Is the AIA/CES Provider Program right for you?
Thank you for your interest in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Continuing Education Systems (CES) Registered Provider Program. If you agree with any of the statements below, you would benefit from becoming an AIA/CES Provider:

• You meet with clients who have asked you to provide programs registered by AIA for continuing education
•  You have developed or would like to develop programs offered to architects, engineers, or other related design professionals
• You would like to market your products and services effectively while providing education
• You would like to offer distance education programs for continuing education credits to design professionals
• You host an annual event at which you would like to provide professional continuing education to your participants
• Your architecture firm would like to establish a strong internal professional development program
• You would like to offer distance education courses for continuing education credits to design professionals

Download the Application

The AIA requires that registered architect members earn 18 Learning Unit (LUs) hours of continuing education annually (eight hours of which must be related to Health, Safety, and Welfare topics and four of those eight in Sustainable Design) to remain in good standing.

Architectural boards in 40 states, 10 Canadian Provinces, and 19 countries have implemented mandatory continuing education (MCE) for re-licensure. Statistically, architects hold multiple state licenses. Most states with MCE requirements recognize the AIA/CES as the primary source of professional development for their licensed architects. This allows AIA members to present their AIA/CES transcripts (and non-members AIA/CES Certificates of Completion) to licensing boards to satisfy state requirements.

Becoming an AIA/CES Registered Provider requires a system-wide, top-down commitment to quality professional continuing education and sound administration. The AIA/CES offers providers of professional continuing education myriad opportunities to award CES Learning Units (LUs) and provide valuable information and guidance, while bypassing the time-consuming process of registering their courses with individual states.

Provider Benefits
All AIA/CES Providers receive these benefits:

• Authorization to publicize the organization as an approved provider and courses as “Registered with the AIA/CES”
• License to use the official AIA/CES logo to promote educational activities
  Link to your web site from the AIA/CES Provider Directory and AIA/CES Course Directory on the AIA Web site
• Advertise courses in the CES Course Directory on the AIA Web site, the largest international listing of courses specifically targeted to the design and building industry
• Password access to online services, forms, templates, provider manual, and AIA/CES logos and templates.
• Receive CES Provider Connection e- newsletter and announcements
• Discounted rates to the CES Provider workshops and other specially-targeted training courses and events

Read what our Providers are saying about the AIA/CES Provider Program:
"Being an AIA/CES Provider elevates the manufacturer's architectural representative from product peddler to trusted consultant." —Mark Johnson, FAIA

"The relationships that have developed with other members of the program, including other manufacturers, AIA component staff, architects and others has proven to be an unquantifiable asset for our complete operation. From sharing of ideas and experiences to observing other quality programs, we have found that the time we have invested in the AIA/CES program has returned major dividends." —Michael D. Perry, Hon. AIA, Building Logistics Inc.

"If you want architects to specify your products, then architect continuing education is a must. And the best way to learn more about increasing your effectiveness with architect continuing education is to be a part of the AIA/CES Provider program. The AIA/CES staff and other registered providers do an outstanding job of providing me with everything I need to know to be successful in this area." —Terry Zeimetz, AIA, CSI, CCPR

Download the Application

If you are interested in becoming a provider please fill out all parts of this application and submit a copy of your course including any handout materials relevant to your course. Upon acceptance into the CES Provider Program, your Point of Contact (POC) and Alternate Point of Contact will receive a Registered Provider number, username, and password via email to access the Provider Menu (including blank registration and reporting forms). The POC and Alternate POC will be added to the CES Provider Connection list serve to receive periodic policy, procedure, and State MCE updates, as well as information on opportunities to participate in AIA/CES events and activities.

Provider Categories
Basic provider ($1,500.00)
A provider authorized to offer face-to-face continuing education courses in one AIA designated region. Basic providers are not eligible to offer distance learning*.

Regional provider ($1,900.00)
A provider authorized to offer face-to-face continuing education courses in two AIA designated regions. Regional providers are not eligible to offer distance learning.

Passport provider ($3,400.00)
A provider authorized to offer face-to-face and distance learning courses nationally and internationally.

Professional provider ($800.00)
A provider authorized to offer face-to-face and distance learning nationally and internationally. This provider category is reserved for academic institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit associations, construction, engineering, design, and consulting firms. In addition, this category also applies to any organization that will offer a one-time continuing education course or event (for example, a conference) within a one-year renewal cycle.

*Please note that a $150.00 fee will apply for each additional chapter office for non-profit organizations.

Platform provider ($5,000.00)
An umbrella provider that charges other companies or organizations a service fee for developing, maintaining, or hosting their online continuing education courses. A platform provider takes responsibility (on behalf of the companies or organizations it serves) for adhering to CES guidelines, which include course registration, participant credit reporting, and record keeping. A platform provider is authorized to offer their own branded face-to-face and distance learning courses nationally and internationally.

Architecture firm provider
A provider that is an architecture firm in which a principal or owner is an AIA member. In addition, there are two types of architecture firm providers (internal and external).

• Internal ($300.00)
An architecture firm authorized to offer face-to-face and distance learning courses to their firm employees only, regardless of their location.

• External ($600.00)
An architecture firm authorized to offer face-to-face and distance learning courses nationally and internationally both internally to their employees, regardless of their location, and externally to others.

*Please note that a $50 fee will be applied for any additional architectural firm office.

Download the Application

Program Development
Before applying, Providers should consider completing the free Program Organizational Assessment tool to evaluate the current status of your Professional Development Program. To find qualified speakers for any of your program needs, also consider browsing the National Speakers Registry.

Other Resources
To help you develop quality education programs, please review the following resources. 

Program Development for Adult Learners—reviews program development for adult learners including adult learning principles, instructional delivery methods and format selection.
Needs Assessments—reviews the purpose of a needs assessment, how to conduct one, what information to collect, how to collect it and sample collection methods.
Learning Objectives Reference Guide—is a quick guide to writing learning objectives to develop educational programs. 

During this process, please note the following as it relates to Provider status and registering and promoting courses and reporting attendance:

1) Once approved as a Provider, you are not considered “accredited” or “certified” as Providers, nor are your programs “accredited” or “certified”. You are an approved Provider and are able to register courses to deliver to architects for credit. It is very important that this distinction be clear so you advertise yourselves and your programs appropriately since the AIA is not an accrediting or certifying body. 

2) Please do not confuse CEUs with LUs. The definition of a Continuing Education Unit per IACET is "One (1) IACET CEU is equal to ten (10) contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction."  All CEUs are equal to ten (10) contact hours and one (1) learning unit  is equal to one (1) contact hour (60 minutes).  We measure all continuing education units for AIA/CES as Learning Units (LUs).  If you have questions, contact CES. 

Provider Audits
We will conduct random Provider audits to ensure that programs are being developed and delivered properly and that programs and attendance are being administered per AIA/CES guidelines. All guidelines can be found in the AIA/CES application and in the CES Provider Manual. 

For more information on program development, delivery, and administration, contact CES or consider attending a scheduled Provider Workshop below.

Provider Workshops
Provider Workshop Schedule

These valuable workshops are meant for anyone interested in the Provider Program or current Providers wanting to know more about CES basics, best practices and “non-negotiables”, CES Web site navigation, marketing strategies and instructional systems design (ISD) tips. We also focus in on how to develop learning objectives and effective PowerPoint's so you can design your programs properly in the context of the CES policy. For more information, please e-mail CES about the particular workshop and registration information will be e-mailed to you.

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