Professional Engineering & Land Surveying

Continuing Education

Professional Engineering and Land Surveying

Introduction

Effective January 1, 2004 licensed professional engineers and land surveyors renewing registration of a license on or after January 1, 2005 are required to complete continuing education requirements.

• If your registration is due for renewal before January 1, 2007, the number of contact hours you will be required to complete will vary, but will not exceed 36 hours for professional engineers or 24 hours for land surveyors.
  
  
• If your registration is due for renewal on and after January 1, 2007, professional engineers will be required to complete 36 contact hours of continuing education and land surveyors will be required to complete 24 contact hours of continuing education, in each three-year registration period.

Sections 7211 and 7212 of Article 145 of Education Law and sections 68.11 and 68.12 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education apply to the continuing education requirements. You may request a copy of the law and regulations by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 140 or faxing 518-473-6282 or by writing to the New York State Education Department, Office of Professions, State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying, 89 Washington Avenue, 2nd Floor Mezzanine East Wing, Albany, NY 12234.

This information is designed to respond to frequently asked questions about this requirement. It is not a substitute for reading the provisions of law, rule or regulation.

General Information

1. Why is continuing education important?

Licensed professional engineers and land surveyors work in a world of evolving technology, increased consumer expectations and other emerging issues. Practice in this changing environment requires ongoing development of knowledge and skills. It is critical that licensees remain current with changes and developments in the profession to render quality services and to ensure public protection. The Office of the Professions is committed to helping professionals stay up-to-date and informed throughout their professional lives.

2. What is the difference between "licensure" and "registration"?

When an individual successfully completes the licensure requirements they are awarded a professional license. The license is valid for life unless it is revoked or surrendered.

Professional engineers and land surveyors in New York must register with the State Education Department every three years to practice their profession.

Continuing Education: Who is required to take it?

3. Who is required to take continuing education and how many hours must be completed?

Every New York State licensed and registered professional engineer and land surveyor must complete continuing education unless you satisfy the requirements of the public sector exemption outlined in question 4 or are newly licensed as outlined in question 6 or 7. Professional engineers will be required to complete 36 hours of continuing education during each three-year registration period. Land surveyors will be required to complete 24 hours of continuing education during each three-year registration period. Each licensee must take continuing education in appropriate subject areas offered by approved sponsors.

4. What are the requirements of the public sector exemption for continuing education for professional engineers?

To satisfy the continuing education requirements under the Public Sector Exemption, a licensee must be directly employed on a full time basis by the State of New York; its agencies, public authorities, public benefit corporations or local government units on December 31, 2003, working in a position requiring licensure in engineering, and either represented by a collective bargaining unit or, pursuant to Article 14 of the Civil Service Law, designated managerial or confidential. If a licensee practices engineering (i.e. provides engineering services) in New York State outside the government service described above, the exemption no longer applies. In these situations, the licensee must complete the continuing education requirement of 1 hour/month of required continuing education from the time the services are provided until the next registration period. Thereafter, the licensee must complete the regular continuing education requirement of 36 hours per registration period. This exemption does not apply to licensed land surveyors.

5. When will I be required to begin reporting completion of continuing education?

The law went into effect on January 1, 2004.

If you are renewing the registration of your license on or after January 1, 2005, the number of contact hours you will be required to complete and report will vary depending on when your current registration expires. You will be required to complete continuing education at a rate of 1 hour per month beginning January 1, 2004 to the date your registration is due to be renewed, for a total of 36 hours for professional engineers or 24 hours for land surveyors. Please refer to the following chart for specific information on the number of continuing education hours required.

6. I just passed all parts of the licensing examinations and received my first license. Since I am in my first registration period, do I need to complete the continuing education requirements immediately?

No, you are not required to complete continuing education during your initial three-year registration period.

7. I was practicing in another jurisdiction and just received my first New York State license and registration. Do I need to begin completing continuing education immediately?

No, you are exempt from taking continuing education during the first 3 years following your initial licensure in New York State.

8. I am licensed in New York State but my registration is inactive because I am practicing my profession in another jurisdiction. Do I need to complete continuing education before I can reactivate my New York State registration?

Yes. If your renewal date is January 1, 2007 or before, you will have to complete the number of continuing education hours required starting from January 1, 2004 until the beginning of the new registration period (refer to chart in question 5). The continuing education must be taken in appropriate subject areas offered by approved sponsors. Since you are already actively practicing your profession, you will be able to count continuing education credits earned up to 36 months prior to the month in which you reactivate your registration.

9. I am licensed in New York State but my registration is inactive because I have not been practicing my profession. Do I need to complete continuing education before I can reactivate my registration?

