Continuing Education Requirements for Maintaining your License in Illinois

If you are currently an Illinois-licensed architect, you must renew your license every 2 years, in even-numbered years. The next renewal date is November 30, 2016.

Beginning with this renewal date, you must have earned 24 contact hours of continuing education - 16 of those 24 hours must be earned in structured activities (like courses or seminars) in subjects that are "public protection" subjects, per two-year period. You cannot carry over excess hours from one renewal period to the next.

Contact hours can be earned by the following:

1. attending educational programs provided by

a. The AIA, local chapter, state or national

b. NCARB

c. CSI

d. ALA (Association of Licensed Architects)

e. Colleges, universities or other educational institutions

2. Teaching a seminar on an architectural topic (credit = 3 hours for every presentation hour) - Note, however, that teaching a scheduled academic course in a program of architecture at a college or university will not earn credit

3. Architectural research that gets published or is formally presented to the profession or public

4. Self-study courses

5. Academic credit in architectural courses offered by a college or university (credit = 15 contact hours for every semester credit hour, or 10 contact hours for every quarter credit hour)

6. Authoring published papers, articles or books (but a maximum of 12 contact hours may be earned in this category)

7. Professional service to the public, such as serving on community plan commissions, building code advisory boards, etc. (but a maximum of 8 contact hours may be earned in this category)

8. Serving as a mentor to an architectural intern (but a maximum of 8 contact hours may be earned in this category)

9. Hours spent in planned activities such as business and practice efficiency, business development, personal improvement, new skills and general education related to the practice of architecture (but a maximum of 8 contact hours may be earned in this category)

10. Self-study tours of architecturally-significant projects (but a maximum of 8 contact hours may be earned in this category)

11. Actively participating on a committee or board of the AIA or ALA (but a maximum of 2 contact hours per organization may be earned in this category, acquired after completion of each year of service)

"Public Protection" subjects include:

1. Codes

2. Environmental issues

3. Professional ethics

4. State licensing law

5. Design proficiency

6. Interface with other design disciplines such as planners and financial consultants, other than normal day-to-day contact

7. Legal aspects of contracts, documents, insurance, bonds, project administration, etc.

8. Specialization in preservation, adaptive reuse or building types

9. Construction documents and services

10. Materials and methods

11. Mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and life safety

12. Structural technology

13. Energy efficiency

14. Project administration

15. Accessibility issues

16. New technical/professional skills