Continuing Education Image

Education Requirements

The AIA requires its members to complete 18 continuing education hours (CES LUs) per year. Of these, at least 12 hours must qualify as Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW). AIA New York works to help members fulfill these requirements by:

• Offering more than 100 courses, seminars, and lectures per year that qualify for CES Learning Units

• Structuring these courses, seminars, and lectures to follow New York State requirements.

• Issuing paper documentation as proof of attendance

• Reporting attendance lists to AIA National, which in turn maintains an online transcript for all members

If you reach the end of the year and are short on credits, join us for Procrastinators’ Days each December.

FAQs

How do I fulfill my requirements?

AIA New York’s online Calendar lists events all over New York, many of which offer AIA CES credits. Most events at the Center for Architecture are offered directly by AIA New York. Events are usually free for members and $10 for the general public. To ensure that you receive proper credit, remember to sign in with your name, email, and AIA number on the way in or have the front desk staff scan your current member card. Certificates of completion are emailed after the event. You may need to whitelist the email address CES@aiany.org to ensure you receive the certificates.

For programs not sponsored directly by AIA New York, the course provider (the organization offering the course, lecture, or seminar) is responsible for providing you with documentation of your attendance. If you are an AIA member, the provider is also responsible for reporting your credits to AIA National.

In addition to attending programs for credit, members may also receive credit for teaching and may self-report some other content as well. Information for self-reporting can be found on the AIA National website. Please note that self-reported activites will not be credited towards the continuing education requirements for your registration renewal as an architect in New York.

It is strongly suggested that you maintain a file at home or at work with records of all the CES courses you attend. These records should be in the form of Certificates of Attendance and your AIA/CES transcript. Many providers mail these to you a few weeks after you complete a course. Remember that courses provided by AIA New York will always email your certificate based on the sign-in email within 15 business days of the event. It is your responsibility to retrieve your certificate from your email account and to keep it in a safe place. You should maintain your CES records for at least 3 years to cover NYS renewal periods.

How do I get my Continuing Education transcript?

Members can sign in to the AIA CES System through the education page on the AIA National website to check their online transcript. Log in is based on your primary email address and a personal password. If you have forgotten your password, use the “Forgot my password” link to be sent a new one to log in. It’s a good idea to check this transcript periodically (every quarter or every six months) to stay on top of your requirements and make sure course providers have been accurately reporting your credits.

Please note that in the event of an audit by the New York State Board for Architecture, you must supply paper documentation in the form of Certificates of Attendance or a copy of your AIA/CES transcript for all CES courses. 

What are the mandatory Continuing Education requirements in New York State?

New York Licensing Board law requires architects to complete 36 professionally related continuing education hours every three years. Of the 36 hours, 24 must relate directly to HSW issues. A minimum of 18 of the 36 hours of continuing education must be completed in courses of learning for architects (courses with instructor interaction); the remaining requirement may be met by educational activities for architects (which includes preparing and giving courses for an approved provider, university instruction, some distance education opportunities, and writing activities). For details about what qualifies and what documentation is required, visit the Continuing Education section of New York State Board for Architecture site.

Information about requirements in other states is easily accessible on the NCARB web site.

What are the mandatory Continuing Education requirements for maintaining AIA Membership?

To remain a member in good standing, you must complete 18 Learning Units (LUs) per year. Of these, 12 must be HSW (Health, Safety and Welfare).

What should I do if I think my transcript is missing credits from courses I attended?

First, please allow six to eight weeks from the date of a course before expecting it to appear on your online transcript.

If the course is still missing from your transcript, please contact the course provider or organizer. If the AIANY was the provider, send us an email. Be sure to provide your name, the name, date, and time of the program, and the number of credits. 

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