Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners
John Cothron
500 James Robertson Parkway - 3rd Floor
Nashville, TN 37243-1142
1-800-256-5758
615 532-9410 FAX
jcothron2@mail.state.tn.us

Completion Requirements
24 PDH biennially

A majority of the hours claimed must address health, safety and welfare issues and technical competency. This means that at least 13 hours must involve HSW issues and technical competency.

Attention Tennessee Interior Designers: The Tennessee State Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners does not pre-approve continuing education courses or providers. It is up to the registrant to make sure that all activities they participate in satisfy the criteria established in the continuing education rules.

Renewal Dates
Renewal occurs biennially based upon date of initial licensure.

Statute
Tennessee Annotated Code, Chapter 0120-5

Special Designations or Stipulations
Continuing education must be relevant to the practice of interior design and may include technical, ethical
or managerial content.

A majority of the hours claimed must address health, safety and welfare issues and technical competency.

Audit Potential
Minimum 5% of license holders

Allowed Carry-Over Hours
12 PDH per renewal period

Applicable Course Study
Types of Acceptable Continuing Education:
(1) The Board will grant credit for only such continuing education activities that satisfy the following criteria:
(a) There is clear purpose and objective for each activity which will maintain, improve or expand skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure or to develop new and relevant skills and knowledge.
(b) The content of each presentation is well organized and presented in a sequential manner.
(c) There is evidence of pre-planning.
(d) The presentation will be made by persons who are well qualified by education or experience.
(2) Continuing education activities for which credit may be given by the Board include, but are not limited to the following:
(a) Successful completion or monitoring of college or university sponsored courses;
(b) Successful completion of courses which are awarded continuing education units (CEUs);
(c) Attendance at seminars, tutorials, short courses, correspondence courses, televised courses or videotaped courses;
(d) Attendance at in-house programs sponsored by corporations or other organizations;
(e) Teaching or instructing as described in (a) through (d) above, unless teaching or instructing is the registrants regular employment;
(f) Authoring published papers, articles or books;
(g) Making presentations at technical meetings;
(h) Attendance at program presentations at related technical or professional meetings where program content is comprised of at least one (1) PDH.
(i) All such activities as described in (a) through (h) above must be relevant to the practice of interior design, as determined by the Board and may include technical, ethical or managerial content.

Credits:
Professional Development Hours of credit for qualifying courses successfully completed which offer semester hour, quarter hour, or CEU credit are as specified above. All other activities will be credited one PDH for each contact hour with the following exceptions:
(1) Monitoring of university or college courses will be credited at one-third (1/3) the above-stated conversion table.
(2) Teaching or instructing qualifying courses or seminars will be credited at twice the PDHs earned by a participating student and may be claimed for credit only once.
(3) Authorship of papers, articles or books cannot be claimed until actually published. Credit earned will equal preparation time spent not to exceed twenty-five (25) PDHs per publication.
(4) Correspondence course PDHs may be considered acceptable to the Board, but the registrant shall submit, upon request, supporting documentation to demonstrate high quality course content.

Conversion from other units of continuing education to PDHs is as follows:
(a) One (1) university semester hour of credit = 15 PDH
(b) One (1) university quarter hour of credit = 10 PDH
(c) One (1) Continuing Education Unit = 10 PDH
(d) One (1) hour acceptable professional development education = 1 PDH

Proof of Compliance
A registrant seeking renewal shall complete the certification on the renewal form and indicate the number of PDHs claimed for the renewal period. If applicable, the registrant shall also indicate the number of carryover PDHs claimed for the renewal period. Upon completion of the certification, the registrant shall complete the renewal form and submit the appropriate fee.

Each registrant is responsible for maintaining records which may be used to support credits claimed.

Required records include but are not limited to the following:
(1) A log showing the type(s) of activity claimed, sponsoring organization, location, duration, instructors or speakers name and PDH credit(s) earned; and/or
(2) Attendance verification records in the form of completion certifications, signed attendance receipts, paid receipts, a copy of a listing of participants signed by a person in responsible charge or other documents supporting evidence of attendance.

Records must be maintained for a period of four (4) years and copies must be furnished to the Board for audit verification purposes within thirty (30) days of the Boards request. A registrant failing to supply the requested records in a timely fashion will be deemed in noncompliance.

Non-CompliancE Penalties
Unless a request for inactive or retired status is made, any registrant failing to furnish the required certification during the renewal period, properly completed and signed, shall not be granted renewal of registration by the Board and shall lose the right to practice in the State of Tennessee, effective six (6) months past the certificates date of expiration.

Disallowed Credits
If the Board disallows claimed PDH credits, the registrant shall within one hundred eighty (180) days after notification of same substantiate the original claim or earn other credit to meet the minimum requirements.

Exceptions and Exemptions
A registrant may be exempt from continuing education requirements for any of the following reasons:
(1) New registrants by way of examination or comity shall be exempt for their first registration period. For each renewal period thereafter, registrants must demonstrate completion of the required continuing education.
(2) A non-career military registrant serving on active duty in the armed forces of the United States for a period of time exceeding one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days in a calendar year shall be exempt from obtaining the Professional Development Hours required during that year.
(3) A registrant employed as an interior designer and assigned to duty outside the United States for a period of time exceeding one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days in a calendar year shall be exempt from obtaining the Professional Development Hours required during that year.
(4) A registrant who lists his or her occupation as Retired or inactive on the Board-approved renewal form and who further certifies that he or she is no longer practicing shall be exempt from the Professional Development Hours required. In the event such a person elects to return to active practice, PDHs must be earned for each year exempt not to exceed the annual requirement for two (2) years before the person returns to active practice.

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