South Carolina Code of Regulations
Chapter 1 - DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY
Section 1-08 - Continuing Professional Education
Universal Citation: SC Code Regs 1-08
Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 12, December 22, 2023
A. General Standards
1. Each licensee shall complete Continuing Professional Education (CPE) that contributes directly to the licensee's professional competence.
a. When a licensee earns more than the required number of CPE credit hours in any calendar year, the excess credit hours, not exceeding twenty (20) credit hours, may be carried forward and treated as credit hours earned in the following year ("Carry-Over Credit"). Certain types of CPE as defined in this regulation may be limited or may not qualify for Carry-Over Credit.
2. General Mechanics for CPE - unless otherwise specified in this regulation:
a. One (1) hour of credit shall be granted for each fifty (50) minutes of actual instruction time ("CPE credit hours"). One-fifth (1/5) credit hour shall be granted for each ten (10) minutes of actual instruction time after the first CPE credit hour has been earned in the same activity. Partial hours will be rounded down to the nearest one-fifth (1/5) credit hour.
b. CPE credit hours can only be earned for one CPE course during a given time and earning simultaneous CPE credit hours is prohibited.
c. Only class hours, actual hours of attendance, and not hours devoted to preparation, shall be eligible for computing CPE credit hours. Licensees participating in only part of a CPE program must claim CPE credit hours only for the portion they attend or complete and only if the credit hours claimed are greater than the minimum required credit hours for that CPE course.
d. As evidence of earning qualifying CPE credit hours, a licensee must obtain a certificate of completion, supplied by the program sponsor, after completion of the CPE course. At a minimum, the certificate of completion must include the following information:
(1) Name and address of sponsor;
(2) Participant's name;
(3) Course title;
(4) Course field of study;
(5) Date of completion; and
(6) Amount of CPE credit hours recommended.
e. No more than twelve (12) credit hours of CPE can be earned in a single calendar day.
3. Compliance and Reporting
a. Licensees are responsible for compliance with all applicable CPE requirements and accurate reporting of CPE credit hours.
b. Licensees should claim CPE credit hours only when the CPE program sponsors have complied with the requirements set out in these regulations.
c. Licensees must retain evidence to support reported CPE credit hours for at least five (5) years from the due date of the CPE report or the date filed, whichever is later.
d. A licensee or the resident manager of a firm on behalf of a non-licensed owner may apply to the Board for accommodations to complete the required CPE and must show that the accommodation is required as a result of a verifiable hardship which prevents compliance with the CPE requirements.
e. The Board will accept another jurisdiction's CPE credit hours from a licensee to the extent that jurisdiction's requirements for those CPE credit hours are substantially equivalent to South Carolina requirements.
B. Program Delivery Methods
1. Sponsored Program Delivery Methods
a. Live Instruction
(1) Live Instruction is a program in which participants engage simultaneously through interaction of a real-time instructor or discussion leader and includes the required elements of attendance monitoring. Live Instruction CPE Programs meeting the requirements contained in this regulation qualify for CPE credit.
(2) On-Site Live Instruction Program consists of Live Instruction at a specific location.
(3) Online Live Instruction Program consists of Live Instruction using technology and/or remote access, whether or not broadcast at the same time the program is created, but offered at a scheduled date and time.
(4) Online Live Instruction Programs must include adequate participation markers.
(5) CPE Instructors or Discussion Leaders
(a) CPE for instructing or leading discussions includes only those instructors or discussion leaders of qualified CPE programs.
(b) CPE credit hours will be granted equal to twice the number of CPE participation hours in the course. For repeat presentations, CPE credit hours can be claimed only if the licensee can demonstrate the learning activity content was substantially changed and such change required additional study or research.
b. Self-Study
(1) A Self-Study program is a program in which the participant has control over time, place and/or pace of learning and is completed without the assistance or interaction of a real-time instructor or discussion leader.
(2) Only Self-Study courses registered under Quality Assurance Services (QAS) of NASBA will qualify for CPE credit hours.
(3) As evidence of completing qualifying Self-Study course, the sponsor provided certificate of completion must include the information required in Regulation 1-08(A)(2)(d) and the registration QAS sponsor number.
c. Nano-Learning
(1) A Nano-Learning program is a program designed to permit a participant having control over time, place and/or pace of learning to learn a given subject in a minimum of 10 minutes through the use of electronic media (including technology applications and processes and computer-based or web-based technology) and without interaction with a real-time instructor.
(2) One-fifth (1/5) hour of credit shall be granted for ten (10) minutes of a single Nano-Learning program, exclusive of the qualified assessment.
(3) Not more than ten (10%) percent (4 hours) of the Required CPE Credit Hours may be in Nano-Learning programs.
