CEUs, CPDs, CPEs, Contact Hours... How many courses do I need to take??
There are a lot of acronyms and terms thrown around when it comes to continuing education (CEUs - Continuing Education Units, CPDs - Continuing Professional Development, CPEs - Continuing Professional Education). Unfortunately there is no standard among governing agencies.
When we say CEU's we're talking about contact hours in a course (how long the course will take you to complete).
That's usually what most governing bodies are referring to (with some exceptions).
For California
1 CEU = 10 contact hours. That means you need 30 hours every three years to obtain your required 3 CEUs (each hour course is worth .1 CEU)
For NICET, ICC, NAFED, and most other states
1 CPD or CEU = 1 Contact Hour. This means if you're required 18 hours for CEUs (or CPDs), you need to take 18 hours worth of courses.