AIA and state requirements for continuing education

General note on continuing education requirements

Licensed architects must earn continuing education credits each year to fulfill AIA membership requirements. You may also need to complete continuing education requirements to renew your state license(s).

If you’re working on getting licensed, some AIA-approved courses count toward the experience requirement for licensure.

We offer a variety of ways to earn continuing education credits that make meeting your goals and licensing requirements interesting and convenient. Our transcript service makes it easy to track your progress.  

Learn in all kinds of settings—from taking tours of architectural landmarks during our annual AIA Conference on Architecture to taking interactive courses through AIAU, our online continuing education center.  

With more than 3,000 continuing education providers and a catalog of more than 75,000 approved classes, you will find courses that help you stay up-to-date and grow professionally.

Annual benchmarks

AIA measures continuing education in Learning Units (LUs). One hour of continuing education earns one LU. AIA Architect and International Associate members are required to complete 18 LUs from registered AIA/CES providers each year. Of the 18 LUs, 12 must be in the topic areas of health, safety and welfare (HSW). Architect Emeritus members are required to complete 1 LU annually. Associate members are not required to meet a minimum number of hours but are encouraged to take continuing education courses to advance in their careers and the profession.

Make sure to get credit

Look for AIA-approved providers to earn LUs that apply to your AIA requirements. When you take a course, provide your AIA member number and we’ll automatically update your AIA member transcript.

Most state licensing boards accept the AIA transcript as verification that you have completed continuing education courses. Check with your state licensing board for any specific requirements for license renewal.

Keep current with state requirements

AIA requirements can differ from the continuing education requirements of state licensing boards. State requirements may also vary from state to state.

Learn more about the mandatory continuing education requirements required by the states where you’re licensed:

Make sure that you:

• Check on the status of carry-over credits. Many states do not allow carry-over credits.
• Determine HSW requirements and other topic area requirements.  Some states require a minimum amount of continuing education in specific topics like accessibility, sustainable design or ethics.
• Understand the time-frame in which credits must be earned.
• Confirm details with your state licensing boards. We base the information in the drop down menu above on the most recent information available, but we recommend that you contact your state’s board to verify your requirements.
• Have fun choosing among the thousands of courses available—locally through your chapter, at the AIA Conference on Architecture, through AIAU, and through thousands of AIA-registered providers.