Published: Nov 9, 2025 | Last Verified Against State Boards: Nov 9, 2025
As a PE with over 15 years of licensed practice, I’ve come to see continuing education as a non-negotiable part of our professional contract. It’s not just a “nice to have,” and it’s certainly not a box-checking chore. It’s the active mechanism that keeps our professions respectable, our skills sharp, and the public safe.
The initial license or degree? That was the price of entry. The continuing education we do every year? That’s the price of staying in the game.
Many people outside our world don’t realize this. They think that once you’re an engineer, a doctor, a lawyer, or an accountant, you’re “done.” They don’t see the constant learning and training happening behind the scenes. This guide is a look at the why and who—the professions that require continuing education to maintain the trust they’ve earned.
Why Is Mandatory Continuing Education Even a Thing?
It’s a fair question. Why isn’t graduating from a good school and passing a grueling licensing exam enough? As someone who has to plan my own education requirements every year, I’ve boiled it down to three core reasons.
- To Maintain Public Trust and Competence: This is the big one. The “why” behind all continuing education requirements is public protection. The professions that mandate continuing education are typically those that hold the public’s well-being in their hands. Would you want a doctor to treat you using 20-year-old medical knowledge? Or a structural engineer to design a bridge using an outdated building code? Me either. These requirements are our promise to society that our skills are current.
- To Adapt to New Technology and Knowledge: The pace of change is relentless. In my field of engineering, the software I use today is light-years beyond what I learned in college. In medicine, new treatment protocols and diagnostic tools emerge constantly. In law, new regulation and case law change the legal landscape. Continuing education is the structured way we adapt to these changes instead of being left behind.
- To Ensure Regulatory Compliance: Many professions are governed by a complex web of laws and ethical codes. These rules change. Continuing legal education (CLE) for lawyers or ethics courses for accountants (CPE) aren’t just suggestions; they are mandatory training modules to ensure every professional understands the current rules of the game.
The Landscape: Professions that Require Continuing Education
It’s easier to ask which professions don’t. The list of professions that require continuing education is massive because it’s the primary tool state licensing boards use to enforce competence.
While the “Big Four” (medicine, law, engineering, accounting) are the most obvious, the practice is incredibly widespread. Here’s a quick sampling of professions where continuing education is a standard part of the job:
- Healthcare: This is the most extensive category. It’s not just physicians and nursing professionals. It also includes dentists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, speech-language pathologists, athletic trainers, dietitians, and even acupuncturists.
- Law: Every lawyer in nearly every state must complete Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (CLE) to keep their bar membership active.
- Finance & Accounting: Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) have rigorous continuing professional education (CPE) requirements to stay on top of tax law and auditing standards. This also applies to Certified Management Accountants (CMAs), Enrolled Agents (EAs), and many financial planners.
- Engineering & Architecture: As engineers, we have state-by-state PDH (Professional Development Hour) requirements. The same goes for architects and land surveyors.
- Skilled Trades & Services: This is one that surprises many. The requirements extend to many state-licensed trades. This includes electricians, plumbers, HVAC contractors, real estate agents, and even cosmetologists and barbers in many states.
A Professional’s Look: Specific CE Requirements
The real challenge isn’t that we have to do it; it’s that the requirements are a chaotic patchwork quilt that varies by profession and by state. There is no national standard. Here are some real-world examples.
Healthcare: A Complex Web of Needs for Health Professionals
The medical and nursing education fields are incredibly specific, often mandating courses on critical public health topics.
- Physicians: In Massachusetts, for example, doctors need 50 credits every two years. But it’s not just any 50. They have specific requirements for courses on opioid education, pain management, and implicit bias in healthcare. They also have one-time requirements for training on Alzheimer’s and end-of-life care.
- Nurses: Continuing nursing education is just as specific. In California, Registered Nurses (RNs) must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two-year renewal cycle.
Lawyers: Mandatory Continuing Legal Education
Lawyers live by continuing legal education, and the rules are famously different everywhere.
- Alabama: Requires 12 hours every year, with 1 hour dedicated to ethics.
- California: Requires 25 hours every 3 years, with specific mandates for courses on ethics, competence issues, and elimination of bias.
- New York: Has a 24-hour biennial requirement, with at least 4 hours in ethics and professionalism.
Engineering & Accounting: The Technical Professions
For professions like engineering and accounting, the requirements are about both technical skills and ethics.
- Professional Engineers (PE): As my fellow engineers know, this is state-by-state. Florida PEs like me need 18 hours every two years, which must include 1 hour on Florida laws, 1 hour on ethics, and 4 hours related to our specific area of practice. Texas, by contrast, requires 15 hours with 1 hour in ethics.
- Certified Public Accountants (CPA): The education requirements are rigorous. AICPA members must get 120 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) every three years. CMAs (Certified Management Accountants) need 30 hours per year, with 2 in ethics.
How Education Units are Delivered: From Online Courses to Seminars
Fortunately, we’re long past the days of having to fly to a conference for every single credit. The ways to get continuing education are now as varied as the professions themselves.
- Online Courses: This is now the king. Self-paced, online programs and live webinars are the most common way professionals get their hours. It’s flexible and efficient.
- In-Person Seminars & Conferences: Still incredibly valuable for networking and hands-on learning.
- University Courses: Taking a single college course can often satisfy an entire year’s worth of requirements.
- In-House Training: Many large firms (like mine) offer in-house training programs that are pre-approved by licensing
- Other Activities: Some states get creative. In my field, engineers can sometimes earn credit for publishing a paper, obtaining a patent, or even serving as an officer in a professional
Why This Isn’t Just “Checking a Box”
I’ve been a licensed professional for a long time. I’ve seen two kinds of professionals.
The first kind sees continuing education as a chore. They procrastinate, then scramble to find the cheapest, fastest online courses at the last minute. They “check the box.”
The second kind sees continuing education as a strategy. They use it as an excuse to get the training they already wanted. They use their requirements as a budget to learn new skills, master new technology, and become more valuable. They don’t just maintain competence; they build it.
The professions that require continuing education aren’t trying to punish us. They’re giving us a framework for mandatory professional development. It’s our job, and our opportunity, to use that framework to become the best in our field.
Expanding the Scope: Beyond the “Big Four”
It’s important to realize just how deep the web of professional regulation goes. We’ve talked about the major professions, but the continuing education model extends to nearly every licensed health professional. This goes far beyond just medical education for doctors. Think about professions like physical therapy, where new modalities are developed constantly, or even an acupuncturist, who must stay current on specific techniques and safety protocols. This commitment to continuing learning is what separates a “job” from one of the true professional fields.
These specialized health professions often have their education requirements tracked in specific education units, which their state boards require to demonstrate ongoing competency. This continuing education ensures that whether you’re seeing a doctor, an engineer, or a provider of therapy, the core professional promise is the same: the person you’re trusting has up-to-date skills and education. This learning is the fundamental pillar of professional regulation across all fields.
