Learn what HSW credits are, how they differ from AIA Learning Units, which architecture CE topics qualify, and how to verify your courses.
By the Black Spectacles Team
Expert reviewed by Chris Hopstock, a licensed architect based in New York and an educator with Black Spectacles.
Last updated: July 2026
You need continuing education credits to maintain your architecture license. Your AIA transcript lists Learning Units. Your licensing board may require HSW hours. And some courses are labeled LU|HSW while others are listed as LU|Elective.
So, what actually counts as HSW credit?
HSW credits are AIA Learning Units focused on protecting or improving the health, safety, and welfare of people affected by buildings and sites. Every LU|HSW credit counts as a Learning Unit, but not every Learning Unit qualifies as HSW.
Courses covering building codes, accessibility, fire safety, indoor air quality, structural systems, building performance, and related subjects may qualify when they meet AIA’s HSW content standards.
Need to earn credits now? Explore free AIA-approved continuing education courses with Spectacular CE.
AIA measures continuing education using Learning Units, or LUs. One hour of eligible continuing education generally earns one LU.
AIA-approved courses are typically assigned one of two designations:
| Credit type | What it means | Common topics | Counts toward HSW requirements? |
| LU|HSW | A Learning Unit focused on Health, Safety, and Welfare | Building codes, accessibility, fire safety, building systems, resilience | Yes |
| LU|Elective |
A Learning Unit related to architecture or professional development | Marketing, leadership, technology, design theory, firm operations |
No |
People sometimes call LU|Elective credits “general Learning Units.” However, LU|Elective is the designation you will usually see in the AIA course catalog and on official course information.
Both credit types can contribute to your total AIA continuing education requirement. Only LU|HSW courses satisfy the HSW portion.
The simplest rule to remember is:
Every HSW credit is an LU. Not every LU is an HSW credit.
HSW stands for Health, Safety, and Welfare.
According to the AIA Health, Safety, and Welfare CE guidelines, HSW courses must address knowledge intended to protect the health, safety, and welfare of occupants, users, and others affected by buildings and sites.
Health topics focus on improving the physical, emotional, and social well-being of occupants and users.
Common examples include:
For example, a course about interior finishes may qualify for HSW when it examines material emissions, moisture performance, indoor air quality, or effects on occupant health.
A course focused primarily on colors, visual trends, or aesthetics would typically fall under LU|Elective.
Safety topics address how buildings and sites protect people from injury or harm.
Common examples include:
Fire safety is one of the clearest HSW examples. Courses covering fire ratings, egress requirements, smoke control, sprinkler coordination, or fire-resistant assemblies directly relate to occupant safety.
Welfare topics address equitable access, the human experience, social interaction, community needs, and environmental well-being.
Common examples include:
Welfare is sometimes the least understood part of HSW because it extends beyond immediate physical protection. It considers whether the built environment is accessible, inclusive, resilient, and beneficial to the people and communities it serves.
AIA and NCARB have confirmed that ethics, equity, diversity, inclusion, sociology, and public welfare content can qualify when it is directly connected to people affected by buildings and sites.
Common HSW continuing education topics include:
AIA organizes acceptable HSW subject matter across six broad areas of architectural practice.
Practice management courses may qualify when they address professional ethics, legal responsibilities, risk management, equitable practice, or other responsibilities that affect an architect’s duty to protect the public.
A general course about increasing firm revenue would likely earn elective credit. A course examining an architect’s ethical responsibilities and their effects on public welfare may qualify as HSW.
Project management content can qualify when it addresses the coordination and execution of projects in ways that directly affect public health, safety, or welfare.
Examples may include interdisciplinary coordination, quality management, consultant responsibilities, and procedures that reduce errors affecting building performance.
This category focuses on evaluating project requirements, existing conditions, regulatory constraints, and opportunities.
Qualifying topics may include:
Project planning and design courses may examine how early design decisions affect occupants, building systems, environmental performance, and public well-being.
