Continuing Education Units

Through the University of Arizona Continuing and Professional Education office, a University of Arizona department or non-University company or organization can offer programs which provide an educational record known as Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

WHAT ARE CEUS?

Continuing education units are an effective way to measure, record, and report a person’s participation in continuing education activities. They are a nationally recognized and respected method of documenting noncredit professional achievements.

MEASURING CEUs

The number of contact hours and CEUs must be determined and approved before the program begins.

The total number of CEUs awarded depends on how much time your participants spend in a formal learning situation. Other educational activities connected with the program are also considered. 

Participants earn one CEU for each 10 “contact” hours spent in an organized educational activity. According to requirements set by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), this activity must meet under the direction of an approved sponsor and qualified instructors.

Generally, a 60-minute clock hour is the standard of measurement for each contact hour.

HOW STUDENTS USE THE CEU

Participants often use CEUs to meet career requirements. For example, your industry may have continuing education standards for licensing, certification, or registration. CEUs can also help demonstrate professional competence, career development, vocational growth, and personal achievement.

WHAT THE CEU IS NOT

CEUs are not equivalent to academic credit, and usually cannot be applied towards a degree program. However, CEUs are accepted by some colleges and universities. Please check with your institution for details.

QUALIFIED ACTIVITIES

CEUs are awarded for participation in educational activities with professional associations, business and industry, occupational groups, and education. Workshops, seminars, training programs, conferences, institutes, and short courses may qualify.

These activities must be developed for a specific clientele, with the purpose of professional updating, recertification, relicensing, retraining/vocational adjustment, or new career orientation.

CRITERIA

The IACET has established criteria for CEU-qualified activities:

1. Thorough planning. For example, your planning process may include market research and gathering input from stakeholders and target student audiences.
2. Statement of purpose. Your program needs to include a statement of need, educational purpose, and specific objectives.
3. Qualified instruction. Your CEU program application includes instructor résumés or CVs, which are reviewed by the University of Arizona Continuing and Professional Education Registrar.
4. Program evaluation. During the planning process, your organization outlines an evaluation process that measures how well the activity met your educational objectives.

APPLYING FOR CEUs FOR YOUR PROGRAM

Before your program begins, complete the CEU Application Form and email the completed form and any accompanying materials to Katharine Lehrman Carey.

There is a CEU program application fee of $75.00 for University of Arizona colleagues or $125.00 for outside groups (non-University of Arizona) payable at the time of the request. If your program is not approved for CEUs, the application fee is refunded.

You will be notified within two weeks if the program is approved for CEUs. We will send you a CEU approval letter and a link to a transcript request form, so your participants can request CEUs. There is a $25.00 transcript fee payable when the transcript is requested.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

CEU REQUESTS FOR NON-UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PROGRAMS

The office of Continuing & Professional Education can award CEUs for qualifying educational activities sponsored by non-University companies and organizations. NOTE: Approval of a program for CEUs does not indicate that the University of Arizona approves, sponsors or endorses the program. If your non-University of Arizona program is approved for CEUs, you may state that “CEUs are available from the University of Arizona office of Continuing & Professional Education” but may not otherwise state or imply that the program is approved, endorsed or sponsored by the University of Arizona.

PARTICIPANT CEU REQUESTS

CEUs are awarded after your workshop or program ends. The process is very easy:

1. We will send you a link to an online form where your participants can request their CEU transcript. You can share this link with participants who successfully completed the program.
2. Participant completes the CEU transcript request form and pays the $25.00 fee.
3. We confirm the participant successfully completed the program.
4. If the participant successfully completed the program, we send the participant a link to download their digital CEU transcript.

LEARN MORE

To learn more, contact us using the form below.