CEU Requirements for New Mexico Professional Engineers

New Mexico professional engineer frequently ask us – What the continuing education requirements for PEs in the state of New Mexico?

The New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers & Professional Surveyors requires a completion of 30 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) of continuing education biennially to renew a Professional Engineer’s license. If more than 30 PDHs are met, a maximum of 15 PDHs may be carried over to the next renewal period. Odd-numbered licenses have a renewal deadline of December 31 on odd years, even-numbered licenses have a renewal deadline of December 31 on even years. At least two PDHs must be ethics-related.

We offer all inclusive continuing education course packages for New Mexico professional engineers.

Refer to our New Mexico PE renewal page for more information.

Required PDH Credits

The New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers & Professional Surveyors (NMBLPEPS) renews Professional Engineering licenses over a biennial period. 30 PDHs are required in education that demonstrates “a clear purpose and objective which will maintain, improve, or expand the skills and knowledge relevant to the practice of engineering or surveying”. At least 2 PDHs must be ethics-related. The NMBLPEPS does not offer or require pre-approval of courses or course providers. Renewal is available online. “Submission of professional development hours (PDHs) shall be made concurrently with license renewal”, with logs and certificates of completion accepted. PDH records require three-year maintenance.

License Renewal Dates

Licenses must be renewed biennially, with odd-numbered licenses having a deadline of December 31 on odd years and even-numbered licenses having a deadline of December 31 on even years. Licenses not renewed by the due date will expire automatically after December 31. An expired licensee may renew before March 1 of the following year, but must pay twice the renewal fee. The expired licensee shall not practice during this period. If an expired licensee applies for renewal after March 1, the licensee must undergo a formal reapplication process.

Engineering Ethics and Professional Conduct

The NMBLPEPS requires that at least two (2) of the 30 PDHs obtained biennially must be ethics-related. One hour of ethics training is equivalent to 1 PDH, with a maximum limit of 4 PDHs in ethics training per biennial period. The ethics course must pertain to the current jurisdiction, New Mexico. Finally, ethics PDHs may not be counted as part of the 15 PDHs that can be carried over to the next renewal period.

Records Keeping Requirements for Engineers

PDH records must be kept for at least three years. These can include: 1) a log showing the type of activity claimed (with location, duration, sponsoring organization, speaker’s name, and PDHs credits earned); 2) attendance verification records with completion certificates or paid receipts; 3) proof of membership of a technical organization (some details apply); 4) a log showing the medium utilized for a technical review, the author or sponsoring organization, the subject, date, duration, and a summary of the contents of the review; and 5) the sponsoring organization of a civic or community activity, the date, subject, location and duration of the activity, as well as the licensee’s role in the activity.

Continuing Education Activities Accepted by the Board

The NMBLPEPS accepts the following activities towards the 30 PDHs: One college or unit semester (worth 45 PDHs), one college or unit quarter hour (30 PDHs), one continuing education unit (10 PDHs), one hour professional development at seminars or technical presentations (1 PDH), one relevant peer-reviewed paper or book (10 PDHs), one relevant, non peer-reviewed published paper or article (5 PDH), active participation in a technical society (2 PDH), a patent (10 PDH each), and one hour of outreach activity (1 PDH). Teaching doubles the PDH values for college, continuing education, and professional development courses — but only first-time teaching of a particular course is counted. Online courses are allowed. There are no limits on online course hours. However, online course progression must be documented and does not qualify on an individual basis — as with webinars and self-study courses, which are also allowed.

To summarize, the NMBLPEPS accepts taking or teaching relevant college coursework, continuing education, and professional development meetings, seminars, or conferences. They also accept published papers, books, and articles, as well as technical/professional society participation, patents, and outreach activities. Two PDHs must be ethics-related. Teaching doubles PDH value (with some exceptions) and online, webinar, and self-study courses are allowed, so long as they are of group participation and have documented course progress.

Pre-Approval of Continuing Education Activities

The NMBLPEPS does not require or offer pre-approval of courses or course providers. It is the responsibility of the licensee to determine the eligibility of their continuing education activities.

Sources of Free Continuing Education Courses

Members of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) have access to 15 free PDH courses. Similarly, new members of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) have access to 10 free courses. The NMBLPEPS has offered ethics training free of charge in the past.

Engineering Licensing Requirements

Professional Engineers in New Mexico must have an approved four-year degree, at least four years in an internship, and a successful passing of both the fundamentals of engineering and principles and practices 8-hour exams. Five references must be made — at least three of which must be engineers who can detail the candidate’s work and character. Registration fees, educational history, and work history apply. Full application details are here.

Engineering Discipline Restrictions for Continuing Education

Although there are no engineering discipline restrictions specifically illustrated by the NMBLPEPS, emphasis is given to PDH work that serves to “maintain, improve, or expand the skills and knowledge relevant to the practice of engineering”. Thus, it is strongly encouraged to pursue PDHs that develop or instate relevant engineering, surveying, and ethics practices.

Complete Engineering Packages for New Mexico PEs

We developed our New Mexico Engineering Packages to provide engineers with a simple way to complete all of the IELSEB license requirements. It’s very easy to renew your PE license. Select a package to match your engineering discipline: chemical, civil, electrical, environmental, geotechnical, mechanical, or structural. You can be confident that your courses will be accepted because we review the New Mexico PE license requirements every year to ensure these packages comply with the board’s guidelines.

Conclusion

Continuing education requirements for PE renewal in New Mexico are: 30 PDHs obtained over a biennial period, with at least two of those PDHs devoted to ethics training. A maximum of 1`5 PDHs can be carried over to the next renewal period — with the exception of ethics PDHs. Finally, taking or teaching college courses, continuing education courses, professional seminars and meetings, active participation in technical societies, patents, published papers, and outreach work is accepted toward the 30 PDHs.