CEUs

Continuing Education Units

Scope

These rules shall apply to every architect, landscape architect and registered interior designer registered in the state of Arkansas as a condition for renewal on an annual basis. 

Exemptions

An architect, landscape architect, or registered interior designer registered in the state of Arkansas may not be subject to participating in the continuing education requirements set forth by these rules for one of the following reasons: 

1.  A first-time, new registrant by examination or first-time reciprocal registrant shall be exempt for his/her first renewal period.
2. Registrant is an emeritus status architect or landscape architect.
3. Registrant is a civilian who has served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States for a period of time exceeding ninety (90) consecutive days during the annual reporting period.
4. A registrant experiencing physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances may request exemption from the continuing education requirements. The registrant shall provide supporting documentation for the board’s review. The board will consider such hardship cases on an individual basis. The request for a hardship must be received in the board office one month in advance of the renewal period. 

Requirements

1. In addition to all other requirements for registration renewal, each Arkansas registered architect and landscape architect must complete a minimum of twelve (12) continuing education hours each calendar year. In addition to all other requirements for registration renewal, each Arkansas registered interior designer must complete a minimum of six (6) continuing education hours each calendar year. A continuing education hour (CEH) shall represent one continuous instructional hour (50 to 60 minutes of contact) spent in structured education activities intended to increase or update the architect’s, landscape architect’s, or interior designer’s knowledge and competence in health, safety, and welfare subjects. If the provider of the structured educational activities prescribes a customary time for completion of such an activity, then such prescribed time shall, unless the board finds the prescribed time to be unreasonable, be accepted as the architect’s, landscape architect’s, or registered interior designer’s time for continuing education purposes irrespective of the actual time spent on the activity.
2. All CEHs must be completed in health, safety, and welfare subjects acquired in structured educational activities.
3. Structured educational activities are courses of study in which at least 75 percent (75%) of the activities’ content and instructional time is devoted to acceptable health, safety, and welfare subjects. These subjects must be related to the practice of architecture, landscape architecture or interior design including courses of study, monographs, or other activities under the areas identified as health, safety, and welfare subjects, and they must be provided by qualified individuals or organizations, whether delivered by direct contact or distance learning methods.
4. Health, safety, and welfare subjects are technical and professional courses that the board deems appropriate to safeguard the public and that are within the following enumerated areas necessary for the proper evaluation, design, construction and utilization of buildings and the built environment:  
     
   • Legal: Laws, codes, zoning, regulations, standards, life safety measures, accessibility, ethics, and insurance to protect the owner or the public 
   • Technical: Surveying, structural, mechanical, electrical, communication, fire protection, controls, site grading, irrigation systems 
   • Environmental: Energy efficiency, sustainability, natural resources, natural hazards, hazardous materials waterproofing, insulation, stormwater management. 
   • Occupant Comfort: Air quality, lighting, acoustics, ergonomics. 
   • Materials and Methods: Building systems, products, finishes, furnishings, equipment. 
   • Preservation: Historic, reuse, adaptationg.  
   • Pre-Design: Land use analysis, programming, site selection, site and soils analysis. 
   • Design: Urban planning, master planning, building design, site design, interiors, safety and security measures. 
   • Construction Documents: Drawings, specifications, delivery methods. 
   • Construction Administration: Contracts, bidding, contract negotiations    
5. Attending seminars, lectures, presentations, workshops, or courses shall constitute one CEH for each hour of attendance.
6. Successfully completing tutorials, short courses, correspondence courses, Web-based courses, monographs, and other self-study courses shall constitute the CEH recommended by the program sponsor.
7. CEH credit will not be granted to faculty members at a college, university, or other educational institution.  
8. Successfully completing one or more college or university semester or quarter hours in architectural, landscape architectural, or interior design subjects shall satisfy the continuing education requirement for the calendar year in which the course was completed.
9. Any structured program in health, safety, and welfare contained in the record of an approved professional registry will be accepted by the board as fulfilling the continuing education requirements of these rules.
10. The board approves the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) as professional registries. The board will accept contact hours listed by the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Services (AIA/CES), the Landscape Architect Continuing Education System (LA/CES), and the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) transcript of Continuing Education Activities for both resident and non-resident architects, landscape architects, and registered interior designers. 

Reports and Record Keeping

1. At registration time, each architect, landscape architect, or registered interior designer registered in the State of Arkansas shall complete and submit an affidavit prescribed by the board attesting to his or her fulfillment of the required continuing education hours listed above during the preceding calendar year.
2. No carryover of continuing education hours from the previous calendar year is permitted.
3. Any untrue, false, or misleading statements with respect to course attendance or any other aspect of continuing education activity is considered fraud and/or misrepresentation. Such activity will subject the architect and/or program sponsor to license revocation or other disciplinary action.
4. Documentation of health, safety and welfare (HSW) credit must be indicated by the course provider. The provider must clearly indicate that the course is HSW. 

Audit

1. Each affidavit may be reviewed by the board and may be subject to audit for verification of compliance with requirements.
2. Documentation of reported continuing education hours shall be maintained by the architect for six (6) years from the date of award.
3. The board may, upon audit for verification of compliance, disallow claimed credit for continuing education hours.
4. If the board disallows any continuing education hours, the architect, landscape architect, or registered interior designer shall have forty-five (45) days from notice of such disallowance to provide further evidence of having completed the continuing education disallowed or to remedy the disallowance by completing the required number of continuing education hours. 

Noncompliance and Sanctions

1. Failure to fulfill the continuing education requirements shall result in non-renewal of individual registration. After proper notice, if the board finds that the architect, landscape architect, or registered interior designer willfully disregarded these requirements or falsified documentation of the required continuing education hours, the architect may be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with board regulation.
2. At the discretion of the board, a temporary renewal of license may be issued for up to forty-five (45) days. If the continuing education deficiency has not been cleared to the satisfaction of the board within forty-five (45) calendar days, the registrant may no longer practice architecture or landscape architecture or utilize the title “registered interior designer” in the State of Arkansas without incurring disciplinary action. 

Reinstatement

To reinstate a registration an applicant shall submit proof of completion of 12 continuing education hours. Said hours may be earned either in the calendar year of reinstatement or in the immediately prior calendar year. Such hours may be applied to satisfy a continuing education requirement applicable to the first registration renewal following reinstatement but shall not be used to satisfy any continuing education requirement applicable to the second registration renewal following reinstatement.