Illinois Continuing Education Requirements
Continuing education (CE) for licensed professionals in Illinois is set by each profession's own state board — Illinois Architecture Licensing Board (IDFPR), Illinois Board of Examiners, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) - Physical Therapy Licensing and Disciplinary Board, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate, and Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Every board sets its own contact-hour total, renewal cycle, and mandatory subjects. Compare all 7 professions below, then open a profession for the full Illinois breakdown.
Illinois CE Requirements at a Glance
| Profession | Contact Hours | Renewal Cycle | Online? | Key Topics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architect | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | Public Protection / Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW), Sexual Harassment Prevention Training | View → |
| CPA (Certified Public Accountant) | 120 | 3 yr | Yes | Professional Ethics, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training | View → |
| Physical Therapist (PT) | 40 | 2 yr | Yes | Ethical practice of physical therapy, including jurisprudence, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training | View → |
| Professional Engineer (PE) | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Sexual harassment prevention training, Illinois statutes and rules regulating professional engineers and professional engineering | View → |
| Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) | 20 | 2 yr | Yes | Sexual harassment prevention training, Illinois statutes and rules regulating professional land surveyors and surveys | View → |
| Real Estate Agent / Broker | 12 | 2 yr | Yes | Core Curriculum (License Law, Agency, Brokerage Agreements & Disclosures, Escrow, Advertising, Fair Housing), Fair Housing | View → |
| Registered Nurse (RN) | 20 | 2 yr | Yes | Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, Implicit Bias Awareness Training | View → |
Notable Illinois Requirements
Specific mandates Illinois boards impose that often trip up license holders:
- Architect Public Protection / Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW) — 16 hours — At least 16 of the 24 contact hours must be public-protection subjects relevant to public health, safety and welfare. Full Architect details →
- Architect Sexual Harassment Prevention Training — 1 hour — 1 of the 24 hours must be sexual harassment prevention training. Full Architect details →
- CPA Professional Ethics — 4 hours — At least 4 hours of courses covering professional ethics required per three-year renewal cycle. Full CPA details →
- CPA Sexual Harassment Prevention Training — 1 hour — 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention training required per renewal cycle. Full CPA details →
- PT Ethical practice of physical therapy, including jurisprudence — 3 hours — Required within the standard 40-hour (PT) / 20-hour (PTA) total at every renewal, effective beginning with the September 2016 renewal for PTs and the September 2017 renewal for PTAs. Full PT details →
- PT Sexual Harassment Prevention Training — 1 hour — One hour required at every renewal cycle, beginning with the licensee's FIRST renewal after initial licensure -- this legislative mandate is not waived by the Physical Therapy Act's first-renewal CE exemption, since it derives from a separate statute (Civil Administrative Code) applicable to all individual license holders regardless of profession-specific CE rules. Full PT details →
Browse by Profession
Illinois Licensing Boards
CE requirements on this page are sourced from each profession's official Illinois board:
- Architect
- CPA
- PT
- PE
- PLS
- Real Estate
- RN
Other States
Browse CE requirements for another state: