Mississippi Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years

Requirements Overview

The Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy requires every licensed PT and PTA to accrue 30 continuing competence units (CCUs) each 2-year licensing period, running July 1 through June 30. Mississippi's CCU system splits credit into two tiers: at least 15 CCUs must be Certified Activities (FSBPT-compliant conferences, APTA/MPTA programs, accredited university coursework), while the rest may come from Approved Activities like self-study or research, capped at 15 CCUs from that tier.

Within the 30-CCU total, licensees must complete 3 hours of ethics, professionalism, or jurisprudence study, and at least 7.5 CCUs (25%) must be directly clinical. No CCUs carry over between periods.

Online courses are allowed toward the requirement. Licensees renewing mid-cycle after initial licensure get a Board-notified prorated total rather than the full 30, and the Board conducts random audits each licensing period.

Mandatory Topics

Exemptions

• ✓
  Prorated Initial Licensure — Individuals applying for initial licensure within a licensing period must accrue continuing competence hours on a prorated scale rather than the full 30 CCUs; the Board sends written notification of the prorated hours required at the time of licensure.
• ✓
  Residency Fellowship Exemption — Licensees enrolled in an APTA-credentialed residency or fellowship may be exempt from the mandatory continuing competence hours while completing the program of study, upon submitting a letter from the program director.
• ✓
  Gubernatorial Emergency Waiver — CCUs required for renewal may be waived or extended by the Board if there is a gubernatorial declared emergency (Rule 5.6).

How You Can Complete Your CE

Mississippi CE Rules & Limits

Details specific to Mississippi that generic CE guides tend to miss:

• Mississippi records CE in 'continuing competence units' (CCU), not directly in 'contact hours,' and the conversion between the two is not 1:1 across all activity types. For 'Certified Activities' (FSBPT/APTA/MPTA conferences, accredited university programs) credit is 'applied as awarded' by the certifying body, which in practice generally tracks 1 CCU per contact hour -- consistent with secondary sources (ptprogress.com, FlexTherapistCEUs) describing the requirement simply as '30 hours.' For 'Approved Activities' (Rule 5.4.2.a), however, credit is non-linear and point-based: courses of 1-7 contact hours earn a flat 2 CCUs, courses of 8-31 contact hours earn a flat 5 CCUs, and courses of >32 contact hours earn a flat 10 CCUs -- so a licensee cannot assume 1 CCU always equals 1 clock hour in that category. Total hours is recorded as 30 (the CCU total itself), which is how the Board and all corroborating sources describe the requirement.
• Structural breakdown of the 30-CCU total: at least 15 CCUs must be 'Certified Activities' (Rule 5.4.1); the remaining CCUs may come from 'Approved Activities' (Rule 5.4.2), capped at 15 CCUs from that tier; at least 7.5 CCUs (25%) must be directly related to clinical PT practice (Rule 5.2.2); and 3 of the 30 CCUs must cover ethics/professionalism/jurisprudence (Rule 5.2.3). These sub-caps overlap with, rather than add to, the 30-CCU total.
• The primary rule PDF (Rule 5.5.2) states licensees renewing 'from and after July 1, 2016' must report through the FSBPT's free 'aPTitude' online system. The live official CE page (continuingeducation.asp), however, currently states 'All licensees must record and report compliance of continuing competence activities through the free online system provide by CE Broker,' while still citing 'Rule 5.5' as its authority.
• Failure to accrue required CCUs results in a one-time probationary license for the following licensure period only (delinquent hours are credited first, then current-period hours); a second consecutive shortfall can lead to sanctions up to revocation. Licensees who completed the hours but lack proof of completion get a 30-day grace period after license expiration to submit documentation, or the license is placed on CC probationary status for the full period.
• The Board randomly audits licensees each licensing period (Rule 5.5.1); licensees must retain evidence of compliance for the preceding licensure period.
• Unacceptable CC activities are explicitly listed and excluded from credit: staff meetings, lay-audience presentations/publications, workplace orientation to internal procedures, entertainment/recreational activities, self-directed studies outside the defined categories, repeat credit for the same activity within a licensure period, routine job-required teaching/research duties, and any carried-over CCUs.
• Renewal is staggered by licensee last name (A-L renew in odd years, M-Z in even years) per secondary source ptprogress.com; the licensing period itself always runs July 1 - June 30 per the primary rule.

Provider Requirements

No single blanket board pre-approval process for all courses. CCUs are earned from two tiers defined in Rule 5.4: (1) 'Certified Activities' -- FSBPT Standards-of-Continuing-Competence-compliant conferences, APTA/MPTA/state-chapter programs, accredited university programs, board-approved educational programs, academic coursework, APTA-credentialed residencies/fellowships, and certain certification exams (ABPTS, PTA advanced proficiency, FSBPT Practice Review Tool) -- credit applied as awarded by the certifying body, at least 15 CCUs required from this tier; and (2) 'Approved Activities' -- self-study, in-services, presentations, research, publications, clinical instructorship, board/committee work, structured group study, and mentorship -- assigned fixed CCU values by rule, capped at 15 CCUs total. Course sponsors may also submit a 'Course Sponsor Prior Approval' form to the Board. All completed CCUs must be reported through CE Broker.

Tips for Mississippi PTs

• Track your CCUs against both tiers, not just the 30-hour total: you need at least 15 from Certified Activities (FSBPT/APTA/MPTA/university programs) and can only count up to 15 from Approved Activities like self-study or in-services.
• Schedule your 3 hours of ethics, professionalism, or jurisprudence early in the 2-year cycle rather than saving it for the last minute — any combination of the three topics satisfies the requirement.
• Don't bank extra hours expecting to use them next cycle — Mississippi explicitly disallows CCU carry-over, so hours beyond 30 in a given period don't count toward the next renewal.
• Report your completed CCUs through CE Broker as they're earned rather than waiting until renewal, since the Board randomly audits licensees each licensing period and requires proof of completion retained for the prior period.
• If you're a new graduate or newly licensed mid-cycle, wait for the Board's written notification of your prorated CCU requirement rather than assuming the full 30 hours apply to your first period.

Sources

Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy's official rules and continuing-education sources and recorded with the exact source excerpt. Last verified Jul 2026. Read how we compile and verify this data.

PT Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in Mississippi