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Continuing Education

Since January 1, 2006, all Ohio registered architects have been required to earn Continuing Education in order to renew their license. Twenty four (24) contact hours are required every two year renewal period. Sixteen of the hours must be in the areas of health, safety, and welfare.

The following information is available in PDF format for download:

Penalties
If the CE requirement is not met, the Board may issue written reprimands, suspend or revoke the individual's license, or levy a fine of up to $1000 per offense. Additional requirements may also be imposed at the Board's discretion.

Renewal, reinstatement and restoration applications may not be submitted if the CE requirement has not been completely fulfilled.

Exemptions
The following individuals are automatically exempt from the requirement:

  • Newly licensed by examination-are exempt from the requirement for the first renewal period in which they are admitted to practice in the State of Ohio.
  • Intern architects, architectural interns and exam candidates
  • State of Ohio Emeritus architects (not the same as AIA Emeritus)
  • Reciprocal licensees, who are registered in another state with a mandatory continuing education requirement, provided the jurisdiction accepts Ohio's continuing education requirements.

The following individuals must submit an Application for Exemption from the CE Requirement form in order for the Board to consider an exemption:

  • Military duty - Architects are exempt when they are on full time duty, or temporarily called up for active duty, in the United States military service, where such activity restricts participation in continuing education activities.
  • Individuals with a serious medical condition or disability.
  • Unforeseen emergencies (e.g., persons displaced by natural disasters such as a tornado or hurricane, extreme hardship, or other similar circumstances. Due to the wide availability of free continuing education on the internet, financial hardship is not a valid exemption.)

The exemption must be approved by the Board prior to submitting the renewal application.

Credit Hours Defined
A contact hour is equal to a clock hour. It must be at least 50 minutes duration. Most continuing education providers give credit in hours (e.g., one AIA Learning Unit (LU) is equivalent to 1 contact hour of continuing education), however, some courses may be given in continuing education units (CEU's).

One continuing education unit (CEU) equals 10 contact hours. Therefore, .1 CEU equals one contact hour, .2 CEU's equals two contact hours, and so on.

One Professional Development Unit (PDU) equals one contact hour.

One semester hour of college-level course work equals 15 contact hours. One hour in a school on a quarterly schedule equals 10 contact hours.

Carry-over not permitted
Excess credit may not be carried forward from one renewal period to another.

Acceptable Subject Matter
Acceptable subject matter includes those topics which increase the registrant's knowledge and understanding of technical or professional subjects related to the practice of architecture. The subject matter must contribute directly to the improvement of the registrant's professional knowledge and competence in the practice of architecture. This includes any subject matter covered on the Architect Registration Exam (ARE).

Health, safety, and welfare topics
16 hours of Health, safety, and welfare (HSW) are required. The following topics qualify for HSW credit:

Accessibility
Acoustics
Building design
Code of ethics
Construction administration
Construction contract laws, legal aspects
Construction documents, services
Construction functions, materials, methods, and systems
Energy efficiency
Environmental: asbestos, lead-based paint, toxic emissions
Environmental analysis and issues of building materials and systems
Fire: building fire codes-flame spread, smoke contribution, explosives
Fire safety systems: detection and alarm standards
Insurance to protect the owners of property and injured parties
Interior design
Laws and regulations governing the practice of architecture
Life safety codes
Materials and systems: roofing/waterproofing, wall systems, etc.
Material use, function, and features
Mechanical, plumbing, electrical: system concepts, materials, and methods
Natural hazards (earthquake, hurricane, flood) related to building design
Preservation, renovation, restoration, and adaptive reuse
Security of buildings, design
Site and soils analysis
Site design
Specification writing
Structural issues
Surveying methods, techniques
Sustainable design

Self-reported activities
Self-reported activities must be submitted on the Board's Self-Report form, which can be obtained on the Forms page. Only the following activities may be self-reported:

  • Teaching at an accredited institution of higher learning. Twelve hours of continuing education credit for each one hour of academic credit provided by the course except that after the first year, the maximum credit for the same course may not exceed a total of six hours of continuing education credit. Course must be related to the profession of architecture.
  • Publishing a book or an article in a professional journal, for one time credit for each book or article and must be related to the profession of architecture. Credit: One hour of continuing education credit for each hour of preparation, not to exceed eight hours total of the continuing education requirements of the renewal period.
  • Teaching a course or seminar, delivering a lecture, presenting a paper, or a program, workshop or monograph at an educational event meeting the Board's requirements. Credit: One hour of continuing education credit for each hour of presentation plus one hour of continuing education credit for each hour of preparation. Credit allowed only once for the same program and may not exceed fifty per cent of the total required continuing education credits for the renewal period.
  • Professional service to the public which draws upon the architect's professional expertise, on public Boards and commissions such as: planning Boards, design review Boards and other similar activities. Credit: One hour of continuing education credit for each hour of work, not to exceed eight hours total of the continuing education requirements of the renewal period.

Audits
Audits may be conducted on a random basis at any time during the renewal period, during the course of a disciplinary investigation, or as a result of a late renewal. Individuals subject to audit will be notified in writing, via U.S. Mail or email.