Yes. If your renewal date is January 1, 2007 or before, you will have to complete the number of continuing education hours required from January 1, 2004 until the beginning of the new registration period (refer to chart in question 5). The continuing education must be taken in appropriate subject areas offered by approved sponsors. Since you are not actively practicing your profession, you will only be able to count continuing education credits earned up to 12 months prior to the month in which you reactivate your registration. In addition, you must complete the regular continuing education requirements for the new registration period at a rate of 1 hour per month until your next registration period.

10. I just received my registration certificate and notice that the registration period is less than three years. Am I required to complete the total number of continuing education hours required by my profession?

No, registration periods are adjusted so that renewals occur during the licensee's month of birth. When this happens and your registration period is less than three-years, you must calculate how many hours you are required to complete. To do this, count the number of months of the registration period. You must complete 1 hour of continuing education for each month up to a maximum of 36 hours for professional engineers and up to maximum of 24 hours for land surveyors. For example, suppose your registration period extends from 01/01/05 to 06/30/07. This registration period is a 30-month period, therefore, you are required to complete 30 hours of continuing education if you are a professional engineer or 24 hours if you are a land surveyor.

Continuing Education Hours

11. What is an hour of continuing education?

An hour of continuing education is one contact hour of at least 50 minutes in duration. Most continuing education providers give credit in hours; however, you may also see credit given in continuing education units.

One continuing education unit (CEU) equals 10 contact hours. Therefore, .1 CEU equals one contact hour. To convert CEU's to contact hours, multiply by 10. To convert contact hours to CEU's divide the contact hour by ten.

Individuals completing college-level course work should note that one-semester hour of college level course work equals 15 contact hours and one-quarter hour of college-level course work equals 10 contact hours.

12. If I complete more hours of continuing education than is required during my registration period, can I use them toward the hours required in my next registration period?

No, continuing education hours cannot be carried over to subsequent registration periods.

13. Am I required to complete a certain number of hours of continuing education each year during my registration period?

No. You can complete the hours any time during the three-year registration period as long as you have completed the required hours prior to the expiration date of your registration, unless you have had a lapse in your registration. If this is the case, the requirements outlined in question 9 would apply. However, we recommend that you complete courses each year so you are sure to have them completed before it is time to reregister.

Continuing Education Courses and Educational Activities - Acceptable Subject Areas and Providers

14. What is acceptable continuing education?

Acceptable continuing education includes courses and educational activities.

• Courses: A minimum of 18 hours of continuing education must be completed in courses for professional engineers and a minimum of 16 hours of continuing education must be completed in courses for land surveyors. All 36 hours for professional engineers or 24 hours for land surveyors may be completed through acceptable courses.
• Educational Activities: A maximum of 18 hours may be in educational activities for professional engineers and a maximum of 8 hours may be in educational activities for land surveyors.

15. What are acceptable courses for continuing education?

To be acceptable the courses must be:

• administered by an approved New York State sponsor (provider) and
• in an approved subject area and
• in an approved format.

In addition to the requirements above, for a course to be considered acceptable, a student must have the opportunity for immediate interaction with an instructor/presenter, e.g. a seminar, workshop, lecture, technical presentation, etc. See question #17 for a listing of approved sponsors and question #18 for a listing of approved subject areas.

16. What are acceptable continuing educational activities other than courses?

Acceptable continuing educational activities include:

• Preparing and teaching a course offered by an approved New York State sponsor (provider) and in an acceptable subject area. Continuing education hours credited for this activity can include actual instructional time plus preparation time, which may be up to 2 additional hours for each hour taught. Teaching experience will not be accepted if you have taught the course on more than one occasion without presenting substantially new or revised material.
• Authoring an article in an approved subject area published in a peer reviewed journal or a published book. You will receive 9 continuing education hours for each work published during the registration period.
• Making a technical presentation in an approved subject area at a professional conference or meeting sponsored by an organization that is an approved sponsor (provider). Continuing education hours credited for this activity can include actual instructional time plus preparation time, which may be up to 2 additional hours for each hour taught. A specific presentation may only be counted once during any given registration period.
• Obtaining a patent related to the practice of engineering. You will receive 9 continuing education hours for each patent granted on an invention during the registration period.
• Completing self-study program. Self-study must be taken from an approved provider and in an acceptable subject area and be structured study that is based on audio, audio-visual, written, online, or other media, and does not meet the criteria established for live instruction described in question 15. In addition, a self-study program must have a testing instrument, which is completed by the licensee and returned to the sponsor for scoring. A passing grade is required before a sponsor may award continuing education credit.
• Completing an educational tour in an approved subject area, meaning a structured tour of an instructional nature, provided by an approved sponsor (provider). The tour may not be promotional in nature.

17. How do I know if a sponsor is approved?

The following entities are authorized to approve sponsors of continuing education for New York State professional engineers and land surveyors. If the courses and educational activities are offered by sponsors approved by one of these entities and the subject area of the courses and educational activities meet the requirements in question 18, then the courses or educational activities would be considered approved New York State mandatory continuing education. Please note: Not all courses and educational activities offered by an approved sponsor are acceptable for continuing education credit in New York State.

