NSCA Certification Commission: Continuing Education

The purpose of continuing education is to encourage certified individuals to stay abreast of evolving knowledge and skills in the profession and, in doing so, to promote the ongoing competency of those certified. In order to remain certified, the Executive Council of the NSCA Certification Commission requires that each Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) complete a specified number of continuing education units (CEUs).

By December 31, 2008, each certified individual needs to do the following to remain certified:

Only activities completed between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2008, are approved for CEUs. Activities completed prior to 2006 (or prior to the date of certification if certified within the current reporting period) are not approved for CEUs. To determine the number of CEUs required by the recertification deadline, refer to the Recertification Policies and Procedures page.

In general, CEUs are based on the number of contact hours (or actual clock hours) undertaken to complete an activity or event. Typically, 1 contact hour equals 0.1 CEU, thus 10 contact hours equals 1.0 CEU. There are exceptions, such as college or university courses, where 1 semester credit hour equals 0.5 CEU and 1 quarter credit hour equals 0.3 CEU. Not all CEU activities are based on actual clock hours. Remember, continuing education activities completed prior to certification are not approved for CEUs.

If certified prior to January 1, 2008, the NSCA Certification Commission requires that CEUs are obtained from at least two qualifying categories (A, B, C or D). If certified on or after July 1, 2008, the NSCA Certification Commission does not require CEUs to be obtained prior to the December 31, 2008, deadline.

Each certified individual must record all CEU activity throughout the three-year reporting period on a CEU Reporting Form. The CEU Reporting Form and appropriate recertification fee should be submitted to the NSCA Certification Commission as soon as the required number of CEUs has been attained, but no later than December 31, 2008.

NOTE: Individuals holding both the CSCS and NSCA-CPT certifications will need to submit a separate form and the appropriate recertification fee for each credential.

It is the responsibility of each certified individual to maintain a record of all documentation for completed activities. Your documentation must also include all forms of verification sent from the NSCA and NSCA Certification Commission as these are not kept on file. Please refer to Pages 3-4 of the Recertification Policies and Procedures booklet to determine the documentation to keep for each activity completed for CEUs. This documentation should NOT be submitted with your CEU Reporting Form, but should be retained until March 1, 2009. The NSCA Certification Commission will notify you by March 1, 2009, if your CEU Reporting Form is randomly selected for an audit. In that event, you will need to provide documentation of the CEU activities listed on your CEU Reporting Form.