Examples include accessible design, life-safety planning, sustainable design, structural concepts, building systems, and resilient design strategies.
This category includes the integration and documentation of building systems, materials, and assemblies.
Qualifying topics may include:
Construction and Evaluation courses can address construction administration, conformance with contract documents, building performance, or post-occupancy evaluation.
Examples include:
NCARB updated its Continuing Education Guidelines on July 1, 2026, to align HSW subjects with the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects. These categories continue to reflect the knowledge architects use throughout the AXP, ARE, and professional practice.
A course does not qualify simply because it is technical or related to architecture.
Under AIA guidelines, an HSW course must:
For example, a course about exterior railing systems could qualify when most of the content addresses code requirements, guard heights, structural loads, fall protection, materials, durability, and occupant safety.
The focus must be education and professional application, not product promotion.
Questions from Spectacular CE members tend to reveal the same few points of confusion.
If you complete a course worth 1 LU|HSW, you do not earn one LU plus one additional HSW credit. You earn one Learning Unit that also satisfies one hour of your HSW requirement.
A course can discuss materials, software, construction, or building products and still be classified as LU|Elective. What matters is how directly and substantially the course connects that subject to public health, safety, or welfare.
An architect may complete AIA’s annual requirement and still be missing a course required by their licensing board. Some jurisdictions require specific instruction in areas such as accessibility, ethics, energy codes, or natural-disaster preparedness.
A certificate documents that you completed an individual course. Your AIA transcript provides a consolidated record of your reported continuing education.
This distinction becomes especially important when using eligible HSW courses to earn AXP hours through NCARB.
One example available through Spectacular CE is Specifying Terrazzo for Durable, Maintainable, and Safe Interior Applications.
This course introduces terrazzo as a durable, maintainable, and technically demanding finish system for interior architectural applications.
Participants learn:
This is a useful example of why HSW extends beyond obvious life-safety subjects such as fire protection and egress. Material and finish selections can also affect occupant safety, durability, maintenance, environmental impact, and long-term building performance.
The course is intended to help young professionals make more informed specification and coordination decisions they can apply to real projects.
Take this course and other free Spectacular CE courses.
Many courses are valuable to an architect’s career without qualifying as HSW.
Topics that commonly earn LU|Elective credit include:
Context matters.
A general software tutorial may be elective, while a course showing architects how to use software to evaluate code compliance, accessibility, or life-safety conditions may meet HSW criteria.
Similarly, a product overview may be elective, while a technical course explaining how to select and specify a material to meet fire, structural, accessibility, or environmental requirements may qualify for HSW.
AIA Architect and International Associate members must complete 18 Learning Units each calendar year. At least 12 must qualify as HSW.
The remaining six units may be:
You can complete all 18 Learning Units as HSW credits. The requirement establishes a minimum of 12 HSW units, not a maximum.
Need to close an HSW credit gap? Browse free online courses through Spectacular CE.
Completing your AIA continuing education requirement does not automatically mean you have satisfied your state license renewal requirement.
Your jurisdiction may:
Review the Black Spectacles guide to architect continuing education requirements by state, then confirm your final requirements with your licensing board.
Your licensing board is the final authority for license renewal.
Before starting an architect continuing education course, check these five details.
The course information should clearly identify the type and number of credits offered. For example:
The objectives should explain how the course relates to occupant health, public safety, welfare, accessibility, building performance, or another accepted HSW subject.
Look for an AIA Continuing Education Provider designation and a registered course number.
AIA requires registered providers to clearly identify each course’s credit type and number of units.
Your state may have requirements beyond a general HSW designation, including mandatory topics or delivery formats.
Keep your certificate of completion and check your AIA transcript after completing the course.
According to AIA’s continuing education guidance, registered providers should report completed courses within 10 business days. AIA also recommends keeping your own records in case a credit is missing or your licensing board requests additional documentation.
Yes. Architects can earn HSW credits through live online and approved on-demand courses.
AIA recognizes several course formats, including:
On-demand AIA courses generally require participants to pass a quiz before credit is awarded.
