CEU Requirements for West Virginia Professional Engineers

If you are a licensed engineer in the State of West Virginia, you need to know – What are the continuing education requirement for West Virginia professional engineers?

The West Virginia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers has continuing education requirements for engineer registration renewal. The requirements are a completion of 30 Professional Development Hours (PDH) over a biennial period. If more than 30 PDHs are met, the registrant may carry over a maximum of 15 PDHs to the next renewal period. Though college and continuing education courses count toward PDHs, there are no required courses specifically detailed by the Board — and the renewal date is December 31st on even-numbered years.

If you are looking for courses that satisfy the Virginia continuing education requirements, we offer continuing education packages for West Virginia Engineers.

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

West Virginia Required PDH Credits

The West Virginia State Board of Registration For Professional Engineers (WVPEBD) requires a completion of 30 PDHs over a biennial period. The Board does not require pre-approval of course providers, and no required courses are specified. Electric renewal is allowed at the WVPEBD site, and submission of certificates of completion is necessary for continuing education credits/PDHs. By law, engineers must keep attendance documentation for at least 3 renewal periods.

License Renewal Dates

The registration renewal due date is December 31st on even-numbered years. If 30 PDHs are not met by December 31st, a one-month grace period is given to meet the PDH requirements by January 31st — but the renewal fee increases by 25%. If the PDH requirements are not met by January 31st, the WVPEBD gives you the option to change your engineering status to “Inactive”. If you do not change your status to “Inactive” in a timely fashion, the WVPEBD will automatically change your status to “Lapsed” as of February 1st. Engineers with a “Lapsed” status will have to go through a reinstatement process to provide engineering services in West Virginia.

Engineering Ethics and Professional Conduct

There are currently no required courses specifically detailed by the WVPEBD for continuing education, and this includes courses on ethics, professional conduct, and state rules/laws. The Board, however, has the final authority on course, credit and PDH value approval. It may invalidate or deny renewal based on unsatisfactory or otherwise insufficient continuing education.

Records Keeping Requirements for Engineers

Engineers are required to keep records of PDHs for at least 3 renewal periods. The accepted records may include logs showing the type of activities performed, the sponsoring organizations involved, the activity’s duration and location, the speaker’s or instructor’s name, and the type of PDH credits earned. Also, participation or attendance records are accepted in the form of paid receipts, completion certifications, or other documents that verify attendance. These documents must be submitted upon registration renewal. The Board may request copies of these documents for verification, approval, or in the event of an engineer audit.

Continuing Education Activities Accepted by the WV Board

The Board accepts the following activities toward the required 30 PDHs: 1 College or unit semester course (worth 45 PDHs), 1 college or unit quarter course (30 PDHs), 1 continuing education unit (10 PDHs), 1 hour in course work, seminars, conventions, or workshops (1 PDH), 1 hour of teaching seminars, course work, conventions, or workshops (2 PDHs), and/or published papers or patents on engineering subjects (10 PDHs). Online courses and webinars are allowed, however, they are counted by the hour and are generally worth 1 PDH for short tutorials or seminars. There are no limits on hours for online courses. College courses taken online must be documented as unit quarter (30 PDHs) or unit semester (45 PDHs) courses. There are no restrictions on self-study courses, however, their eligibility is determined by the Board.

To summarize — for the 30 PDHs — the Board accepts any combination of college courses, continuing education courses, attending or teaching workshops, seminars, professional conventions, and published papers (or patents) on engineering. There are no specified restrictions on course content, but determination of eligibility is left to the Board.

Pre-Approval of Continuing Education Activities

The Board issues no pre-approval of continuing education activities or course offerings. Therefore, the Board does not require the pre-approval of continuing education activities. The determination of valid course offerings, continuing education, workshops, seminars, or lectures however, is left entirely to the Board.

Sources of Free Continuing Education Courses for WV PEs

The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) offers 15 free courses in engineering continuing education to its members. PDH-Pro is a private company that offers a free on-demand engineering webinar, as well as a free online professional engineering course through a promotional offer. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) offers 10 free courses to new members. Other free courses are similarly available at PDH-Pro.com.

Engineering Licensing Requirements

To apply to become a Professional Engineer in West Virginia, you are required to have passed the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam and the NCEES Principles and Practice in Engineering (PE) Exam. In order to qualify for the NCEES FE Exam, you must first complete a two- or four-year engineering degree accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Applicants who are registered for the NCEES PE Exam as a West Virginia exam applicant may apply for their first PE license in the State of West Virginia. Applicants registered for other states can apply for a West Virginia license by way of comity. The application for a West Virginia license requires (among other things) NCEES records, transcript request forms, and a completed signed application. Full details are available at the WVPEBD website.

Engineering Discipline Restrictions for Continuing Education Courses

The WVPEBD does not limit or restrict the courses an engineer can take based on their license. Course requirements and content are not specified by the Board, but course validity in the renewal process is up to the Board’s discretion.

Conclusion

Continuing education requirements for PE registration renewal in West Virginia are determined by the WVPEBD. These include a completion of 30 PDHs over a two-year period and require demonstrated coursework, teaching, attendance, and/or published materials. Records of these PDHs must be kept for at least three renewal periods. Finally, although course content restrictions are not specified, eligibility of PDHs is left to the discretion of the Board.