Board’s June 2010 Newsletter with the particulars at: http://www.engr.psu.edu/cde/FE_PE/PA%20Board%20Special%20Notice%20-%20June%202010.pdf

Acceptable sources of continuing education

In its earlier proposed rules relating to continuing education courses, the Board stated that the following were acceptable forms and suppliers of continuing education for engineers. This information is offered here as an indication of Board’s thinking. The following are acceptable courses.

The proposed rules may be found at: http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol39/39-18/802.html

Penn State Engineering Continuing Education

Penn State is committed to meeting the continuing education needs of engineers through a variety of credit and and non-credit programs. Click here for information about programs that may be of interest to PEs seeking PDHs.