Requirements: 30 PDH units every biennium ending December 31 of even numbered years.

The maximum carryover amount of PDH to the next biennium is 15 PDH’s.

Course Info:
The board may preapprove courses, providers, or activities. Until the board preapproves such courses or activities, it is the responsibility of the registrant to determine whether the activity qualifies under this board’s requirements. The board has final approval of professional development hour credit. Examples of typical qualifying and nonqualifying activities are available by contacting the office of the board or visiting the board’s web site.

All professional development hour allowances stated in this section are biennial allowances. Qualifying activities include:

1. College unit, semester, or quarter hour credit for college courses. A course must be regularly offered and participants tested with a passing grade required. One semester hour generally consists of fifteen class meetings of fifty to fifty-five minutes duration. It is assumed that twice as much study time is required as class contact time, thus equating to forty-five professional development hours. Similarly, a quarter hour qualifying course meets ten times and thus thirty professional development hours are allowed. Monitoring courses do not require a test, and therefore only the actual class contact hours are allowed. On occasion, educational institutions may offer a one-day seminar and award fractional quarter hour credit such as one-half of a quarter hour. These courses do not qualify on the quarter hour basis since they are not part of the regular curriculum of the educational institution, do not require testing, and have no provision for additional out-of-class requirements. For courses such as this, only actual contact hours will be allowed for professional development hour credit.
2. Interactive activities. Other qualifying courses, seminars, employer-sponsored educational activities, programs, and activities are allowed one professional development hour credit for each contact hour. A correspondence course, videotaped programs, and online courses (self-study) must require the participant to show evidence of achievement with a final graded test.
3. Teaching credit for short courses. Teaching credits for the instructor are twice that of the participants in qualifying courses and seminars. However, repetitive teaching of the same course will not earn additional credit.
4. Published paper, article, or book. A published paper, article, or book must be a serious effort to qualify. For example, a news article in a technical or professional bulletin is not considered a published paper. Although it is recognized that often many more hours are spent in being an author of a publication, ten professional development hours are allowed for publication. Only one publication may be claimed for professional development hours per renewal period. Repetitive publication of the same paper or article will not earn additional credit.
5. Active participation in professional and technical societies. Active participation in professional and technical societies is to encourage registrants to participate fully in appropriate technical and professional societies. Contact with one’s peers at such meetings is considered one way to stay abreast of current topics, issues, technical developments, ethical situations, and learning opportunities. Two professional development hours per biennium can be earned for each organization with a maximum of six professional development hours per biennium allowed. All technical and professional societies are included, but this does not include civic or trade organizations.
6. Patents. Patents are allowed ten professional development hours after a patent is issued and the inventor submits details to the board. The invention must be related to the registrant’s profession.

Board Website: North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors