Online Continuing Education is Key for Texas Engineers to Meet CEU Requirements

Continuing education has become a fact of life for professional engineers. Texas mandates that if an engineer wants to renew their license, they must complete continuing education. Thankfully, you have many options. You can pursue in-person classes at an established university, or you can write and publish a book.

You can also take classes online. Online classes are an effective and cheap way of pursuing your engineering continuing education.

But many engineers have questions about it. It’s been many years since they’ve been in the classroom. What are online classes like?

Here is a quick guide for online professional engineer continuing education.

Prepare for Your Engineering Continuing Education

In the state of Texas, you need fifteen hours of continuing education every year. At least one hour must be in ethics. You can self-study for five hours, but you should have a worksheet to track your hours.

The Texas Board of Professional Engineers does not pre-approve any continuing education courses. The Board trusts that its members can decide the right classes for them.

You can take online courses, including watching videos. You must receive documentation from the company that produces your content. The documentation can be a certification of completion, a grade report, or a flyer.

You are exempt from continuing education if you are on disability or in deployed military service. You are not exempt if you are over 65 or retired. You can carry over fourteen credits into the next year.

Address Your Needs

Though you can pursue self-study, your best option is to sign up with an established school. Having a reference in addition to paperwork will speed up your license renewal process. You will also learn more skills that you can apply to your engineering practice.

If you want to keep your license, you need to pursue continuing education. It does not matter if you are no longer practicing engineering. You need fifteen hours every year, including ethics.

Schedule classes around your work and social lives. Use the flexibility of the requirements to your advantage. You can take courses at night, on weekends, or during lunch breaks.

Don’t pursue a program just because it is less expensive than another program. Pick a program that grows your skills in a meaningful way.

You can use your continuing education as a career transition point. Start projects that you can finish over the next year. Take classes, then publish an article on what you’ve learned.

Research Different Kinds of Engineering

You can study a different kind of engineering. This gives you broad knowledge in the sector of engineering.

If you need to make a career transition, you can get up to pace on a subsector of engineering. You can also make connections in another subsector, letting you grow your professional circle.

Civil engineering allows you to examine city design and industrial projects. You can pursue connections with civil servants and elected officials.

Mechanical engineering allows you to study mechanical devices and boiler plants. You can pursue connections with graphic designers, industry professionals, and technicians.

Your mandated ethics class will let you explore a few different things. You will study legislative acts like the Texas Engineering Practice Act. You will learn rules related to administration and disciplinary codes.

You will apply codes of ethics to fundamental principles of engineering. You will learn problem-solving strategies, training you to confront ethical violations in the workplace.

Tips for Studying Online

Online studying is difficult, even for experienced students. Without the structure of the classroom, many students lose discipline.

Set aside a workspace in your home. It can be an entire room or a desk in the corner of one room.

Remove anything that could distract you, like televisions and pets. If you might need something to drink or eat, keep a drink and snack on your desk so you don’t have to leave the room.

Make a regular schedule for your studies. It can be a certain hour of the day or a certain day of the week.

Don’t spend too much time sitting down. Get up, stretch, and study while standing up. Go out for a walk or run once your class is over.

Interact with your classmates as much as possible. Ask questions out loud and in the chat. Turn on your camera and microphone, and make eye contact with your instructor.

Take notes with a pen and paper. People who take notes on paper remember information better than people who take notes on their computer. If you miss something, ask a question to your instructor.

To prepare for a test, make flashcards. Write definitions and important facts down, then flip through the cards one-by-one. Study for a test two weeks in advance, studying for thirty minutes every day.

Take advantage of opportunities to pursue your interests. If you have to give a presentation on something, pick a topic that you’re interested in. Design as much independence in your continuing education as possible.

Talk to your family about what you’re studying. This will give you some motivation to keep going. Online classes can feel remote, so a little encouragement can go a long way.

Pursue Your Professional Engineer Continuing Education

Education is a continuing process. As a licensed engineer, you are required to continue your education. Learn the requirements and get started on your engineering continuing education.

You need fifteen hours of education every year, including one hour of ethics. Online classes meet the requirements, provided you have documents to support yourself. Schedule your classes and meet the needs of your company.

Consider studying another kind of engineering so you have greater mastery over the field. Take the opportunity to make connections. Create a study space and interact with your peers while studying every day.

Get the best engineering classes out there. PDH-Pro offers premium engineering classes at affordable prices. Contact us today, or call us at 508-298-4787.