As an architect, there is a lot of study that goes into earning your license. However, it is important to realize that you will have to renew it periodically. Many states have Continuing Education requirements in place as a term of that renewal. Even if your state doesn’t require further education, the AIA does.
Because of the need for education put in place by AIA and individual states, there are many courses out there. However, since state and AIA requirements are not always in line, it is vital that you check what courses would and would not be acceptable for your particular situation. We have put together a brief guide recapping the basics of what the AIA requires, to help you get started with your research.
The AIA requires a minimum of 12 hours of Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) learning each year. This is also a requirement of most states that have continuing education requirements. To satisfy the requirements of AIA, the Health, Safety, and Welfare courses would have to meet all three of these criteria:
In some cases, states require a set number of learning hours each year based on general architectural education. While the state may have specific topics set, they will be focused on the categories of building science, design, and practice.
There are many resources available for continuing education in the architectural world. The key is to make certain the education provider that you choose meets the requirements put in place by the AIA and those of your state too.
As you can see, there is a lot to think about when it comes to staying up to date with your architectural education. The most important thing is to make certain you are choosing approved courses. The last thing you want to do is waste time with a course that will not meet all of your requirements.