Continuing Education:
Finding Common Ground
NCARB's 54 U.S. Member Boards overwhelmingly passed significant changes to the continuing education (CE) requirements in the NCARB Model Law and Model Regulations at the 92nd NCARB Annual Meeting and Conference in June. The revisions recommend that Member Boards require 12 continuing education hours (CEH) in health, safety, and welfare (HSW) subjects each calendar year.

"NCARB has laid the ground work for monumental change for the continuing education system that currently exists in the 54 jurisdictions," said 2010-2011 NCARB President Kenneth J. Naylor, AIA, NCARB, Hon. RAIC.

"This resolution will lead to greater standardization of continuing education requirements and simplified record keeping processes for Member Boards, while easing the burden on practitioners licensed in multiple jurisdictions," said Naylor.

Current Requirements
Currently, 46 jurisdictions have continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. Requirements range from five hours in one year to 50 hours in five years and are usually tied to a jurisdiction's renewal cycle, which varies greatly. Architects licensed in multiple jurisdictions must comply with each individual jurisdiction's requirement in order to renew their licenses.

Finding Common Ground
Of the 46 jurisdictions, 32 currently require an average of 12 hours per renewal cycle. The Council recommends 12 HSW hours and separating the CE reporting period from the license renewal cycle.

In doing so, each jurisdiction would maintain their current renewal schedule for licensure. When architects document their continuing education hours, they would submit the hours from the previous calendar year—making their reports consistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

"This recommendation will lead to standardization of continuing education requirements across jurisdictional lines and will benefit both boards and practitioners. Boards benefit from a simplified record keeping process and practitioners benefit from a consistent requirement across jurisdictions," said NCARB CEO Michael J. Armstrong.

What Happens Next
The next vital step is for individual jurisdictions to adopt and implement the newly revised standard. Over 30 jurisdictions have the ability to change their rules and/or requirements related to continuing education without legislative action. NCARB has pledged any assistance necessary to support the jurisdictions in order to facilitate this standardization of requirements.

You can read Resolution 2011-01 in its entirety as well as all the resolutions passed at NCARB's Annual Meeting at www.ncarb.org.

Continuing Education Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of adopting 12 HSW CEH per calendar year?
This resolution recommends one continuing education requirement for all of NCARB's 54 member jurisdictions. The benefits are:

• Consistency among jurisdictions
• Less confusion for architects registered in multiple jurisdictions
• A simpler process for architects and jurisdictional boards when renewing

Currently an architect registered in five jurisdictions may have five different CE requirements to keep all of his or her licenses active. Differences in the number of hours required, timeframe for earning hours, and types of hours (HSW, SD, ADA, etc.) accepted are variables that an architect may encounter. Twelve continuing education hours in health, safety, and welfare subjects each calendar is simpler for the architect and jurisdictions to process.

Does this impact interns?
No, this will only impact architects if it is adopted by a jurisdiction in which they are licensed.

Is NCARB increasing the hours required to complete continuing education?
No, NCARB is recommending that jurisdictions with continuing education requirements adopt 12 HSW CEH per year. Over 30 of the jurisdictions that currently require continuing education require 12 hours.

Do I report continuing education hours to NCARB?
No, NCARB does not keep an individual's record of CEHs. Continuing education hours are a requirement for 46 of NCARB's 54 member jurisdictions for licensure renewal. You will continue to document hours as each jurisdiction requires.

Does this resolution separate the continuing education requirement from licensure renewal?
No. The major change in this recommendation relates to having an architect complete continuing education each calendar year rather than each renewal cycle. However, an architect would still report their continuing education when renewing their license. For example: If you renew your license in April, you would document hours earned between January and December of the previous year rather than from the previous April.

When will this go into effect?
It will depend on whether your jurisdiction chooses to adopt this recommendation. The timetable will vary greatly.

If my state doesn't currently require continuing education, does this resolution make them require it?
No. If your jurisdiction doesn't currently require continuing education, this resolution does not make them require it. However, if your jurisdiction decides to require continuing education in the future, this is NCARB's recommendation—as voted upon by its 54 Member Boards.

Is continuing education required to renew the NCARB Certificate?
No.

Will this increase the cost of continuing education?
No.

Do you need an NCARB Record to document continuing education hours?
No.

Why did NCARB decide to examine continuing education requirements among jurisdictions?
This issue developed at the grassroots level among NCARB's Member Boards. The boards asked the Council to examine the complex problem to see if there was a way to create a simplified CE standard that is less confusing for both architects and the boards.

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