Continuing Professional Competency for Professional Engineers

PURPOSE: The continuing professional competency (continuing education) requirement is to demonstrate a continuing level of competency for professional engineers. (1) Purpose. (A) Renewal of an engineering license issued pursuant to section 327.261, RSMo, may only be granted to a licensee who has successfully completed thirty (30) professional development hours, as defined by this regulation, within the two (2) immediately-preceding years (renewal period). Any licensee who completes more than thirty (30) professional development hours within the preceding two (2) calendar years may apply the excess, not to exceed fifteen (15) hours, to the requirement for the next two- (2-) year period. (B) Continuing professional competency (continuing education) is a requirement for every professional engineer licensed by the board, regardless of age, area of practice, or whether the licensee lives in-state or out-ofstate pursuant to section 327.271, RSMo. (C) Continuing professional competency obtained by a licensee should maintain, improve, or expand skills and knowledge obtained for initial licensure or develop skills and knowledge relevant to the practice of professional engineering. (D) If the licensee served honorably on full-time active duty in the military, the licensee may renew his/her license without completing the PDH requirement for the renewal period during which the licensee served. (E) A professional engineer who holds licensure in Missouri for less than twelve (12) months from the date of his/her initial licensure need not report professional development hours at the first license renewal. (2) Definitions. (A) Board. The Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Professional Landscape Architects. (B) Continuing education unit (CEU). Unit customarily used for continuing education courses. One (1) CEU equals ten (10) nominal contact hours of class in an approved continuing education course. (C) Professional development hour (PDH). One (1) nominal contact hour of instruction or presentation. The common denominator for other units of credit. (D) Professional engineering division. The four- (4-) member division of the board that concerns itself with the profession of engineering. (E) Sponsor. An individual, organization, association, institution, or other entity that provides an educational activity for the purpose of fulfilling the professional development requirements of the board. The sponsor is responsible for providing the attendees with verification records. (3) Activities. All such activities must be relevant to the practice of engineering and may include technical, ethical, or managerial content. Professional development activities satisfying these requirements include, but are not limited to: (A) Successfully completing college or university courses; (B) Successfully completing courses that are awarded CEU(s); (C) Active participation and successful completion of seminars, tutorials, workshops, short courses, correspondence courses, televised or videotaped courses, or in-house corporate sponsored educational courses. A correspondence course must require the participant to show evidence of achievement with a final graded test; (D) Attending program presentations at related technical or professional meetings. PDHs are awarded only for those portions of the meeting that meet the requirements of this rule. Licensees serving as an officer or actively participating in a committee of the technical professional society or organization may earn a maximum of two (2) PDHs annually per organization. PDH credits are not earned until the end of each year of service is completed; (E) Contact hours spent in professional service to the public that draws upon the licensee’s professional expertise on boards or commissions, such as: serving on planning commissions, park boards, city council, county commissions, or state registration boards may earn a maximum of two (2) PDHs annually per organization. PDH credits are not earned until the end of each year of service is completed; (F) Teaching or instructing (see subsections (3)(A)–(D)). College or university faculty may not claim credit for teaching regular curriculum courses; and (G) Authoring papers or articles that appear in nationally circulated technical journals or trade magazines. (4) Criteria. Professional development activities must meet the following criteria: (A) There is a clear purpose and objective for each activity that will maintain, improve, or expand skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure or develop new and relevant skills and knowledge; (B) The content of each presentation is well organized and presented in a sequential manner; (C) There is evidence of preplanning that should include the opportunity for input by the target group to be served; (D) The presentation will be made by persons who are well qualified by education and experience; and (E) There is a provision for individual participant registration that will include information required for record keeping and reporting. (5) Units. The conversion to PDHs from other units is as follows: (A) One (1) semester hour of college credit 30 PDH; (B) One-quarter (1/4) hour of college credit 20 PDH; (C) One (1) CEU 10 PDH; and (D) One (1) nominal contact hour of acceptable professional development education 1 PDH. (6) Credits. PDHs of credit for qualifying courses successfully completed that offer semester hour, quarter hour, or CEU credit is as specified in this rule. All other activities permit the earning of one (1) PDH of credit for each contact hour with the following exceptions: (A) Auditing or “hearing” of university or college courses permit PDH credit of onethird (1/3) as shown in section (5); (B) Teaching or instructing qualifying courses or seminars or making presentations at technical meetings or conventions earn PDH credit at twice that of participants; (C) Five (5) PDHs are earned for a paper or article that is published in a nationally circulated technical journal or trade magazine. Credit cannot be claimed until that article or paper is actually published. PDHs earned for authoring a paper or article are limited to ten (10) PDHs per two- (2-) year renewal period; (D) A one- (1-) time award of ten (10) PDHs will be granted for obtaining a workrelated patent within the renewal period; and (E) Notwithstanding the provisions above, PDHs will only be awarded for the first occurrence of attending or teaching a qualifying course or seminar per every two- (2-) year renewal period. (7) Reciprocity. PDHs may be acquired at locations other than Missouri, so long as the content meets the requirements of this regulation. (8) Forms. All renewal applications will require the completion of a continuing education form specified and supplied by the board. The licensee must certify and sign the form and submit it with the renewal application and fee. (9) Records. The responsibility of maintaining records that can be used to support credits claimed is the responsibility of the licensee. Records required include, but are not limited to: 1) a log showing the type of activity claimed, sponsoring organization, location, duration, instructor’s or speaker’s name, and PDH credits earned; and 2) attendance verification records in the form of completion certificates which identify the participant by name, signed attendance receipts, a copy of a listing of attendees signed by a person in responsible charge, or other documents supporting evidence of attendance. These records must be maintained for a period of four (4) years and copies must be furnished to the board for audit verification purposes if requested. If these records get lost or destroyed the licensee must inform the board, in writing, within thirty (30) days. At its discretion, the board may randomly audit a portion of licensees each renewal period or a specific licensee if a complaint has been filed against the licensee. (10) Disallowance. If audited, the board will review all claimed PDH credits for compliance with the regulation. If in the review the board finds that the PDH credit is not acceptable, the board shall inform the licensee of the criteria that has not been adhered to. The licensee may, within three (3) months from the license renewal date, substantiate the original claim or earn other credits to meet the minimum requirements. AUTHORITY: sections 327.031, 327.041, and 327.261, RSMo 2016.* This rule originally filed as 4 CSR 30-11.015. Original rule filed Nov. 1, 2001, effective June 30, 2002. Moved to 20 CSR 2030-11.015, effective Aug. 28, 2006. Amended: Filed Oct. 16, 2006, effective April 30, 2007. Amended: Filed Feb. 22, 2008, effective Aug. 30, 2008. Amended: Filed Aug. 11, 2008, effective Jan. 30, 2009. Amended: Filed Nov. 1, 2011, effective May 30, 2012. Amended: Filed July 26, 2012, effective Jan. 30, 2013. Non-substantive change filed Oct. 21, 2015, published Dec. 31, 2015. Amended: Filed March 20, 2018, effective Sept. 30, 2018. *Original authority: 327.031, RSMo 1969, amended 1981, 1986, 1988, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2010, 2014; 327.041, RSMo 1969, amended 1981, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2010, 2014; and 327.261, RSMo 1969, amended 1981, 1989, 1999, 2014.