• American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACECNY). ACECNY's list of recognized sponsors is available from ACECNY, 6 Airline Dr., Albany, NY 12205, Phone(518) 452-8611, Fax: (518) 452-1710 or www.acecny.org/conedu.html
• Registered Continuing Education Providers Program (RCEPP).  RCEPP's list of registered providers is available from NCEES RCEPP, P.O. Box 1686, Clemson, South Carolina 29633, Phone: 800-250-3196, Fax: 864-654-6033 or from www.rcepp.com
• International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). IACET's list of recognized sponsors is available from IACET, 1620 I St. NW Suite 615, Washington, DC 20006, Phone: 202-463-2905, Fax: 202-463-8497 or www.iacet.org
• National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA). NCSEA's list of recognized sponsors is available from NCSEA, 645 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 540, Chicago, IL 60611, Phone ((312) 649-4600, Fax (312) 649-5840, or www.ncsea.com
• The Practicing Institute of Engineering (P.I.E). P.I.E's list of recognized sponsors is available from P.I.E., RPI Technology Park, 385 Jordan Road, Troy, NY 12180-7620, Phone: 518-283-7490, Fax: 518-283-7495, or www.practicinginstitute.org - or The New York State Society of Professional Engineers, Inc. - www.nysspe.org
  
• AIA's Continuing Education System list of recognized sponsors is available from the Continuing Education Program, 1735 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006-5292 or at AIA's Web site at www.aia.org
• The Shaw Fund Continuing Education Approved Provider Program. The Shaw Fund list of recognized sponsors is available from the Shaw Fund Approved Provider Program, 146 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210, Phone: 518-432-4046, Fax: 518-432-4055, or www.nysapls.net
• Colleges, universities and other degree granting institutions offering degree (e.g. AAS, BS, MS), certificate or diploma programs carrying degree credit that are registered by the State Education Department or have authority to offer equivalent programs accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency (e.g., ABET). The State Education Department's "Inventory of Registered Programs" includes all degree granting institutions in the State and can be found on SED's site at www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue
• The NYS Education Department directly approves sponsors (providers). Please see the list of currently approved sponsors. Further information and an application form are available on this site.

18. What are appropriate subjects for continuing education?

Not all courses and educational activities offered by an approved sponsor are acceptable for continuing education credit in New York State. Courses and educational activities must contribute to the professional practice of professional engineering or land surveying. The subject matter of the course or educational activity must be related to professional practice. Subject areas that are not so related, such as, risk management, limiting the design professional's liability, project management related to profitability and maximizing fees, marketing and public relations, insurance, laws related to arbitration, mediation, liens (unless they are related to safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of the public), real estate, real estate development, expanding a design professional's business, basic Auto CAD, personal development, general office management, accounting/financial planning, succession planning, zoning as it relates to increasing a developer or engineer/land surveyor's profitability, design build (unless it includes information on the laws related to design build and its limitations in New York State) are non-acceptable subjects.

Service on Boards and/or professional committees, and active participation in technical and/or professional organizations are not eligible for continuing education credit.

Acceptable subjects may include:

Professional Engineering:

aerospace engineering, agricultural engineering, architectural engineering, bioengineering, ceramic engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, construction engineering, control systems engineering, electrical/computer engineering, environmental engineering, fire protection engineering, geological engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, materials/metallurgical engineering, mining/mineral engineering, naval architecture/marine engineering, nuclear/radiological engineering, ocean engineering, petroleum engineering, structural engineering, systems engineering, architecture, land surveying; or other matters of law and/or ethics which contribute to the professional practice in engineering and the health, safety, and/or welfare of the public; and in other topics which contribute to the professional practice of engineering as such practice is defined in section 7201 of the Education Law.

Land Surveying:

Land surveying methods and techniques; or other matters of law and/or ethics which contribute to the practice of land surveying and the health safety, and/or welfare of the public; and in other topics which contribute to the professional practice of engineering as such practice is defined in section 7203 of the Education Law.

19. Can I study on my own rather than complete courses or educational activities?

No. Independent study or informal group "study clubs" and/or "book clubs" of professional engineers or land surveyors that are not approved sponsors cannot be accepted. Continuing education offered by an approved sponsor assures appropriate course format, effective evaluation and necessary record keeping.

20. Are courses limited to a traditional "classroom setting" in which I am in the same room with the instructor?

No, however you must be able to interact with the instructor. Examples include: a live lecture, a telecourse or teleconference in which you and the instructor can speak directly with each other; a course in which you and the other practitioners discuss a taped presentation with a facilitator's assistance; a computerized course in which you are able to interact directly with the instructor. On the other hand, a televised lecture with no means of direct interaction would not be acceptable as a live course even if it were a live telecast.