Proof of completion
Proof of completion of the Continuing Education requirements should not be submitted to the Board office unless you are requested to do so in writing.

Proof of completion IS required for all late renewals, restorations, and reinstatements.

Proof of completion may be submitted via email, fax or U.S. Mail.

Record keeping
Registrants should keep written records, such as Certificates of Completion or the AIA transcript.

Records must be maintained for the current renewal period and the renewal period immediately prior to the current renewal period.

Records shall be made available to the Board at anytime upon request for review and audit.

Records may be requested at any time in connection with an investigation or enforcement proceeding.

Failure to provide the requested record in the time frame established by the Board may result in disciplinary action, including fine, reprimand, suspension, revocation or denial of the application for renewal of the architect's registration.

The AIA offers a fee-based record keeping service for non-members. Call the AIA at 800-242-3837 for details.

AIA CES requires that AIA providers offer a Certificate of Completion to non-members who participate in AIA approved CE courses.

If a course does not appear on a member's AIA transcript, please contact AIA Member Services at 800-242-3837 for assistance. Do not call the Board.

AIA CES Transcript Verification:
http://sparky.occe.ou.edu/ouaia/authentication/login.cfm

Disallowed hours
The architect has up to 90 days to make up any hours that are disallowed by the Board.

This does not apply to persons who, in the opinion of the Board, have willfully disregarded the CE requirements.

Acceptable providers
The Board automatically accepts programs approved for credit/contact hours by any of the organizations below:

The American Institute of Architects
The Association of Licensed Architects
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
The Construction Specifications Institute "Construction Education Network"
Colleges and universities/other educational institutions
Other technical/professional societies or organizations (e.g., ASLA, APA, GBCI, Builders Exchange)

Methods for fulfilling the requirement
The following are acceptable methods of fulfilling the Continuing Education requirement:

  • Courses or seminars in architecture offered by universities or colleges
  • Seminars offered by Board approved providers, such as the AIA, ASLA, NCARB, CSI, and APA, as well as their state and local chapters
  • Teaching a graduate or undergraduate course in a topic related to architecture, at an accredited institution of higher learning, is eligible for 12 hours for each hour of academic credit the first year. After the first year, the maximum credit is six hours total.
  • Publishing articles or books on professional topics is eligible for eight hours of credit.
  • Professional service to public bodies to which an architect has been appointed due to their professional status, such as: planning Boards, code or design review Boards. A maximum of eight hours of credit may be claimed.
  • Code review courses required by the Ohio Board of Building Standards for plans examiners and building inspectors, etc.
  • Service to professional or community organizations (AIA, CSI, or church building committees, etc) is not eligible for CE credit.
  • Service on NCARB committees, which is certified by the AIA for CE credit, is eligible for one hour of CE for each hour of work.
  • Passing a LEED exam during the current renewal period is eligible for 8 HSW hours.
  • Publishing a book or article in a professional journal, a one time credit with a maximum of 8 hours.
  • NCARB monographs are eligible for HSW. One CE credit for each PDU.
  • Online courses offered by manufacturers or entities such as Ron Blank, AEC Daily, etc.
  • Insurance courses are not eligible unless they qualify for AIA CES credit.
  • Articles published in, and graded by, Architectural Record. A passing grade is required. Submit a certificate of completion or an AIA transcript to receive credit. There is no limit on the number of articles submitted.

Sustainability, ethics and ADA
Ohio does not have any specific requirements in these areas. If you are licensed in another state or are a member of the AIA, please check their requirements. Ohio will allow HSW credits for programs earned in these areas.

LEED Exams
8 hours per exam if passed during the current renewal period. Official documentation from the "Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI)" must be provided.

Finding CE courses

  • A resource list is available on the Board's website: http://www.arc.ohio.gov/pdfs/celist.pdf
  • Universities and colleges
  • AIA, CSI CEN, or ASLA national, state and local chapters
  • Lunch and learn programs at firms, if offered by accredited providers
  • NCARB self-study monographs
  • Seminars (e.g., SAO College) offered by the State Architect's Office
  • Board of Building Standards and other code related organizations
  • Industry organizations, such as the Builders Exchange
  • The AIA also maintains a database of programs on their website at http://www.aia.org/education/ces/index.htm
  • Other online courses are available, for a fee, from organizations such as the AIA, ASLA, US Green Building Council, or at http://redvector.com/ or http://pdhcenter.com/

Free programs
There many free programs available on the internet. It is possible to complete the entire requirement at no cost. Many product vendors offer AIA approved free online courses, most of which qualify for HSW credits.

Certificates of Completion
A Certificate of Completion should contain the following information:

  • Title of the course or program and any identification number assigned to it by the provider
  • A brief description of the subject matter covered
  • Number of hours completed
  • Provider name and contact information
  • Whether or not the content qualifies for Health, Safety and Welfare credits
  • Name of the attendee
  • Name and original signature of the provider
  • Date and location of the program or course.
  • Proof of attendance should be retained indefinitely.
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