What matters is not whether you complete the course in a classroom, at your desk, or on your phone. The course must meet the applicable content, assessment, and documentation requirements.
This flexibility makes online HSW courses especially useful for architects balancing project deadlines, client meetings, and license renewal.
Here’s something ARE candidates should know:
You can use study breaks to make progress toward both the ARE and the Architectural Experience Program through validated HSW continuing education.
With Spectacular CE, each eligible HSW Learning Unit can earn one AXP hour in the related experience area. NCARB allows candidates to earn up to 20 hours in each of the six AXP experience areas, creating the potential to earn up to 120 total AXP hours.
This opportunity is available to licensure candidates nationwide through NCARB. Eligible courses must meet current NCARB documentation and reporting requirements. For Spectacular CE courses reported through the AIA transcript pathway, you must have an AIA member transcript and manually submit the eligible courses through your NCARB Record.
That means the time between ARE study sessions can help you build practical knowledge, earn HSW credit, and move closer to completing your AXP requirements.
Learn how to document and report your hours in our guide to earning AXP hours with Spectacular CE, or start exploring free Spectacular CE courses today.
Understanding HSW is the first step. Finding courses that fit your schedule is the next.
Spectacular CE, powered by Black Spectacles, offers free, online continuing education through a modern learning experience built specifically for architects and emerging professionals.
With Spectacular CE, you can:
You do not need a paid Black Spectacles subscription to use Spectacular CE. Create a free account, choose a course, and start learning on your schedule.
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HSW stands for Health, Safety, and Welfare. HSW continuing education focuses on architectural knowledge that protects or improves the well-being of occupants, users, communities, and others affected by buildings and sites.
An LU is an AIA Learning Unit. HSW is a designation given to Learning Units that meet specific Health, Safety, and Welfare requirements. Every LU|HSW credit counts toward the total LU requirement, but an LU|Elective credit does not satisfy an HSW requirement.
People often search for “AIA CEUs,” but AIA formally measures continuing education using Learning Units. One hour of eligible AIA continuing education generally earns one LU.
Yes. A one-hour course designated as 1 LU|HSW earns one Learning Unit that also satisfies one hour of the HSW requirement.
Building code courses frequently qualify because codes directly affect public health, safety, and welfare. The course information will identify whether it has been approved as LU|HSW.
Accessibility and universal design courses commonly qualify because they address equitable and safe access to buildings and sites.
Courses covering fire protection, egress, smoke control, fire-resistant construction, and other life-safety topics frequently qualify for HSW credit.
Yes. Live webinars and approved on-demand courses can earn HSW credit. On-demand AIA courses generally include an assessment that must be completed successfully before credit is awarded.
Yes. AIA Architect and International Associate members need 18 total Learning Units each year, including at least 12 HSW units. Additional HSW credits can also contribute to the total requirement.
Yes. Validated HSW continuing education can earn AXP credit through NCARB. One eligible HSW Learning Unit can earn one AXP hour in the related experience area, up to 20 hours in each of the six AXP experience areas.
Most self-reported learning is only eligible for LU|Elective credit. AIA identifies limited exceptions for eligible government-agency programs and for-credit courses offered through accredited colleges or universities. Review current AIA rules before relying on self-reported learning for HSW credit.
Continuing education requirements and course acceptance standards can change. Requirements may also vary by jurisdiction, license type, renewal cycle, and individual circumstances. Confirm current requirements with AIA, NCARB, and your licensing board before relying on a course for membership, licensure renewal, or AXP credit.
Chris Hopstock is a licensed architect based in New York and an educator with Black Spectacles.
Read on for details on NCARB’s program and to learn how your firm can play a valuable role in supporting continuing education for architects.
Find architect continuing education requirements by state/jurisdiction, including CE cycles, HSW hours, renewal deadlines, and special CE topics.
Need more AXP hours? See how Spectacular CE courses can count toward NCARB AXP hours, how to validate them, and who needs AIA membership.