CPD for Architects: Requirements, Hours and How to Record It

CPD (Continuing Professional Development) is the learning architects do after qualifying to keep their competence current, and for most architects it is a condition of staying registered. In the UK it is a legal requirement under the Building Safety Act 2022, in Italy it has been compulsory since 2014 and in the Philippines it is required to renew the professional ID card; in most US jurisdictions it is called continuing education (CE) and counted in learning units (LUs).

How much you need depends on who regulates you: ARB sets no hours but two mandatory topics, RIBA asks its practising Chartered Members for 35 hours a year, the AIA asks its architect members for 18 LUs, the NSW board asks for 20 hours and Italy for 60 CFP every three years. This guide explains whether CPD is mandatory, the requirements by country, CPD in Italy, the mandatory topics, where to find courses and how to record and evidence CPD, as of October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice: your regulator's own rules decide, so check them before you renew.

What Is Continuing Professional Development (CPD)?

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the ongoing process of maintaining and improving professional knowledge, skills and experience after qualification. It includes both formal and informal learning, provided the outcomes can be clearly explained and recorded: in the words of ARB, a CPD activity "can be anything that improves your ability to practise."

For architects, CPD supports competence across all project stages, from early design to construction and post-completion review, as standards, materials and procurement routes change. Regulators count it in different units:

• Activities (ARB, UK): no points or hours; ARB suggests at least eight activities a year.

• Hours (RIBA, NSW): the time spent learning, counted per year.

• Points (Australian Institute of Architects): 1 point per hour.

• Learning units (US): for the AIA, 1 hour equals 1 LU, and HSW LUs cover health, safety and welfare; Texas counts Continuing Education Program Hours (CEPH).

• CPD units (Philippines): set by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

• CFP (Italy): crediti formativi professionali; an accredited course earns 1 CFP per hour.

Why Is CPD Important?

Architects make decisions that directly affect public safety, accessibility, and regulatory compliance. CPD helps maintain the technical knowledge and professional judgement required to manage these responsibilities over time. Therefore, it plays a key role in reducing risk and supporting consistent design quality.

Regular professional learning also improves collaboration with consultants, contractors, and clients. For example, up-to-date knowledge of standards and specifications can reduce errors, rework, and conflicting site information.

Is CPD Mandatory for Architects?

In most places where architects are regulated, yes, but the rule comes from different bodies (as of October 2026):

• UK: yes, for everyone on the UK Register, including architects who are retired, work abroad or work outside architecture. Under the Building Safety Act 2022, ARB has a statutory duty to monitor architects' ongoing competence, and RIBA adds its own requirement for its practising Chartered Members.

• USA: in most jurisdictions architects must earn continuing education to renew their license, according to NCARB; each state board sets its own hours, and AIA membership carries a separate requirement.

• Australia: each state or territory board sets its own CPD rules; in New South Wales the minimum is 20 hours a year.

• Philippines: the Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016 (Republic Act No. 10912) makes CPD a mandatory requirement for renewing the Professional Identification Card of every PRC-registered professional.

• Italy: continuing training has been compulsory since 1 January 2014, under art. 7 of D.P.R. 137/2012.

• Spain: a CPD system exists but is not compulsory, according to the CSCAE's 2021 answer to the Architects' Council of Europe.

CPD Requirements for Architects by Country

The table sums up the main rules as of October 2026; the sections below add the details and link each body's own page.

UK: ARB and RIBA CPD Requirements

ARB's CPD scheme is activities-based: it is not points-based and sets no minimum number of hours or activities, but ARB suggests at least eight activities a year, including at least one on each mandatory topic: fire and life safety, and environmental sustainability. You record each activity with a learning reflection on MyARB, or on RIBA's platform if you are a RIBA member, and declare your CPD when you renew; ARB reviews records every year. If you join the Register during a year, you start recording on 1 January of the following year.

RIBA asks its practising Chartered Members, wherever they work, for at least 35 hours of relevant learning a year, 20 of them on the ten topics of the RIBA CPD Core Curriculum (two hours per topic), with half of it structured where possible. Records go on RIBA's platform, which RIBA audits; the deadline for 2026 is 31 December 2026. Since 1 January 2025, Chartered Members whose work carries designer's duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations must also pass the free RIBA Health and Safety test, which is retaken every five years.

RIBA hours count for ARB: ARB accepts CPD recorded on RIBA's platform and recognises RIBA's core topics Health, Safety and Wellbeing and Sustainable Architecture as equivalent to its two mandatory topics, so one record can serve both.

USA: AIA Continuing Education and State Boards

In the US, CPD is called continuing education (CE). Licenses are issued state by state, and each state board sets its own hours, subjects and deadlines. Members of the AIA have a requirement of their own on top: 18 learning units (LUs) a year, at least 12 of them in health, safety and welfare (HSW), earned from registered AIA/CES providers, where one hour equals one LU. Emeritus members need 1 LU and Associate members have no minimum. According to the AIA, most state licensing boards accept the AIA transcript.

Texas shows what a state rule looks like: the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners asks every active registrant for 12 Continuing Education Program Hours (CEPH) each calendar year, all on health, safety and welfare, with at least 1 hour on sustainable or energy-efficient design and 1 hour on barrier-free design; at least 8 hours must be structured course study and at most 4 can be self-directed. Getting the license itself (degree, AXP, ARE) is covered in our guide on how to become a licensed architect.

Australia: CPD Points and State Boards

In Australia each state or territory board sets its own CPD rules. In New South Wales, the NSW Architects Registration Board expects at least 20 hours of CPD a year, at least 10 of them formal, related to at least two of the four units of the 2021 National Standard of Competency for Architects. Formal CPD needs a structured assessment task or significant interaction. You report your CPD when you renew your registration; with a 3- or 5-year registration term you report at the end of the term, but the yearly minimum still applies.

The Australian Institute of Architects counts 1 point per hour and gives the accepted minimum for registered practising architects as 20 points a year, at least 10 of them formal, in at least two competency units. It also notes that Western Australia requires 20 points, at least 12 of them Core CPD points. Check your own state's board before you plan the year.

Philippines: CPD Units for PIC Renewal

Under the Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016 (Republic Act No. 10912), CPD is a mandatory requirement for renewing the Professional Identification Card (PIC) of every professional registered with the Professional Regulation Commission, architects included. The number of CPD units and the renewal rules are set by the PRC and can change, so check the PRC's current CPD guidelines before you renew rather than figures in older posts.

Spain and Latin America

Spain has no compulsory CPD for architects: according to the CSCAE's 2021 answer to the Architects' Council of Europe survey, a CPD system exists but is voluntary, no subject is mandatory, and courses come from the CSCAE, the regional Colegios de Arquitectos, universities and technical institutes. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, ask the body that registers you which rules apply.

CPD in Italy: Training Credits (CFP) for Architects

In Italy, CPD is called formazione professionale continua and is counted in CFP (crediti formativi professionali). It has been compulsory since 1 January 2014, and the CNAPPC guidelines, in force since 1 January 2024 and amended from 1 September 2025, set the rules:

• 60 CFP every three-year training period, 12 of them on deontology, professional rules, ethics and legality.

• Recommended, not compulsory: at least 20 CFP a year, 4 of them on deontology.

• Accredited courses: 1 CFP per hour.

• Carry-over: up to 40 "ordinary" CFP earned beyond the requirement move into the next three-year period.

• Recording: every activity goes on the CNAPPC's online platform, which gives it a code.

• Exemptions: maternity, paternity, adoption or foster care exempt you for 24 months (counted as 32 + 8 CFP).

The three-year period is also the reference for disciplinary sanctions, so a shortfall is judged at its end. The CNAPPC's page on formazione professionale continua has the regulation and the guidelines.

What Qualifies as a CPD Activity?

A CPD activity must have a clear purpose, relate to professional competence and lead to a recordable outcome. ARB counts formal activities such as training courses and webinars and informal ones such as self-directed reading, peer discussions or lessons learned from past projects.

Other schemes weigh the two kinds differently: in New South Wales at least 10 of the 20 hours must be formal (a structured assessment task or significant interaction), in Texas at least 8 of the 12 hours must be structured course study and at most 4 can be self-directed, and RIBA asks for half of its 35 hours to be structured where possible.

Typical CPD activities include:

• Architectural courses, workshops, and technical training

• Conferences, webinars, and professional seminars

• Reading standards, guidance, and technical literature

• Research into materials, systems, or construction methods

• Teaching or mentoring with defined learning objectives

  
  

Mandatory CPD Topics for Architects

Most schemes name subjects you must cover each year or period (as of October 2026):

• ARB (UK): fire and life safety; environmental sustainability.

• RIBA (UK): two hours a year on each of the ten core-curriculum topics: Architecture for Social Purpose; Health, Safety and Wellbeing; Business, Clients and Services; Legal, Regulatory and Statutory Compliance; Procurement and Contracts; Sustainable Architecture; Inclusive Environments; Places, Planning and Communities; Building Conservation and Heritage; Design, Construction and Technology.

• AIA (US): 12 of the 18 LUs in health, safety and welfare (HSW).

• Texas: all 12 hours on health, safety and welfare, including 1 hour of sustainable or energy-efficient design and 1 hour of barrier-free design.

• Italy: 12 of the 60 CFP on deontology, professional rules, ethics and legality.

Ethics and professional conduct sit in these lists for a reason: architects act in the public interest, manage conflicts and have to know the limits of their competence. Beyond the mandatory topics, align the rest of your learning with your current role: delivery roles may prioritise coordination and site quality, early design roles planning policy and briefing.

Where to Find CPD Courses for Architects (Free and Paid)

Free and paid CPD is easy to find once you know which scheme it has to count for (as of October 2026):

• RIBA Academy: RIBA offers hundreds of hours of free CPD there, and RIBA members get 20 % off RIBA CPD seminars and courses.

• ARB: its CPD page links free learning resources on both mandatory topics.

• NCARB: online CE courses with a quiz, each worth up to 3.25 HSW LUs, free for NCARB Certificate holders and $25 a course for others; NCARB is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education.

• NSW Architects Registration Board: free online webinars on regulatory obligations, each worth 1 hour of formal CPD after a structured assessment task.

• AIA/CES registered providers: only their courses earn AIA learning units.

• Italy: courses accredited for CFP and recorded on the CNAPPC platform, at 1 CFP per hour.

For degrees, longer programmes and software training, see our guide to architecture courses.

Digital Skills and CPD in Architectural Practice

Digital competence is now part of core architect skills: BIM, information management and digital quality control affect accuracy, coordination and professional liability, so learning that focuses on workflows and outcomes, such as model-based coordination, is as relevant as any technical course. Our post on how AI is changing architects' work shows where the newer tools fit.

Learning a new tool can count too, on your scheme's terms. Under ARB's scheme, informal learning such as self-directed study or lessons learned on a project counts when you record it with a reflection; AIA learning units, by contrast, come only from registered AIA/CES providers, and Italian CFP only from activities recorded on the CNAPPC platform. Trying AI rendering on a view of one of your own projects is that kind of self-directed learning: it earns no LUs or CFP by itself, but a reflection on what it changed in how you test and present a design can be part of an ARB record.

How to Plan Your CPD Year

Effective CPD planning starts with the gaps in your knowledge or experience: review recent project problems, feedback and the regulatory changes that affect your work, then choose activities that address them and spread them across the year.

• Start with your scheme's mandatory topics, so the required hours are not left for December (RIBA's 2026 deadline is 31 December 2026).

• Write a Professional Development Plan (PDP). ARB calls a PDP optional but recommended for most architects; it is mandatory when you re-join the Register within two years of leaving and did not record CPD on MyARB or with RIBA in the previous calendar year.

• Match learning to your role. Early-career architects often focus on technical fundamentals and regulation, mid-career architects on coordination, procurement and quality control, and senior architects on governance, ethics, mentoring and risk; our post on an architect's roles maps those responsibilities.

• Record as you go. A reflection written on the day is easier and more accurate than one reconstructed at renewal.

• Review the plan once a year or after a change of role, and adjust it to new projects and rules.

How to Record and Evidence CPD

Each scheme has its own place to record CPD (as of October 2026):

• ARB: MyARB, or RIBA's platform for RIBA members; records kept locally or on other organisations' platforms are not accepted.

• RIBA: its online CPD platform, which takes no document uploads and exports your records as spreadsheets. For ARB renewal, RIBA members tick the MyARB declaration and upload an Excel export of their RIBA record only if ARB selects them for review.

• AIA: your AIA transcript of learning units.

• Texas: keep supporting documentation for every activity for five years after the end of the calendar year you claim it for.

• New South Wales: a CPD report as part of your registration renewal.

• Italy: the CNAPPC platform, which gives each activity a code.

A good CPD record notes:

• Activity title, date and format: a course, webinar, self-directed study or workplace learning.

• Learning objectives and professional relevance: why the activity mattered for your role or a current project.

• Key learning points and a brief reflection: what you learned, what changed in your work and what you will do differently.

• Evidence where the scheme asks for it: Texas requires supporting documentation and the AIA counts LUs on its transcript, but ARB asks you not to upload certificates or attendance reports, which it does not review: under ARB, your learning reflection is the evidence.

Records are checked: ARB reviews CPD records every year and RIBA audits member records on its platform, so a concise, accurate record written at the time is the best preparation.

What Happens If You Miss Your CPD?

The consequences depend on the regulator (as of October 2026):

• ARB: to renew at the end of the year you must declare that you carried out CPD and where it is recorded, or have a deferment agreed. A false declaration puts you at risk of removal from the Register, and you cannot record CPD for a previous year or submit your record once the retention fee period has closed. If you could not do CPD for six months or more in a calendar year, you can defer for one year.

• RIBA: members on maternity, parental, carer, adoption or long-term sick leave can apply for a deferral on the CPD platform.

• Texas: if you are not compliant for the previous calendar year, the board asks you not to renew until you are, and you may not practise while your registration is expired.

• Italy: compliance is judged over the three-year period, which is the reference for disciplinary sanctions; exemptions such as parenthood are set in the CNAPPC guidelines.

Key Takeaways

• CPD is a condition of registration for most architects: a legal requirement in the UK (Building Safety Act 2022), Italy (since 2014) and the Philippines (RA 10912), and a licence-renewal rule in most US jurisdictions, where it is called continuing education.

• The amount depends on your regulator: ARB sets no hours but suggests eight activities and has two mandatory topics; RIBA asks for 35 hours, the AIA for 18 LUs, the NSW board for 20 hours and Italy for 60 CFP in three years.

• Mandatory topics come first: fire and life safety and environmental sustainability for ARB, health, safety and welfare in the US, deontology and ethics in Italy.

• Record where your scheme says: MyARB or RIBA's platform, the AIA transcript, the CNAPPC platform; under ARB the reflection is the evidence, not a certificate.

• Plan the year early, match it to your role and check your regulator's current rules before you renew.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Does CPD Stand for in Architecture?

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development: the learning architects do after qualifying to keep their knowledge and skills current. It is called CPD in the UK, Australia and the Philippines, continuing education (CE) in the US and formazione professionale continua in Italy, where it is counted in CFP.

What Is Reflective Practice in CPD?

Reflective practice involves analysing what was learned and how it affects professional work. It transforms CPD from passive participation into active improvement. As a result, learning becomes directly linked to better decision-making. A clear reflection explains what changed, why it matters, and what will be done differently next time. This keeps CPD grounded in real project experience.

How Many CPD Hours Do Architects Need?

It depends on who regulates you (as of October 2026). ARB sets no hours but suggests at least eight activities a year, including its two mandatory topics; RIBA asks its practising Chartered Members for 35 hours a year; the AIA asks for 18 LUs a year, 12 of them HSW; Texas for 12 hours; the NSW board for 20 hours, 10 of them formal; and Italy for 60 CFP every three years. Above the minimum, relevance and reflection matter more than extra hours.

Do RIBA CPD Hours Count for ARB?

Yes. ARB accepts CPD recorded on RIBA's platform, so RIBA members do not need to record it again on MyARB, and it recognises RIBA's core topics Health, Safety and Wellbeing and Sustainable Architecture as equivalent to its two mandatory topics. You still need ARB's learning reflections; at renewal you tick the declaration on MyARB, and if ARB selects you for review, you upload an Excel export of your RIBA record.

What Is an HSW Learning Unit?

In the US, a learning unit (LU) is one hour of continuing education, and an HSW LU is one on health, safety and welfare. AIA Architect members need 18 LUs a year, 12 of them HSW, and many state boards also require HSW hours; NCARB publishes guidelines on what counts as HSW and offers online courses worth up to 3.25 HSW LUs each.

How Does CPD Relate to Professional Liability and Risk Management?

CPD supports liability management by keeping knowledge current and decisions defensible: it helps you show that your professional judgement is informed, proportionate and aligned with current standards. It does not replace cover, though; our guide to professional indemnity insurance for architects explains the insurance side.

Is Informal Learning Acceptable as CPD for Architects?

Yes, in most schemes, if it addresses a real learning need and leads to a clear, recordable outcome. ARB counts informal activities such as self-directed reading, peer discussions and lessons learned from past projects; other schemes set limits, such as at least 10 formal hours out of 20 in New South Wales and at most 4 self-directed hours out of 12 in Texas.

Should CPD Be Different for Architects in Specialist Roles?

Yes, CPD should reflect the different risks, responsibilities, and decision-making contexts associated with various architect types. For example, architects focused on design leadership, project delivery, conservation, or digital coordination face distinct professional challenges. Effective CPD prioritises learning that directly supports the specific role, scope of practice, and level of responsibility of each architect type.

Can I Carry CPD Over to Next Year?

It depends on the scheme. In Italy, up to 40 "ordinary" CFP earned beyond the requirement move into the next three-year period. ARB works year by year: you cannot record CPD for a previous year or submit your record once the retention fee period has closed. For US rules, check your state board and the AIA before counting on a carry-over.