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Architects are required to earn 12 structured HSW Continuing Education hours per calendar year in order to renew their license. All of the hours must be in the areas of health, safety, and welfare (HSW).
Landscape Architects must earn 24 hours per two year renewal period; 16 of these hours must be structured health, safety, and welfare (HSW) hours.
Structured hours are defined as educational activities in which at least 75% of the content and instructional time is devoted to HSW subjects related to the practice of architecture and provided by qualified individuals or organizations, whether delivered by direct content or distance learning methods (e.g., online courses.) Architectural Record articles are accepted, as are other online courses with AIA HSW credit. The Board accepts AIA credit for Landscape Architects as well.
It is the licensee's responsibility to track your continuing education activities. Records are not sent to the Board by the AIA, ASLA, or any other organization. See "Acceptable Proof of Completion" below for what is considered appropriate documentation.
It is not necessary to pay for Continuing Education courses. Free HSW courses are available on the internet. Please download the CE Resources document below.
The following information is available for download:
Note: If you are unable to open the CE Log, which is in Office 365, you may need to install an Excel converter. Instructions for downloading and installing the converter are available at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/use-office-excel-2010-with-earlier-versions-of-excel-HA010342994.aspx#BM2
Where to find Continuing Education
The Board maintains a list of resources for continuing education opportunities. While not all inclusive, the list is updated regularly and will help the licensee find courses ranging from free online courses to conferences sponsored by professional associations. The list is not an endorsement of any provider or program.
Regardless of which resource you use, be sure to obtain a Certificate of Completion or ensure that the program is being reported to one of the professional associations who maintains transcripts.
Penalties for Non-compliance
If the CE requirement is not met, the Board may issue written reprimands, suspend or revoke the individual's license, or levy a fine. Additional requirements may also be imposed at the Board's discretion, such as requiring the completion of an ethics course and additional years of automatic audits.
Reinstatement and restoration applications cannot be submitted unless the CE requirement has been completely fulfilled.
Exemptions
Only the following individuals are automatically exempt from the continuing education requirement and do not need to submit an exemption application:
The following individuals must submit an Application for Exemption from the CE Requirement form in order for the Board to consider an exemption:
A written request for an exemption must be approved by the Board prior to submitting the renewal application.
A new exemption request is required for each renewal period.
Download the exemption request form from the Board's website and mail or email the form to the Board office. If you have questions regarding an exemption, please call the Board office at 614-466-2316.
Credit Hours Defined A contact hour is equal to a clock hour. It must be at least 50 minutes duration. Most continuing education providers give credit in hours (e.g., one AIA Learning Unit (LU) is equivalent to 1 contact hour of continuing education), however, some courses may be given in continuing education units (CEU's).
One continuing education unit (CEU) equals 10 contact hours. Therefore, .1 CEU equals one contact hour, .2 CEU's equals two contact hours, and so on.
One Professional Development Unit (PDU) equals one contact hour.
One semester hour of college-level course work equals 15 contact hours. One hour in a school on a quarterly schedule equals 10 contact hours. College coursework must be related to the profession.
A course may not be repeated in the same calendar year.
Carry-over Excess credit may not be carried over from one renewal period to another.
Acceptable Subject Matter Acceptable subject matter includes those topics which increase the registrant's knowledge and understanding of technical or professional subjects related to the practice and contribute directly to the improvement of the registrant's professional knowledge and competence. This includes any subject matter covered on the Architect Registration Exam (ARE) or Landscape Architect Registration Exam (LARE).
Health, safety, and welfare topics
Self-reported activities for not accepted
Neither the Landscape Architects Board or Architects Board accept self-reported continuing education activities.
Audits
Audits may be conducted on a random basis at any time during the renewal period, during the course of a disciplinary investigation, or as a result of a late renewal. Individuals subject to audit will be notified in writing, via U.S. Mail or email.
Proof of completion
DO NOT SUBMIT ANY DOCUMENTS TO THE BOARD UNLESS YOU ARE REQUESTED TO DO SO IN WRITING. It is not necessary to submit documentation with the renewal application. Licenses are randomly selected for audit. You will receive an email if you are selected for audit.
Proof of completion is required for all reinstatement applications.
Proof of completion may be submitted via email or U.S. Mail. Email is preferred.
If submitting via email, please submit one PDF with all documents/activities, in chronological order, with a CE log.
Acceptable proof of completion consists of:
Unacceptable documentation:
Record keeping
Registrants should keep written records, such as Certificates of Completion or transcript.
Licensees must maintain all CE documents for six years.
Records shall be made available to the Board at anytime upon request for review and audit, or in connection with an investigation or enforcement proceeding.
Failure to provide the requested record in the time frame established by the Board may result in disciplinary action, including fine, reprimand, suspension, revocation or denial of the application for renewal of the licensee's registration.
Disallowed hours
Licensees have 60 days to make up any hours that are disallowed by the Board.
This does not apply to persons who, in the opinion of the Board, have willfully disregarded the CE requirements.
Certificates of Completion
A Certificate of Completion should contain the following information:
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