PDH: What Does It Really Mean?

Here's a summary of what each of these letter combinations means:

• CEU: Continuing Education Unit. Each state has its own definitions of what constitutes a CEU.
• CEU credit. Study or other activity that counts toward fulfilling your CEU requirements. A CEU credit is not a CEU.
• PDH. Professional Development Hour. An hour of study or other activity that counts toward accumulating the minimum number of CEUs required for license renewal.

Earning CEU credits and PDHs

The state in which you are registered for a particular license has a policy that says what constitutes a CEU. This is not the same in each state, which is one reason why there's no national definition.

In most states, it's up to the license holder to accurately report the number of hours of study (or other performance) that counts as professional development. The provider of a seminar, course, book, or videotape will usually provide this information.

For example, they may say "6 hours of CEU credit." That does not mean 6 CEUs. It means 6 PDHs. The provider has determined that the typical student will require 6 hours to complete the material. Whether you actually take 1 hour or 60 is irrelevant. If the provider states the CEU credits or the PDHs, that number is what you must use.

Licensing authorities count many things for CEU credit. Contact your state licensing board for a list. A handful of states require "pre-approval" of certain courses or course providers. Most do not require pre-approval. However, this still implies you are using reputable course providers (such as Mike Holt Enterprises, Codebookcity, or Mindconnection).

For a nice article on this subject, see the June, 2006 issue of EC&M Magazine and look on Page 48. To do that, go to http://www.ecmweb.com and go to the back issue link. For authoritative information related to your own license, contact your state licensing board.

State Electrical Contractor Licensing Boards

Please contact your state licensing board and verify what NEC edition your exam is based on. If the exam is given by Experior, click here to visit their online information page.