Professional Development

Professional development, or continuing education, is required to renew most professional licenses and/or certifications. States use different labels and have varying approval criteria. You would need to research your state’s specific criteria. On this page, we have created four categories for requirements and grouped states under them to help you navigate your options. AWRA provides Certificates of Attendance representing Continuing Education Units (CEUs), Professional Development Hours (PDHs), and Certification Maintenance (CM) credits, which can then be converted to a variety of units. You must verify requirements with your state licensing agency prior.

AWRA is the primary multidisciplinary association for information exchange, professional development, and education about water resources and related issues. Our vision is to be recognized as the pre-eminent multidisciplinary association for information exchange, professional development, and education about water resources and related issues: to be recognized as a unique, natural connector and convener of disciplines, professionals, and organizations –bringing the industry together. We work together. We learn together. We solve problems together.

Which programs offer professional development?

AWRA issues Certificates of Attendance for all education we provide. You must verify requirements with your state licensing agency by providing the description of the program, training, and education you obtained from AWRA to seek approval. To receive a Certificate of Attendance for all AWRA education content, attendees are required to register and attend accordingly based on the training types below. You will need to confirm with your state licensing agency if virtual and pre-recorded content is eligible for continuing education units (CEU), professional development hours (PDH), or certification maintenance (CM).

1. In-person and virtual conferences and symposia will provide an attendance-tracking method onsite. You will track which sessions you attend each day. In a virtual environment, please use the correct event form to track your attendance.
2. Webinars. After viewing a webinar, you will receive a link to your certificate within a week after the live program from AWRA. Some states will approve webinars. Please contact your licensing agency for details.
3. Workshops. After viewing a workshop, you will request a certificate from AWRA. Some states will approve webinars. Please contact your licensing agency for details.

State Requirement Categories

States use different labels and have varying approval criteria. AWRA has created four categories for requirements and grouped states under them to help you navigate your options. Definitions of Categories:

• Category 1: The first category are states that have no formal requirements for the provider but require the client to keep records of the classes they attend individually. These states include: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.


• Category 2: The second category are states where certain paperwork must be filled out to become board approved. The paperwork is unique to each state and you will need to inquire. These states include: Florida, Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.


• Category 3: The third category is where the government entity states that only certain listed organizations can provide these units, and while it may be possible to become sponsored by these organizations, further research will be required, and it would be simpler to just contract these organizations to provide the classes during the online conference. AWRA will be working with these government entities once these departments are open. These states include: District of Columbia, Iowa, New York. and Utah.


• Category 4: The fourth category are states where there are no CEU requirements for engineers or geologists. These states include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington.

Disclaimer

You may be awarded CEUs/PDHs for AWRA trainings by your licensing agency. Please note that although AWRA may apply for approval, this does not guarantee that your agency will award you credit. It is the individual's responsibility, before registering for any education program, to contact his/her licensing agency: 1. To confirm that the education program is acceptable for continuing education credit towards your particular license; and 2. To confirm what you need to submit for credit approval. You must contact your specific licensing agency for details. AWRA recommends that you:

• Contact the agency 30 days prior to attending training
• Ask your agency about its relevancy criteria
• Ask your agency if the training format is approved (in-person vs virtual or other)
• Find out what credit the agency approves
• Find out what you need to do in order to receive credit
• Find out whether you must submit an application prior to attending or submit handouts, etc., after training