How Long Do I Need to Keep Continuing Education Credits
Gustave Courbet's "The Dream" (1844)... of no more CE. Image via Wikipedia.org.
What are continuing education credits, and why are they necessary? More importantly, what's the easiest way of completing them? For your convenience, we've put together an overview of the AIA's Continuing Education System, and seven simple solutions for getting through it.
In the U.S., continuing education credits help an architect remain registered to practice within a particular state once they have already attained their license; they do not contribute to earning one's license. Depending on which state(s) you're registered to practice architecture in, and what professional organizations you may belong to, the number of credits will vary. However, if one fails to complete the number and type of credits within the state's 1-3 year time frame, your registration for that state will expire, which is never good news.
Many architects knock out all of their requirements at once by attending lectures at the annual AIA national convention. However, for those architects registered in multiple states, keeping track of and fulfilling all their required CE credits can be a kind of master class in of itself. For example, if you complete four units of CE, can that CE be applied to multiple states, or is it only good for one? For clarity on this issue, I asked Steve Tanner, membership director over at the Los Angeles chapter of the AIA, and he told me the following:
Low Slope Roofing Class. Image: AIA Minnesota
"There's a wide range of requirements across the country in terms of number of learning hours and subject matter. California requires five hours of continuing education every two years for architect license renewal, and they must all be in the topic area of ADA/accessibility. New York requires 36 hours every three years, 24 of which must be in the subject area of Health, Safety and Welfare. If architects are members of the AIA, they also need to fulfill a continuing education requirement of 18 hours per year (including 12 hours of HSW), to maintain their membership.
Fortunately, [Continuing Education System] activities can count towards more than one license renewal: for example, if you're licensed in three states, and they require 24, 12 and five hours per renewal period respectively, you should theoretically be able to complete 24 hours that cover you for all three states—as long they satisfy any content requirements specific to certain states. The challenge for licensed architects is to keep track of the similarities and differences between states in terms of content areas and renewal deadlines. Timing is crucial, since a course completed outside a state's reporting period will not be accepted for credit."
So what are the easiest ways to complete your CE? Here are a few tactics:
1. Visit the AIA Course Directory at AIA.org/education
AIA members and guests can view available classes by subject matter with a few clicks and drop down menu selections. The website will generate a list of courses that match those descriptions as well as the geographic area where the classes are being held. In some cases, classes are only held during certain seasons or times, or may be available to AIA members only.
2. Take online quizzes based off the material in Architect magazine
Finally, proof that pleasure reading does pay off: in this case, you can earn a few CE credits just by passing an online quiz about the articles and material featured in Architect magazine. The quiz can be accessed here.
2016 AIA Convention keynote speaker Julia Louis Dreyfuss with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Image: Wikipedia
3. Go to the AIA's national and local conventions
As mentioned earlier, many architects attend the AIA National Convention not just for the keynote speakers, but for the wealth of opportunities it provides to satisfy your CE requirements. Make sure to also check out your local AIA conventions, which may also have CE offerings.
4. Contact your local AIA chapter for CE opportunities
The AIA is composed of numerous local and state chapters all across the U.S., each of which is staffed with intelligent, informed, and enormously helpful people like Steve Tanner. Feel free to give them a call/email and find out about local CE opportunities and requirements.
5. Make up your own CE
Some states will allow you to apply your volunteer, guided tour, or study/research activities toward CE credits. If you're in the habit of leading people around on weekends to check out local sites of note, or creating a project based off personal research, or doing any other activity that requires a combination of architectural knowledge and passion, it might just fulfill a requirement. It never hurts to get in touch.
6. Complete courses online
Through the AIAU website, you can quickly complete most of your CE online. It's important to check that the courses will apply, especially if you're registered in a particularly demanding state that requires you to have a certain number of course hours that involve face to face time with an instructor (New York, we're looking at you).
Architects living in the leafy environs of Stratton, Maine, need not complete any continuing education credits. Image: Wikipedia
7. The laziest option: move somewhere that doesn't require CE
If you're only registered in Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, or the U.S. Virgin Islands (and you don't belong to the AIA) you can kick back and stop learning: these states require no continuing education credits whatsoever.
This feature is part of September's Learning theme, considering architectural pedagogy, psychology and (natch) lifelong education.
About the Author
Julia Ingalls
Julia Ingalls is primarily an essayist. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Slate, Salon, Dwell, Guernica, The LA Weekly, The Nervous Breakdown, Forth, Trop, and 89.9 KCRW. She's into it.
Source: https://archinect.com/features/article/149968403/the-lazy-architect-s-guide-to-completing-continuing-education-credits
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