Continuing Education

Every licensed architect and professional engineer in Nebraska must meet the continuing education requirements as a condition for license renewal. More detailed information can be found in Chapter 9 of the Rules and Regulations in the E&A Act.

Architects

Architects must either meet the continuing education requirements of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for maintenance of membership in that organization, or have twenty-four (24) actual hours of architectural related learning. Of these 24 hours, at least 16 must address the safeguarding of life, health, and property (also referred to as Health, Safety, and Welfare).

Professional Engineers

Professional engineers must have thirty (30) actual hours of engineering-related learning.

More Information

Active licenses held by those whose last names begin with the initials A through K expire on December 31, 2011. Period of education: 1/1/2010 to 12/31/2011.

Active licenses held by those whose last names begin with the initials L through Z expire on December 31, 2010. Period of education: 1/1/2009 to 12/31/2010.

Licensees may carry forward excess credit, up to a maximum of one-half the required credits from the previous biennial requirement, into the subsequent renewal period.

Newly licensed architects and professional engineers are exempt from the continuing education requirements for their initial renewal period.

The Board has final authority with respect to approval of courses and credit. The Board does not pre-approve any course or offering.

Recordkeeping

The maintenance of records used to support CE credits claimed is the licensee's responsibility. Records required include, but are not limited to:

A log showing the type of activity claimed, sponsoring organization, location, duration, instructor's or speaker's name, and unit credits earned;
Attendance verification records in the form of completion certificates, self-guided report submitals or other documents supporting evidence of attendance; or
Records of CE activities maintained by AIA, the Professional Development Registry for Engineers and Surveyors (PDRES), NCEES CPC tracking program, or similar repositories.

Licencees can use either of the following forms to track CE credits (an Excel spreadsheet or a PDF form). Records must be maintained for a period of four years and copies may be requested by the Board for audit verification purposes.

Units

The Board uses actual hours, not Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or Professional Development Hours (PDHs), as their standard unit of measuring CE credit.
One actual hour of learning means at least fifty (50) minutes spent in verifiable educational pursuit.
One semester credit hour of formal education is equivalent to forty five (45) actual hours.
One quarter credit hour of formal education is equivalent to thirty (30) actual hours.
0.1 CEUs = One PDH/PDU = One actual hour

Audits

The Board establishes a number of licencees to be selected at random to submit substantiating information to support their continuing education claim. These are selected near the end of the licensee renewal period, and licensees will typically be notified of their selection for audits during the renewal process.