Continued Education Policies

CEUs and the Credential Application and Transfer Process

If you earned CEUs that were issued from one of the organizations on the PPAB Credential Transfer Matrix, you may apply those CEUs to a PPAB credential, whether you are applying for a new PPAB credential or transferring an existing credential to a PPAB credential. The following guidelines will apply:

1. The CEUs must be valid with regard to the date they are issued. Please see the study guide for the credential level you are applying for or transferring to for more information.
2. The education from which the CEUs were earned must fall within one of the core subject areas listed below.
3. The CEUs must be documented for uploading via the eligibility form when you apply.

Core Subject Areas

Below are the subject matter areas for which CEUs are issued. These are the critical skill and knowledge categories for which PPAB assesses competency across all levels.

• Learning and behavior
• Biology and anatomy
• Ethology and social behavior
• Health and development
• Business and consulting skills
• Best practices scientific and practical method

Applying for CEUs

Please read the CEU policy below to ensure the event falls within the guidelines before filling out a PPAB CEU Event Approval Request Form.

Attendees/Participants

If you attended an educational event or took a course or educational program that does not have PPAB CEUs assigned to it, you can submit a PPAB CEU Event Approval Request Form below to apply for CEUs on your behalf.

Event Hosts/Organizers

If you are hosting or organizing an educational event, course, workshop, or webinar and would like it approved for PPAB CEUs, please complete a PPAB CEU Event Approval Request Form below. 

PPAB CEU Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide consistent, clear guidelines that can be applied by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) when determining whether to approve or deny continued education units (CEUs) to obtain and renew the PPAB accreditation.

CEU Eligibility

CEUs may be granted to the following types of educational events, herein referred to as “course/seminar”:

• Academic classes (offered by an accredited academic institution, usually a college or university)
• Tele-classes (both live and taped)
• Online classes
• Seminars (live, live streamed, and videotaped where reviewed content can be verified)
• Learning courses
• Workshops

All events must have a verification system to ensure that attendees have participated in, viewed, or watched the event, webinar, or workshop.

CEUs will only be granted for courses/seminars whose content covers one (1) or more of the core subject areas for which the applicant is seeking CEUs.

Course/seminar content must be based on current, scientifically valid principles.

PPAB reserves the right to request additional information regarding the validity of the content. The PPAB Education Committee will make a final determination on course/seminar content validity to gain PPAB CEUs.

Attendees/Participants

Attendees/participants will receive:

1. One (1) CEU per hour of in-class lecture time.
2. An additional 0.5 CEU per hour of “active workshop” participation at an educational event. An active workshop is a small group of attendees working together, under the immediate direction and supervision of the event presenter or their designated assistant, with goals to be achieved and approved by the presenter. This registration type is usually referred to as a “working” spot versus an “auditor” spot.

Presenters

• Presenters can earn 1.5 CEUs per hour (for a maximum of 8 hours) of presentation/lecture time when the course/seminar meets the subject matter and scientific qualifications outlined under CEU Eligibility.
• Animal training classes regularly offered to the general public as part of an individual’s animal training and/or behavior consulting business do not qualify for CEUs.
• Pet Professional Guild webinars are allocated CEUs based on the length of the webinar.

Authors

Authors of animal industry publications (articles and books) may earn CEUs for their work. An animal industry publication is defined by PPAB as printed or electronic reproductions distributed by an industry organization for sale to the public or as a benefit of paid membership. See below for definitions of “article” and “book.”

Article Authors

• An “article” is a research piece, approximately 1,000 words or more, with references, quotes, and citations.
• Authoring an article published in an animal industry or peer-reviewed publication that meets the subject matter and scientific qualifications described under CEU Eligibility may qualify for two (2) CEUs.
• An author may only request CEUs once per article, regardless of the number of publications in which it is published.

Book Authors 

• A “book” is a research piece, approximately 40 pages or more, with references, quotes, and citations.
• Authoring an animal industry book that meets the subject matter and scientific qualifications described under CEU Eligibility may qualify for twelve (12) CEUs. A book whose target audience is the general public may qualify for eight (8) CEUs.
• An author may only request CEUs once per book, regardless of the number of publishers who publish the book or different formats the book is published in.

Limitations on CEU Credits

• A maximum of eight (8) CEUs will be awarded for each full day of a course or seminar.
• Multi-speaker courses/seminars lasting more than three (3) days will not be granted more than 36 CEUs.
• Single-speaker courses/seminars, regardless of length, will not be granted more than 25 CEUs.
• Licensed PPAB members may use no more than 25 CEUs per presenter, per recertification period unless as part of a multi-speaker course or seminar.
• Presenters may apply and receive CEUs only once per presentation, per certification period, regardless of the times they may give the same presentation within that certification period.

Host Applications for CEUs

• An individual or organization hosting a course/seminar (“host”) may request CEUs before the date of the course/seminar.
• Hosts requesting CEUs for educational events must submit their request using the PPAB CEU Event Approval Request Form.
• To facilitate recertification, all ongoing or on-demand courses will be approved for one year, from January 1 to December 31 of the same calendar year.

Verification of Attendance

• For course/seminar events, the host should maintain an attendance log for all attendees.
• For live or previously recorded webinars, teleclasses, or online courses/seminars, attendees should be issued an attendance certificate listing the approved CEU credits.
• For live webinars, teleclasses, or online courses/seminars, hosts may take attendance during the first and last 15 minutes of the course/seminar to verify attendance.
• Hosts may submit alternative attendance verification methods to PPAB before the course/seminar.
  

 Appeal Process for Denied CEU Requests

• If a CEU approval request is denied, the requester may appeal to the PPAB Education Committee. The requester must submit evidence and information in writing to support the appeal.
• At its sole discretion, the PPAB Education Committee may request additional information before ruling on the appeal.
• Approval of an appeal requires a two-thirds majority to pass. If the appeal is not granted, the requester may not reapply for CEUs for the same course/seminar unless the course/seminar content has been significantly altered.