As the end of the year draws near, it’s easy to get sidetracked by deadlines and approaching holiday festivities. This is a reminder, so you don’t fall behind on fulfilling your continuing education requirements! You’ve worked so hard, the last thing you want is for either your AIA designation or your architecture license to lapse because you are a few learning units short! In the sections that follow, we outline various continuing education requirements as well as options for obtaining learning units!

Continuing Education Requirements for AIA Membership

AIA measures continuing education in Learning Units (LUs). One hour of continuing education earns the participant one LU. It is essential to complete the required number of units in order to maintain your AIA designation.

	AIA Architect	International Associate	Architect Emeritus	Associate
Total Number of Required Learning Units	18 LUs from registered AIA/CES providers must be completed annually.  Of the 18 LUs, a minimum of 12 LUs must be in the topic areas of health, safety, and welfare (HSW).	18 LUs from registered AIA/CES providers must be completed annually. Of the 18 LUs, a minimum of 12 LUs must be in the topic areas of health, safety, and welfare (HSW).	1 LU from registered AIA/CES provider must be completed annually; can be either HSW or Elective LU.	Not required to meet a minimum number of LUs, but completing continuing education courses increases your skills and knowledge.  Some completed LUs count toward AXP requirements.  Contact NCARB for more info.

Continuing Education (CE) Requirements by State

VIRGINIA

• Licensing Board: Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
• Total Hours: 16 Hours
• Detail: 16 LUs (CE calculated for previous two licensing years)
• Renewal Cycle: Biennial (from year of licensure)
• Renewal Deadline: Renewal date is last day of licensure month

MARYLAND

• Licensing Board: Maryland Board of Architects
• Total Hours: 24 Hours
• Detail: 24 HSW LUs (Min. 12 HSW LUs per year for previous two calendar years prior to the year of renewal, Jan.–Dec. Max. 12 HSW LUs carryover to next license renewal. No LUs due at first license renewal.)
• Renewal Cycle: Biennial (from year of licensure)
• Renewal Deadline: Renewal date is licensure date

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (DC)

• Licensing Board: Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances
• Total Hours: 24 Hours
• Detail: 24 HSW LUs (Total CE for two-year licensing period. No LUs due at first license renewal.)
• Renewal Cycle: Biennial
• Renewal Deadline: April 30, even years

For more information about continuing education requirements for states not listed, visit the AIA website.

Upcoming Events with Continuing Education Credits

Even if you have gotten a little sidetracked, fear not – you still have time to join one of several continuing education programs taking place through the end of the year.

Program Name	Date	Number of Credits	Location
So, You Want to Start Your Own Firm? Workshop	Tuesday, Oct. 28	Up to 5.5 AIA LUs	Alexandria, VA
Virtual Lunch & Learn | Creating Spaces of Distinction with Custom Fireplaces & Fire Features	Tuesday, Nov. 4	1.0 AIA LU|HSW	Virtual
Women’s Leadership Summit 2025	Monday, Nov. 3 – Wednesday, Nov. 5	A total of 60 AIA LUs with the option of up to 17.0 HSW LUs	Atlanta, GA
Architecture Exchange East	Wednesday, Nov. 5 – Friday, Nov. 7	A total of 13.5 AIA LUs with the option of up to 5.0 HSW LUs	Richmond, VA
Virtual Lunch & Learn | Overview of Custom Architectural Steel Windows & Doors	Tuesday, Nov. 18	1.0 AIA LU|Elective	Virtual
Virtual Lunch & Learn | The Preconstruction Advantage: Risk Reduction, Resilience, and Results	Wednesday, Dec. 3	1.0 AIA LU|HSW	Virtual
On‑demand Sessions from AIA Trust Week	Ongoing	A total of 14.5 AIA LUs with the option of up to 2.5 HSW LUs	Virtual

Conclusion

As an AIA Member, any learning units earned through any AIA CE Provider should be recorded on your transcript. Take a few minutes to review your transcript in the Member Portal to ensure you have met the total number of learning units required for both AIA and your state’s licensing board. If you are short a learning unit or two, we welcome you to join one of the aforementioned sessions! We also recommend visiting our event calendar periodically as additional continuing education programs may become available. Please reach out to Member Experience Coordinator, Julia Deupree at [email protected] with any questions.