| CONTINUING
EDUCATION UNITS (Professional
Development Hours)
In January 2004, the new Texas requirements for Professional
Engineers to obtain 15 hours of continuing education or professional
development hours (PDHs) per year was adopted. To download a copy
of the new rules, click
here.
All engineers have from September, 1st, 2003 until
their renewal time - either March, June, Sept, or Dec 2005 to earn
15 PDHs. The first group of engineers to be affected will be those
renewing their licenses in March 2005. At this time they will have
to fill out a form and show that they have earned 15 PDH's.
For those participants in the previous voluntary
program, no hours will be carried forward.
Engineers who accumulate more than the required hours over the designated
time may carry up to 15 hours for one year to the next. For example,
if you earn 25 PDHs from September 1, 2003 to December 2005, you
may carry 10 of these units forward to the next. year.
Of the 15 required hours:
- One hour must be on Engineering Ethics
- Up to 5 hours may be self study
- Up to 5 hours can be accumulated for serving as
an appointed official or on the committee of a professional technical
society
- 15 hours can be taken of a patent
- 10 hours can be taken for publishing a book, article
or paper
SEAoT is fully committed to assisting its members
achieve the necessary number of PDHs for license renewal. Members
may earn CEUs by attending presentations at Chapter meetings around
the State, seminars and at the Annual Conference. The benefits of
Association membership have never been greater. If you are not currently
a member, please join by clicking
here.
Keeping track of PDH
The Texas Board of Professional Engineers requires engineers
to keep an activity log. For a pdf copy of the TBPE log sheet click
below:
CEP
Log Sheet - PDF Format
Frequently Asked Questions
When does
CEP start?
The Continuing Education Program will begin in calendar year 2005.
This means you will have to provide CEP hours with the renewal you
receive in 2005. You will receive more information and specifics
with your renewal form in 2004.
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My
renewal date is 12/31/04. Will I have to provide CEP hours for this
renewal?
No. Your first renewal that requires CEP hours was due 12/31/05.
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When can I start collecting
hours?
The board has decided to allow license holders to begin collecting
hours as of September 1, 2003. This will allow everyone to become
familiar with the program and will ensure that everyone can collect
enough hours by the beginning of the program in 2005.
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How many hours are required?
The CEP rule requires 15 PDH (Professional Development Hours) per
year. If you collect more than 15 PDH in one year then you can roll
over up to 15 hours for the next year.
At least one PDH per year must be in the area of
professional ethics, roles and responsibilities of professional
engineering, or review of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and
Board Rules.
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How do I get the one ethics
hour? Does the board provide anything that will meet this requirement?
Is there anything online?
You can meet the ethics requirement through any coursework, seminars,
presentations, or other activities that are in the area of professional
ethics, roles and responsibilities of professional engineering,
or review of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules.
This can include self-study.
Currently, the board does not have any specific courses
or on-line activities available to provide the minimum one hour
requirement.
An interested engineer can download or view the Texas
Engineering Practice Act and the Board Rules at
www.tbpe.state.tx.us/downloads.html
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What is Self-Study?
The language in the rule concerning self-study states "Credit
determination for self-directed study is the responsibility of the
license holder and subject to review as required by the board."
Essentially, self-study is any study, research, reading,
etc. that is performed by the license holder that is relevant to
the practice of a technical profession and includes technical, ethical,
or managerial content. It is credited on an hour for hour basis,
with a maximum set by the legislature at 5 PDH total per renewal
period.
So reading up on a new topic, researching a new design,
keeping up with current engineering periodicals, or reading about
the engineering Act and Board Rules can all count toward self-study.
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What proof / documentation
do I need?
The board wants the reporting process to be as simple as possible.
There are only two things that a license holder needs to do:
1) Fill in a short list of activities, dates,
etc. on the renewal statement from the TBPE and return it with your
renewal payment. This will be the main document that the board reviews
and keeps as a record of completing the CEP requirement. Click
here to download a log sheet to help track CEP activities
as you accumulate hours.
2) Keep some sort of paper proof of your activity.
This can include a certificate of completion or attendance in a
course or seminar, a grade report, a flyer or agenda from a presentation
or meeting, or any other document that shows the date, location,
duration, and type of activity you wish to claim.
Self-study will be reported simply as the type of
activity, date, and hours claimed. (Example - "Read Engineering
Practice Act, 02/05/04, 1 PDH")
Content providers or activity sponsors do not need
to report attendance to the board.
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What
courses, presentations, or activities count? Does the Board have
a list?
The intent of the continuing education program is for it to be self-administered.
TBPE does not plan on pre-approving any courses, seminars, presentations,
or other activities to meet the CEP requirement. The board does
not have a list of approved courses or activities. It would be very
difficult to include every possible course, seminar, or activity
available to a PE nationwide.
There are two basic criteria
for an activity to count:
1) Is the specific activity on the list of activities
in the rule?
2) Is the activity relevant to the practice of
a technical profession and does it include technical, ethical, or
managerial content?
If the activity
is related to engineering in a technical, managerial, or ethical
manner, then it will count.
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I
am a content provider. How do I get a course listed/approved by
the board?
The board does not have a list of approved courses or activities,
so there is no need for a content provider to register their activity
with the board or have it approved.
The intent of
the continuing education program is for it to be self-administered.
TBPE does not plan on pre-approving any courses, seminars, presentations,
or other activities to meet the CEP requirement.
Content providers
or activity sponsors do not need to report attendance to the board.
(
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What
exemptions are there from CEP requirements? Are they the same as
the exemptions for renewals?
There are several
important things to note about the Continuing Education Program
and exemptions:
1) The exemptions for the
$200 professional fee for renewals are NOT the same as exemptions
from CEP requirements.
2) ALL active engineers,
regardless of industry exemption or age, must provide CEP hours
for renewal. This means that even if you do not perform engineering
for the public (exempt industry) or you are over 65 you must still
provide 15 PDH per renewal period.
3) The only exemptions are
listed below:
- A license holder serving
on temporary active duty in the armed forces of the United States
for a period of time exceeding one hundred twenty (120) consecutive
days in a year shall be exempt from obtaining the professional
development hours required during that year.
- License holders experiencing
physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances
as reviewed and approved by the board may be exempt. Supporting
documentation must be furnished to the board.
- License holders who list
their status as "Retired" or "Inactive"
and who further certify that they are no longer receiving any
remuneration from providing professional engineering services
shall be exempt from the professional development hours required.
- New license holders by
way of examination shall be exempt for their first renewal period.
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