Continuing Education

Continuing Education

About Continuing Education

To maintain a Rhode Island architect license, and also AIA membership, Architects are required to earn a certain number of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) per year.  Both NCARB and the RI Board of Examination and Registration of Architects refer to these units as Continuing Education Hours (CEH); the AIA refers to these units as Learning Units (LUs). For simplicity, this site calls them CEUs.  Some CEUs are specifically designated as HSW (Health, Safety, Welfare), which means they include topics that relate to the structural integrity and soundness of a building or a building site. Course content must focus on protecting the general public.

  • For State Licensure – Rhode Island requires 24 CEU every 2-years (12 CEU each calendar year, by Dec. 31st) which must be HSW; for information on the requirements to maintain an architect license in other jurisdictions click here.
  • For AIA membership – AIA/ AIA Rhode Island requires – 18 LUs of which 12 must be HSW. (Note: Assoc. AIA members do not hold a license, and are not required to earn LUs.)

Earning CEUs

AIA Rhode Island offers numerous opportunities throughout the year for Architects to earn CEUs.  Please join our mailing list to receive updates on opportunities, and look on the Chapter Calendar here for upcoming events. 

AIAU provides online opportunities to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in core competencies including Design, Practice, and Building Science.   

Tracking CEUs

AIA members (AIA and Assoc. AIA) are provided a free transcript service to manage earned CEUs, making printable transcripts readily available in the event of an audit.

CEU providers should offer to submit attendees AIA number for record keeping, and/or provide a printed certificate.