(4) In order for a Nano-Learning program to qualify as a CPE course, it must include the following:
(a) The learning objective(s) of the program;
(b) Any instructions that participants need to navigate through the program;
(c) A qualified assessment; and
(d) A certificate of completion supplied by the Nano-Learning program sponsor containing the required information in Regulation 1-08(A)(2)(d), after satisfactory completion of a qualified assessment.
2. Non-Sponsored Delivery Methods
a. Higher Education
(1) Participant
(a) Course for Credit
(i) Courses for Credit include only accredited university or college courses that have been successfully completed by the licensee for credit.
(ii) Each semester hour university or college credit completed shall equal fifteen (15) CPE credit hours. In the case of universities or colleges on the quarter system, each quarter hour university or college credit completed shall equal ten (10) CPE credit hours.
(2) Professors and Instructors
(a) For purposes of this section, Professors and Instructors are those that teach university and college undergraduate and graduate level courses.
(b) Professors and Instructors shall be granted CPE credit hours at the rate of ten (10) credit hours for each three (3) semester hour (or prorated equivalent) course taught.
(c) CPE credit hours for teaching university, college, and graduate level courses shall be limited to twenty-five (25%) percent, ten (10 hours) of the Required CPE Credit Hours.
(d) CPE credit hours shall not be granted for teaching accounting principles, basic financial accounting, basic managerial accounting, or any other introductory accounting course, either undergraduate or graduate level.
(e) CPE credit hours shall be granted only for the first presentation within a two (2) year period. Repeated presentations during the two (2) year period do not qualify for CPE credit hours.
b. Authoring Published Works or CPE Programs
(1) General Standards
(a) Authoring published articles/books or authoring CPE programs ("Authored Works") includes only those that contribute to the professional competence of the licensee.
(b) CPE credit hours for preparation of Authored Works may be given on a self-declaration basis up to twenty-five (25%) percent (10 hours) of the Required CPE Credit Hours. The Board has the final determination of the amount of CPE credit hours so awarded.
c. Service on a Peer Review acceptance body
(1) Service on a peer review acceptance body which qualifies under Reg. 1-09, qualifies for CPE hours at the rate of one CPE hour for each hour spent performing these duties.
(2) No more than 16 hours of CPE credit may be claimed per year for performing these duties.
d. Employer Provided in-house CPE
(1) Employer provided in-house CPE must comply with the requirements in this regulation to qualify for CPE credit hours.
e. Participation in technical sessions at meetings of recognized national and state accounting organizations.
(1) No more than 16 hours of CPE credit may be claimed per year for performing these duties.
f. Programs offered by other recognized professional organizations, industrial or commercial firms, proprietary schools, or governmental entities may qualify for CPE credit hours, provided all other requirements of this regulation are met.
C. Standards for CPE Program Sponsors
1. General Standards for CPE Program Sponsors
a. CPE sponsors are expected to present learning activities that comply with course descriptions and objectives.
b. CPE sponsors must employ an effective means for evaluating learning activity quality with respect to content and presentation, as well as provide a mechanism for participants to assess whether learning objectives were met.
c. The Board shall accept only Other Qualifying Programs that provide written documentation showing that the work in the attended program has actually been accomplished by the licensee.
2. Live Instruction Sponsors
a. General Standards for Live Instruction Sponsors
(1) Live Instruction must be conducted by persons whose background training, education and experience qualify them in the subject matter of the particular CPE program (a "subject matter expert").
(2) An outline of the Live Instruction program presented must be prepared in advance and shall be maintained by the sponsor.
(3) A certificate of attendance as described in these regulations must be given to each participant at the end of the Live Instruction program.
(4) Records showing compliance with this section must be preserved and maintained by the sponsor for a period of at least five (5) years from the presentation date of the Live Instruction program.
(5) At the beginning of the Live Instruction program, the sponsor should remind participants that it is their responsibility to be accountable for hours earned during the CPE course and that they should not engage in any other activities that would denigrate the learning objective of the course to themselves or others. If the other activity is unavailable, then the applicable time should be subtracted from the overall CPE credit.
3. Self-Study Sponsors
a. Self-Study courses shall qualify for CPE credit hours, provided the course has been approved by QAS.
b. The sponsor of Self-Study courses must provide the licensee with a certificate of completion that includes the information state in Reg. 1-08(B)(1)(b)(3).
Added by State Register Volume 31, Issue No. 5, eff May 25, 2007. Amended by State Register Volume 34, Issue No. 6, eff June 25, 2010; State Register Volume 36, Issue No. 5, eff May 25, 2012; State Register Volume 36, Issue No. 6, eff June 22, 2012; State Register Volume 44, Issue No. 06, eff. 6/26/2020; State Register Volume 47, Issue No. 05, eff. 5/26/2023.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. South Carolina may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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