Continuing Education Requirements for TN PEs

The practice of engineering in Tennessee is regulated by the Board of Architectural and Engineer Examiners. The board has established that engineers must earn 24 professional development hour credits every 24 months (biennially). Up to 12 hours may be rolled over to the next renewal period. At least 13 PDH must address health, safety and welfare issues and technical competency. The Tennessee board does not pre-approve course providers or courses. License renewal is done monthly based on the registrant’s date of initial registration.

Listed below are the Tennessee professional engineer (PE) license renewal requirements.

Licensing Board Information

Tennessee State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners

Website: https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/architects-engineers.html
Contact: Jennifer Peck
Email: Jennifer.Peck@tn.gov
Phone: (615) 741-3221
Fax: (615) 532-9410
Address:Department of Commerce and Insurance
500 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-1142

We prepared a detailed summary and review of the Tennessee continuing education requirements (read the article).

Engineering Continuing Education Requirements for Tennessee

At some point during your career as a professional engineer in Tennessee, you’ll have to renew your license. When that time comes, it’s important to ask: what are the continuing education requirements for Tennessee engineers?

You are required to earn 24 professional development hours (PDH) every 2 years. These credits can be obtained through online classes that have been approved by the Tennessee State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners. You have the ability to apply 12 PDH to the next renewal cycle.

You also have the ability to earn continuing education credits by attending conferences, participating in live webinars and having papers published in peer-reviewed journals.

You are responsible for determining if the course or activity you take will fulfill the requirements for license renewal. You are also required to maintain the appropriate records that document your continuing education activities. If you are differently abled or a deployed military service member, you can claim exemption from the requirements.

Tennessee PDH Credits

Engineering licensing in Tennessee is managed by the Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners.

According to their criteria, a minimum of 13 PDH should be related to issues that pertain to safety, health, welfare and technical competency—which are basic requirements when it comes to technical, managerial and ethical content in the engineering practice.

The PDH credits you can earn are broken down as follows:

• 1 hour of university semester credits = 15 PDH
• 1 quarter-hour of university credits = 10 PDH
• 1 continuing education unit = 10 PDH
• 1 hour of accepted professional development education = 1 PDH

You are required to present proof that you fulfilled the continuing education requirements for Tennessee engineers if the Board requests. You don’t have to submit the course completion certificates with your license renewal.

You have to maintain your PDH records for at least 4 years. If you need assistance with this, you might check out what PDH-Pro has to offer. They maintain these documents indefinitely in a cloud-based, secure storage system that can be accessed easily at any time, allowing you to access and print your certificates.

TN PE License Renewal Dates

The date of your license renewal will depend on when it was initially granted. All engineers are expected to renew their licenses every 2 years according to T.C.A. §. 62-2-203(d).

To renew your license, you will submit a renewal form that has been approved by the Board, accompanied by the renewal fee and evidence that you have completed the required number of PDH. The fees to renew your engineering license are $140.00.

Engineering Ethics and Professional Conduct for Tennessee Engineers

You are not required to complete courses or activities in ethics or professional conduct. Although, if you do take courses on these topics, the Board will accept them as part of your continuing education requirements for Tennessee engineers. The Board also offers an Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct Course that is accepted for license renewal.

You are expected to fulfill the proper conduct of the engineering practice as set forth by the Board and state laws. You are obligated to protect the public’s welfare, health and security. Should you become aware of any decision or action taken by your employer that violates federal laws, you must refuse to obey and inform the appropriate authorities.

Tennessee Engineering CEU Record Keeping Requirements

You must hold onto records that show you have completed the necessary credits to renew your license for at least 4 years. If you are audited by the Board, you have to provide copies of this documentation within 30 days. If you don’t maintain these records, it could lead to the disqualification of your engineering license.

Records that you need to maintain include the following:

• Activities/courses you have taken
• PDH credits you have earned
• Name of sponsoring organization
• Duration of the course/activity
• The speaker or instructor’s name
• Activity or course description
• Certificates of completion
• Verification of attendance
• A signed attendance receipt
• Receipt of payment

Continuing Education Activities Accepted by the Tennessee Board

When it comes to fulfilling your continuing education requirements for Tennessee engineers, the courses or activities you take should have an obvious purpose and objective that will improve, maintain or expand your skills and knowledge. The content must be relevant, well organized and planned. The instructor that is presenting or teaching the course needs to be competent and knowledgeable.

Some of the continuing education activities accepted by the Board include:

• Attending structured tutorials and seminars
• Courses that have been sponsored by university or colleges
• Any course that awards continuing education credits
• A correspondence or short course
• Online or TV-based courses
• In-house activities that have been organized by different organizations
• Publishing books, articles or papers
• Participating in Board meetings
• Being part of educational activities that are similar to K-12
• Being part of organizations or societies that are tech related
• Attending relevant presentations
• Presenting at technological meetings
• Any other activity that meets the criteria set forth by the Board

Pre-Approval of Continuing Education Activities in Tennessee

No courses or providers are pre-approved by the Board, but all engineers have to complete the terms and conditions necessary for continuing education requirements for Tennessee engineers. You are allowed to take online courses, as long as the information is accepted and recognized by the Board.

Sources of Free Continuing Education Courses for Tennessee Professional Engineers

Should you be looking for a way to save some money on continuing education courses, there are some free options available. These options might include promotional courses offered by specific providers, being a member of various engineering societies and educational activities offered by manufacturing organizations.

Tennessee Engineering Licensing Requirements

Application

When it comes to your license application, you have to pay a nonrefundable $30 fee. You also have to pay a license renewal fee of $140 every 2 years. Should you be applying as an engineer by comity, you are required to submit a $55 application fee.

Education and Experience Requirements

You are expected to have 4 or more years of education that has been approved by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Board may accept a 2-year education if you graduated less than 2 academic years prior to accreditation. If you have attended a non-ABET accredited program, you have to prove that it is equivalent to the ABET requirements, according to the Board’s rules.

Experience

The Board will only consider progressive experience that has been conducted under the supervision of a registered professional engineers. You may be able to substitute 1 year of credit experience if the following conditions are met:

• You’ve graduated with at least a master’s degree in engineering from an approved curriculum
• You have earned 1 year of experience from an established cooperative education program that is accepted by the Board and was within the engineering curriculum framework
• You have been under the supervision of a licensed engineer for 3 or more years prior to graduation

A minimum of 1 year of engineering experience has to be completed within the U.S.

Disciplinary Actions and Restrictions

If you have been banned from taking engineering exams in Tennessee, you cannot apply or pass the exam in another jurisdiction. If you have violated the Board’s procedures, policies or candidate agreements, this will bar you from taking exams. Other events that may result in disciplinary actions include:

• Talking to other candidates during the exam
• Cheating of any kind while taking the exam
• Illegally disclosing the exam’s content
• Not cooperating with the exam authorities or the Board
• Any action that threatens the security or reliability of the exam

You are allowed to complete continuing education requirements for Tennessee engineers outside of your engineering field. Since engineering requires knowledge about the other engineering disciplines, the Board wants you to have a broad knowledge base.

Questions About Tennessee Engineering License Renewal

Every professional engineer in the State of Tennessee must complete the requirements for continuing education credit that have been outlined by the Board. If you have any questions, you can contact them at any time.