Pennsylvania Continuing Education Requirements
Continuing education (CE) for licensed professionals in Pennsylvania is set by each profession's own state board — Pennsylvania State Architects Licensure Board, Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy, Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy, State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission (SREC), and Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. 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 Pennsylvania breakdown.
Pennsylvania CE Requirements at a Glance
| Profession | Contact Hours | Renewal Cycle | Online? | Key Topics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architect | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW) | View → |
| CPA (Certified Public Accountant) | 80 | 2 yr | Yes | Ethics, Auditing & Attestation (A&A) | View → |
| Physical Therapist (PT) | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Law or ethics applicable to the practice of physical therapy, Child abuse recognition and reporting | View → |
| Professional Engineer (PE) | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Real Estate Agent / Broker | 14 | 2 yr | Yes | Fair Housing, Agency Relationship | View → |
| Registered Nurse (RN) | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting, Organ and Tissue Donation and Recovery Process | View → |
Notable Pennsylvania Requirements
Specific mandates Pennsylvania boards impose that often trip up license holders:
- Architect Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW) — 24 hours — All 24 continuing education hours per biennial renewal must be in health, safety and welfare (HSW) subject areas. Full Architect details →
- CPA Ethics — 4 hours — 4 credit hours in ethics required per biennial renewal cycle. Full CPA details →
- CPA Auditing & Attestation (A&A) — 24 hours — Required for CPAs participating in attest activities. Full CPA details →
- PT Law or ethics applicable to the practice of physical therapy — 2 hours — Part of the 30-hour total, not additional to it. Full PT details →
- PT Child abuse recognition and reporting — 2 hours — Must be Board-approved CE in child abuse recognition and reporting, per § 40.208(b). Full PT details →
- Real Estate Fair Housing — 2 hours — 2 hours in Fair Housing required each renewal cycle. Full Real Estate details →
Browse by Profession
Pennsylvania Licensing Boards
CE requirements on this page are sourced from each profession's official Pennsylvania board:
- Architect
- CPA
- PT
- PE
- PLS
- Real Estate
- RN
Other States
Browse CE requirements for another state: