Mississippi professional engineers complete 30 professional development hours during each biennial renewal period, including 1 PDH of ethics training.
Authority: Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors | Reviewed: July 21, 2026
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Quick answer for Mississippi PEs
Complete 30 qualifying PDH during each two-year renewal period, including 1 ethics PDH. Up to 15 excess PDH may carry into the next biennium, but excess ethics credit does not carry forward. Mississippi accepts qualifying online and distance education, limits credit to 8 PDH in any 24-hour period, and requires records to be kept for three years.
30 PDHRequired every two years
1 PDHEthics each biennium
15 PDHMaximum carryover
3 yearsRecord retention
Core Requirement
Mississippi requires 30 PDH per biennial renewal period
Requirement
Mississippi PE rule
Total education
Professional engineers must obtain 30 PDH during every biennial renewal period.
Professional ethics
At least 1 PDH of ethics training must be included in every biennial period. Excess ethics hours cannot carry forward as future ethics credit.
PDH measurement
A PDH is 50 minutes of instruction or presentation. For qualifying seminars and workshops, credit is based on one PDH for each hour of attendance.
Carryover
A PE may carry up to 15 excess PDH into the subsequent biennium. Hours must be submitted during renewal to be considered for carryover.
Daily limit
No more than 8 PDH obtained during any 24-hour period will be applied toward the requirement.
Renewal timing
Renewed licenses expire December 31 of their assigned biennial year. The Board states that all PDH must be obtained before the renewal season begins October 1.
Resident-jurisdiction option
A licensee may meet substantially equivalent CPC requirements of the jurisdiction of residence when those requirements are substantially equivalent to the NCEES CPC Standard.
Course approval
The Board does not preapprove PDH activities, courses, or providers and retains final authority over course acceptance and credit value.
Acceptable Activities
Education must advance skills relevant to the PE’s practice
Every activity must have a clear purpose and objective that maintains, improves, or expands knowledge and skills relevant to the licensee’s engineering practice. Regular job duties do not qualify.
Common qualifying activities
College or community-college courses
Short courses, tutorials, and webinars
Documented individual or group distance study
Seminars, workshops, conferences, and in-house courses
Professional or technical presentations
First-time teaching and course preparation
Published professional works and accepted exam items
Patents and eligible educational outreach
Selected credit limits
Publications, accepted exam items, and patents: not more than 10 PDH per year under the applicable determination rule
Professional or technical organization: maximum 2 PDH per organization per year
Educational outreach: maximum 6 PDH per renewal period
Teaching credit: first presentation only; regular teaching duties of full-time faculty do not qualify
All activities combined: maximum 8 PDH per 24 hours
Dual licensees: A person licensed in both engineering and surveying must complete 36 PDH per biennium, with at least one-third earned in each profession, plus ethics and the applicable Mississippi surveying-standards requirement.
Rule 6.4 includes short courses, tutorials, webinars, and distance-education courses offered for documented individual or group study. Delivery may be face-to-face, live internet based, archived prerecorded, or archived correspondence.
The rule does not impose a separate cap on distance-learning credit. A PE may potentially complete the full requirement through qualifying online courses, subject to the 8-PDH daily cap, professional relevance, sufficient documentation, and the Board’s final review authority.
Exemptions and Special Situations
Several limited exemptions are available
New licensees
A licensee obtaining an initial or comity license is exempt from CPC during the calendar year in which the Mississippi license is issued.
Active military service
A licensee serving more than 120 consecutive days of temporary active duty in the United States armed forces during a year is exempt for that year. Supporting documentation must be furnished.
Illness or hardship
Physical disability, illness, or another extenuating circumstance may support an exemption when reviewed and approved by the Board. Documentation may be required for audit verification.
Retired status
PEs currently in Board-approved retired status are exempt, but may not practice or offer engineering services in Mississippi without returning to active status and satisfying the applicable requirements.
Certify an exemption correctly: The Board’s activity-log instructions state that a qualifying exemption must be certified on the renewal invoice. An exemption from CPC does not waive the renewal fee.
Documentation and Audit
Maintain supporting records for three years
The licensee is responsible for keeping the records used to support every claimed credit. Records must be maintained for three years and copies must be provided when requested for audit verification.
The Board routinely conducts CPC audits. A selected licensee must complete the Board’s CPC Activity Log and submit the necessary supporting documentation. Renewal also requires certification of compliance and entry of PDH information into the NCEES database or the Board’s portal.
Official Sources
Confirm current Mississippi requirements before renewal
Informational notice: This summary addresses Mississippi continuing professional competency requirements for professional engineers. It is not legal advice or a guarantee that any particular course will be accepted. The Mississippi Board has final authority, and requirements may change after the review date.