CEU Requirements for Delaware Professional Engineers

One of the most common questions we receive is – What are the continuing education requirement for Delaware professional engineers?

The Delaware Association of Professional Engineers requires a completion of 24 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) of continuing education for the renewal of a Professional Engineer license, biennially. After the June 30, 2018 renewal period, if more than 24 PDHs are met, none may be carried over to the next period. The renewal deadline date is June 30th of even-numbered years. No less than 3 PDHs or more than 6 PDHs are to be related to professional ethics, no more than 9 PDHs should relate to project management or business — and the remaining PDHs must be related to the licensee’s area of technical practice.

For a complete list of all license renewal requirements check out our Delaware PE renewal page.

Required PDH Credits for Delaware

The Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) renews licenses over a biennial period. 24 PDHs are required, with no less than 3 PDHs and no more than 6 PDHs related to professional ethics, and no more than 9 PDHs related to business or project management. The remaining PDHs should be related to the technical practice of the licensee (i.e. engineering). Pre-approval of courses and course providers is not required or given by DAPE. Electronic renewal is allowed and is available online. Certificates of completion (among other documents) are accepted as proof of PDHs, and proof of adherence to Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) is required upon renewal. Engineers must keep their PDH records for a duration of at least 3 years.

Delaware Professional Engineer License Renewal Dates

Licenses must be renewed biennially and the due date for renewal is June 30th of even-numbered years. If the PDH requirements are not met by this time, the licensee is encouraged to change their license to an “Inactive” status and apply for reinstatement once the requirements have been met. During the time the licensee is “Inactive”, the licensee shall not practice engineering for projects within the state of Delaware.

Delaware Engineering Ethics and Professional Conduct

DAPE requires that licensees applying for renewal should have no less than 3 PDHs and no more than 6 PDHs in professional ethics for any given renewal period. The particular professional ethics, professional conduct, or state rules/laws are not specified by DAPE, beyond the minimums and maximums established for PDHs.

Records Keeping Requirements for DE Engineers

Engineers must maintain records of PDHs for at least three years. DAPE accepts 1) logs showing the types of activities claimed, with the sponsoring organization, title of course or seminar, its location, date, time, and PDHs earned. However, logs alone are insufficient proof of PDH completion and other forms of proof are needed; 2) Attendance verification records, which can be certificates of completion, that include the sponsoring organization, topic, location, time, date, duration, instructor’s name, and PDHs earned. Conference programs and receipts alone will be deemed insufficient; and 3) a summary description of courses, patents, publications, technical society involvement, outreach program involvement — with enough detail to allow DAPE to judge their PDH value. Records must be provided upon renewal.

Continuing Education Activities Accepted by the Delaware Board

DAPE accepts the following activities toward the 24 PDHs: 1 college or unit semester hour (worth 45 PDHs), 1 college or unit quarter hour (30 PDHs), 1 continuing education unit (10 PDHs), 1 hour professional development or technical presentation in seminars, workshops, or meetings (1 PDH). The preceding activities count as double in PDH value if taught, but only for the first instance of teaching the course. Also accepted are: relevant peer-reviewed papers or books (10 PDHs), relevant published papers or articles (5 PDHs), active participation in professional or technical committees (3 PDHs per year, per committee), granted patents (10 PDHs), and 1 hour of outreach activities (1 PDH, not to exceed 4 PDHs a year). Online coursework is accepted. There is no limit for the amount of online PDH coursework accepted. Webinars and self-study courses are allowed — they may be taken or taught.

To summarize, DAPE accepts taking or teaching college coursework, continuing education units, and professional development or technical presentations for obtaining PDHs. They also accept published papers, books, articles, active participation in technical and professional committees, granted patents, and outreach activities. Teaching doubles PDH values for courses, seminars, and continuing education lessons, but this is only granted the first time the course is taught. Finally, online coursework, webinars, and self-study courses are allowed, so far as they develop the licensee’s particular field of study.

Pre-Approval of Continuing Education Activities

DAPE does not offer or require pre-approval of continuing education activities. It is the responsibility of the licensee to determine if the continuing education activities meet the DAPE requirements.

Sources of Free Continuing Education Courses

Members of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) have access to 15 free PDH courses. Also, new members of the American Society of Civil Engineers have access to 10 free PDH courses. Free courses and webinars are accessible from the private company PDH-Pro.

Delaware Engineering Licensing Requirements

In Delaware, new Professional Engineer applicants are expected to have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, engineering technology, or a science-related engineering program. Alternately, they are required to have 15 years of verifiable engineering experience. Graduates of ABET-accredited institutions are required to have at least 4 years of acceptable, verifiable engineering experience; engineering graduates of non-ABET accredited institutions are required to have at least 8 years of such experience. All applicants must pass the 8-hour Fundamentals of Engineering and 8-hour Principles & Practice Engineering Exams. Full details are available online.

Conclusion

Professional Engineer renewal applicants in the state of Delaware must provide 24 PDHs biennially. No less than 3 PDHs or more than 6 PDHs are to be related to professional ethics. No more than 9 PDHs are to be related to business or project management. PDHs may be obtained through taking or teaching college courses, continuing education units, technical presentations in workshops or seminars, published papers, books, articles, involvement in technical committees, or outreach programs. Records of PDHs must be maintained for a period of 3 years, and there is no carry over of PDHs if more than 24 are met.