21. May I count toward my requirement a college level course that I teach?

Yes. Individuals teaching a college-level course; at a College, university or other degree granting institutions offering degree (e.g. AAS, BS, MS), certificate or diploma programs carrying degree credit that are registered by the State Education Department or have authority to offer equivalent programs accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency (e.g. ABET) which is taught over the course of a college semester and is in an approved subject area may receive New York State continuing education credit which may be counted once during any given registration period.

The number of contact hours accepted for teaching a college course is as follows: one semester hour equals 15 contact hours; one quarter hour 10 contact hours. During a registrant's three-year registration period, a maximum of 18 contact hours for engineers and 8 contact hours for land surveyors may be accepted as educational activities for continuing education credit. Any contact hours exceeding the 18-hour requirement for engineers and 8-hour requirement for land surveyors may not be carried over to subsequent registration periods.

Documentation should be obtained from the college or university's department chair or registrar's office, certifying that you taught the course which should include; the title of the course and any identification number assigned; number of semester hours completed; name of the college; verification by the sponsor or department chair (registrar) that you taught the course; date and location of the course.

Record Keeping and Reporting

22. What records will I have to keep?

Sponsors must provide a Certificate of Completion to licensees who completed courses or educational activities for continuing education credit. The information on each course or educational activity should be retained in your records for six years from the date of completion.

A Certificate of Completion should include the following information:

• title of the course or program, subject area, and any identification number assigned to it by the sponsor
• number of hours completed
• the sponsor's name and any identifying number
• verification by the sponsor of your attendance
• the date and location of the course or activity

23. What information must I provide the State Education Department when I renew my registration?

Send your completed registration form, on which you will attest that you completed the required continuing education hours, together with the registration fee, which is currently $210, and the continuing education fee, which is currently $45, for a total of $255.

24. Do I have to send my continuing education records to the State Education Department when I reregister?

No. On the registration renewal form you will be required to certify that you have completed the required continuing education. You should retain your continuing education records in your files for a period of 6 years after the date of completion of the continuing education. However, you are required to make your continuing education records available for inspection by the Department upon our request. We audit random samples of mandatory continuing education records to assure compliance with the continuing education requirement.

25. What documentation must I provide if my continuing education records are audited?

Upon request, you must provide the Department with your records of completion for each approved continuing education course or activity. In no cases will self-reporting forms be acceptable for New York State credit.

26. What if the audit reveals discrepancies?

You may be subject to charges of professional misconduct. Willfully making or filing a false report is unprofessional conduct, according to section 29.1 of the Rules of the Board of Regents. Penalties may include censure and reprimand, fine, and/or suspension or revocation of your license to practice in New York State.

27. What if I fail to complete the required number of hours?

If you request, the Department, at its discretion, may issue you a conditional registration. The conditional registration is valid for one year only and is not renewable. To be granted a conditional registration you would have to:

1. agree to complete the required hours of continuing education from the previous registration period during the period of conditional registration,
2. complete the regular continuing education requirement at a rate of 1 hour per month,
3. complete and submit the Registration Remittance Addendum (PDF), and
4. pay the fee for the conditional registration, which is currently $255.

At the end of the conditional registration period, you must submit to the Department, your continuing education records certifying that you have completed the required continuing education and pay the regular registration and continuing education fee, which is currently $255, for the remaining two years of the registration period.

28. What if I do not meet the continuing education requirement and simply do not renew my registration?

Fine, as long as you are not practicing your profession in New York State. Your status will remain "not registered" until you meet the continuing education requirement and submit a registration renewal application with the appropriate fee. If you practice your profession while unregistered or after the Department has denied renewal of your registration for failure to report completion of the required hours of continuing education, you are subject to charges of professional misconduct.

29. What if, due to circumstances beyond my control, I am having difficulty meeting the continuing education requirement?

The Department may grant an adjustment (not an exemption) to the requirement for: poor health certified by a physician; a specific physical or mental disability certified by an appropriate health care professional; extended active duty with the armed forces of the United States; or extreme hardship which, in the judgment of the Department, makes it impossible for you to comply with the continuing education requirements in a timely manner. You must request an adjustment from the Office of the State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying, by completing and submitting the Registration Remittance Addendum (PDF), and provide written documentation of the circumstances preventing you from complying with the requirements.

More Information

30. How can I obtain more information?

Please contact the Office of the State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying, New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, State Education Building - 2nd Floor Mezzanine East Wing, 89 Washington Ave., Albany, New York, 12234, phone 518-474-3817 ext. 140, fax 518-473-6282, e-mail enginbd@mail.nysed.gov or lsurvbd@mail.nysed.gov