The course providers PEs actually use. Sorted by category, with honest pricing notes and free options called out.
One of the oldest online PDH providers. Course library is huge and prices are low. Catalog is dated in places but the breadth is real.
Polished platform, broad catalog, employer-friendly licenses available. Common at firms that buy CE in bulk.
PE Institute is NSPE's continuing education arm. Strong on ethics, professional issues, and policy. Member discounts.
Electrical, electronics, software, and power systems. IEEE membership unlocks substantial discounts.
American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Process safety, chemical engineering, plant operations.
The NCEES registry of CE providers and a tool to find approved courses. Useful for verifying a provider is recognized.
Sells free or near-free PDH courses, usually advertiser-supported. Decent for filling out a renewal cheaply, lighter on production value.
One of the oldest online PDH providers. Course library is huge and prices are low. Catalog is dated in places but the breadth is real.
Polished platform, broad catalog, employer-friendly licenses available. Common at firms that buy CE in bulk.
American Society of Civil Engineers. Deep technical content for civil/structural/water/transportation. Member discounts.
Free online courses from ACI on concrete topics. Counts for PDH in most states that accept association-issued CE.
One of the oldest online PDH providers. Course library is huge and prices are low. Catalog is dated in places but the breadth is real.
Polished platform, broad catalog, employer-friendly licenses available. Common at firms that buy CE in bulk.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Self-paced and instructor-led courses across mechanical disciplines.
One of the oldest online PDH providers. Course library is huge and prices are low. Catalog is dated in places but the breadth is real.
Polished platform, broad catalog, employer-friendly licenses available. Common at firms that buy CE in bulk.
Electrical, electronics, software, and power systems. IEEE membership unlocks substantial discounts.
One of the oldest online PDH providers. Course library is huge and prices are low. Catalog is dated in places but the breadth is real.
American Society of Civil Engineers. Deep technical content for civil/structural/water/transportation. Member discounts.
FEMA's free Independent Study courses. Floodplain, hazard mitigation, ICS. Counts for PDH where states accept federal training.
One of the oldest online PDH providers. Course library is huge and prices are low. Catalog is dated in places but the breadth is real.
Polished platform, broad catalog, employer-friendly licenses available. Common at firms that buy CE in bulk.
PE Institute is NSPE's continuing education arm. Strong on ethics, professional issues, and policy. Member discounts.
Sells free or near-free PDH courses, usually advertiser-supported. Decent for filling out a renewal cheaply, lighter on production value.
One of the oldest online PDH providers. Course library is huge and prices are low. Catalog is dated in places but the breadth is real.
Polished platform, broad catalog, employer-friendly licenses available. Common at firms that buy CE in bulk.
American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Process safety, chemical engineering, plant operations.
OSHA 10 and 30-hour construction safety training. Often counts as HSSM or general PDH where states accept it.
FEMA's free Independent Study courses. Floodplain, hazard mitigation, ICS. Counts for PDH where states accept federal training.
Sells free or near-free PDH courses, usually advertiser-supported. Decent for filling out a renewal cheaply, lighter on production value.
Free online courses from ACI on concrete topics. Counts for PDH in most states that accept association-issued CE.
FEMA's free Independent Study courses. Floodplain, hazard mitigation, ICS. Counts for PDH where states accept federal training.
A Professional Development Hour (PDH) is the unit of continuing education most state engineering boards use. One PDH equals one contact hour of qualified instruction. Most states require 15 PDH per year (30 per biennial cycle).
Most major providers (PDHonline, Vector Solutions, NSPE, ASCE, ASME, IEEE) are accepted in nearly every state. Always confirm against your specific state board's rules. Some states require courses to be from NCEES Registered Continuing Education Providers (RCEP); the RCEP.net directory is the source of truth.
Yes, but they're limited. ACI offers free concrete-industry PDH, FEMA's Independent Study courses count in many states, and PDH Now hosts free advertiser-supported courses. Don't expect to fill a 30-hour cycle entirely from free sources.
It varies by state. Most require 30 PDH per biennial renewal cycle (about 15 per year). Some states require none (California, Arizona, Colorado). Some require ethics hours specifically. The PE License Pro state directory has the current requirement for every state.
Yes. PE License Pro lets you log CE entries from any source manually, import the full NCEES CPC record on Pro, and (coming soon) scan certificate PDFs to auto-fill the entry.
PE License Pro logs CE from any provider, imports your NCEES CPC record, and auto-fills certificates from a PDF (Pro plan).
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