New York

Professional Development Hours (PDH) Requirements
Continuing education for licensed Professional Engineers in New York

Official Statement on New York Professional Engineer Continuing Education Requirements

Under New York Education Law and NYSED regulations, licensed professional engineers are required to complete a minimum of 36 professional development hours (PDHs) of acceptable continuing education during each three-year registration (triennial) period in order to renew their license. This requirement is codified in New York Education Law §7211 and the corresponding NYSED regulations in Part 68.14.

Acceptable continuing education must meet the following criteria:

  1. Courses and activities must contribute to the professional practice of engineering and must be related to topics that develop, maintain, or expand the professional knowledge of the licensee.

  2. Continuing education must be offered by a sponsor approved by the New York State Education Department or by one of the recognized sponsor-approval entities. NYSED maintains a list of approved sponsors, and certain external organizations (such as IACET, PIÉ, ACECNY, NCSEA, and others) may also serve as recognized approvers whose approved sponsors are accepted for New York PDH credit. Courses or activities requiring self-reporting forms generally are not accepted for New York PDH credit.

  3. Acceptable continuing education includes both formal course offerings and structured educational activities. Instructional formats can include live seminars, webinars, technical presentations, structured self-study with evaluation tools, teaching engineering coursework for an approved sponsor, or other educational activities as defined in the regulations.

  4. Licensees are responsible for maintaining documentation of all continuing education completed for at least six years and must produce this documentation upon audit by NYSED. 

Based on this clause within the Part 68.14 statute, our content meets the following requirements:

(i) Sponsor approval.

(1) To be approved by the department, sponsors of continuing education to licensed professionals in the form of courses of learning or educational activities shall meet the requirements of either paragraph (2), (3) or (4) of this subdivision.

(2) The department shall deem approved as a sponsor of continuing education to licensed professionals in the form of courses of learning or educational activities :
(i) a sponsor of continuing education that is approved by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), or the Practicing Institute of Engineering, or the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (AIA/CES), or The Shaw Fund, or The New York State Council of Professional Geologists or an equivalent organization determined by the department with assistance from the State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology to have adequate standards for approving sponsors of continuing education for professionals regulated by Title VIII of the Education Law that include but are not limited to standards that are equivalent to the standards prescribed in clauses (3)(ii)(a), (c) and (d) of this subdivision;
(ii) a postsecondary institution that has authority to offer programs that are registered pursuant to Part 52 of this Title or authority to offer equivalent programs that are accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency ; or
(iii) a sponsor of continuing education that is approved by a licensing authority or agency of another jurisdiction under standards substantially equivalent to those of the Department.

Last updated: April, 2016

Last modified: Monday, 9 February 2026, 1:13 PM