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Become a Provider

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. Please review the following to determine if this program is right for you.

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 programs for continuing education credits to design professionals

Learn what is expected from AIA/CES Registered Providers. Listen to our podcast, Becoming a CES Provider.

Provider Benefits
All AIA/CES Providers receive these benefits:

  • Publicize the organization and programs as “Registered with the AIA/CES”
  • Advertise programs in the CES Programs database on the AIA Web site, the largest international listing of programs specifically targeted to the design and building industry
  • Receive license to use the official AIA/CES logo to promote affiliation
  • Gain password access to online services and the AIA/CES Provider Manual
  • Appear as a CES Provider on the AIA Web site
  • Receive CES Provider Connection eNewsletter and announcements
  • Attend CES Provider workshops and training programs
  • Apply for the AIA/CES Award for Excellence

See 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

How to Apply

To become a registered AIA/CES Provider, you must complete and submit a Provider Application. This application consists of two parts. For your reference, the following are provider categories:

Provider Categories

Basic –A Provider who offers education activities in one AIA region.

Regional –A Provider who offers on-site education in two AIA regions.

Passport - This category is for providers offering education activities on a national or international basis, and/or providers offering a distance education program (e.g. course on the Internet, CD-ROM, video, workbook, magazine, pod casts, etc.).

Professional Organization – This category is for academic institutions, government agencies, non-profit associations who offer professional education programs or distance education courses, architectural firms who offer programs to their employees and other architectural groups; or engineering and law firms offering this service to their own employees. A/E/C Management Consulting firms providing services to the A/E profession are NOT considered a Professional Organization for the purpose of the CES Program and should apply as either Basic, Regional or Passport Providers.

AIA Architecture Firms – AIA member architecture/engineering firms (in which a principal or owner is an AIA member) who offer education programs to their firm employees only.

Part I (pages 3 - 8)

The portion that you are required to complete and submit with a sample program,  including any handout materials relevant to your program. The program you submit will not be registered by us. You will have to register programs separately on the appropriate forms once approved.  The person completing the application must be listed as the point of contact or alternate point of contact.  Those who will be responsible for administration should be the point(s) of contact.

Part II 

Includes excerpts from our Program Administration Manual and includes policies, procedures, and sample forms (only) so you can review the administrative expectations of the AIA/CES Provider Program. Please review all of this information carefully before preparing your program materials and submitting the application.  Incomplete applications will be declined.

Before submitting the application, we also encourage you to complete the Professional Organizational Assessment tool.  See below.

Please note:  Our main purpose when reviewing your application is to ensure that you are aware of how to develop and deliver education within the context of AIA/CES policies and guidelines. We are not evaluating content but rather format (have you included educational elements and excluded unnecessary, biased/proprietary product/service information).  Please be aware that you must submit a sample program that is complete and prepared specifically for AIA/CES including but not limited to CD-ROM with PowerPoint or print outs of PowerPoints or lecture/speakers notes and any handouts relevant to the education portion of the program.  Information on the program summary submitted should match the program materials you submit for review as the sample. Please read all components of the application carefully and please allow six to eight weeks for processing.  We will only accept complete applications.  Do not send payment or programs separately or they will be returned.  All applications are processed on a first-come- first-served basis. 

Download the application.  If you cannot download this document, please email: ces@aia.org and request one be e-mailed to you in Word format.   Please read the information below in the Program Development section to help guide you in this process. 

BONUS: Take this assessment before you apply to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your organization’s professional development program for the A/E/C industry. We expect all organizations involved in the AIA/CES Provider Program to take their professional development efforts seriously. This tool can help guide and track your success now includes a feature to put you in touch with individuals whose expertise can assist you in your identified weaker areas. We encourage you to evaluate yourselves regularly and use this tool as a way to strive for enriching your organization's commitment to professional development. It can also be used to help you successfully apply for the CES Award for Excellence.

Program Development

To help you develop quality education programs, we have provided some links to use as resources when creating an AIA/CES program. 

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@aia.org. 

Distance Education

If you are interested in delivering distance education programs, view the Distance Education Policy. All distance education programs have to be approved separately and must comply with the AIA/CES Distance Education Policy. 

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 Sara Thomas 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@aia.org about the particular workshop and registration information will be e-mailed to you.

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