Recertification

To adhere to ACOPNE's aim to encourage life-long learning and continued professional development, all Diplomates are to obtain continuing education unit hours annually and need to be prepared to present documentation upon request.  A percentage of recertification applications will be audited.

All Diplomates shall be required to renew their certification annually by paying a renewal fee of $125.00 ($150.00 for non-ASCE members) for each certification (discipline).  In addition, all Diplomates, except those in Distinguished or Emeritus status, shall be required to complete a minimum of 40 professional development hours in the previous two years, including 4 hours of ethics and 2 hours of sustainability training. Each Diplomate shall also provide satisfactory proof of current professional engineer license status. The failure of a Diplomate to pay the required renewal fee, to provide satisfactory proof of the required continuing professional development hours, or to provide satisfactory proof of current possession of a professional engineer license at time of certification renewal may result in the suspension of the individual's certification, pending action of the Board of Trustees. A former Diplomate, whose certification was suspended for any of these three reasons, may be reinstated by the Secretary upon recommendation from the Admissions Committee, providing all of the previously mentioned conditions are satisfied.

Those Diplomates in Emeritus status will not be required to acquire any PDHs and only need to pay $25/year.  To qualify for Emeritus status, you must be retired (working less than 30 hours/week).

* - Please note that the PDHs will be required biennially while the fee will be required yearly

Professional Development Hours (PDHs)

A professional development hour (PDH) is a contact hour (CH) of instruction or presentation. It is the common denominator for other units of credit. A continuing education unit (CEU) is a unit of credit customarily used for formal continuing education courses. One CEU consisting of ten contact hours of instruction and presentation equals 10 PDHs in a qualifying continuing education course as defined by criteria of the International Association for Continuing Education and Training.

If you participate in any of the Items 1 thru 4 as an instructor, you receive double the number of PDHs the first time it is presented. That allows credit for developing the material and for presenting the material. For example, if you present a two-hour seminar (Item #2), you will receive 4 PDHs. Attending the two-hour seminar entitles the participant to 2 PDHs.

Any course or activity with a clear technical, professional, or ethical purpose and objective that will maintain, improve, or expand professional skills and knowledge relevant to the Diplomate's particular field of practice will qualify for professional development hours.

The entire NCEES guidelines for acceptable PDHs are available by clicking here.

The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) is available by clicking here.

PDH's may be earned as follows:

* - Peer-Reviewed: Having undergone the process by which manuscripts submitted to marine engineering related journals and other publications are evaluated by experts in appropriate fields (usually anonymous to the authors) to determine if the manuscripts are of adequate quality for publication. **If reviewing a paper/article, an hour spent on reviewing a paper/article should be considered as one PDH. Time spent on peer-reviewing articles receives 2 PDHs, per article.

Typical activities that do not qualify include personal self-improvement courses, service club meetings or activities, teaching or presenting as a regular part of employment, business meetings of any organization, equipment demonstrations, trade shows, and topics not relevant to marine-related professional ethics.

Exempt from completing the continuing education professional development requirements are Diplomates in Distinguished or Retired status. Also exempt are those Diplomates who were on active military duty for a minimum of six months during the calendar year, who were in foreign employment a minimum of six months during the calendar year, or who suffered a serious illness or injury themselves or an immediate family member. Those individuals will be provided additional time to complete the requirement commensurate with the years of exception.

The responsibility for maintaining records and documentation to support the PDHs claimed is solely the burden of the Diplomate. That documentation should include a description of the activity, sponsoring organization, location, dates, duration, instructors' name, appropriate certificates and number of PDHs earned. The Annual Summary of PDHs Earned form provides a convenient format to record and keep track of one's continuing professional development. A sampling of certification renewal applications will be selected for detailed audits. Those selected for audits will be asked to provide detailed verification for all PDHs claimed.