Continuing Education
The National Kitchen & Bath Association is a national trade association with more than 37,000 members. One of NKBA's Strategic Goals is to "promote a higher level of education and professionalism in the industry worldwide". The NKBA has proven itself to be the premiere source of continuing education and professional development, dedicated specifically to the kitchen and bath industry, for more than 40 years.
The NKBA currently has more than 3,000 certified design professionals who have expressed their commitment to excellence by participating in NKBA's mandatory Continuing Education Program. (NKBA-certified members must complete 10 hours of Continuing Education, or 1.0 CEU, every two years to maintain their certification with NKBA.)
- Definition of CEU
- CEU Provider Program
- For NKBA Members
- Frequently Asked Questions
Click here to download a copy of NKBA's CEU credit reporting form.
Definition of CEU
The Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is a nationally recognized unit of measure used to quantify continuing education activities. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) were created as a way to document education and training in specifically developed activities for adult learners in a variety of disciplines. One CEU is defined as "10 contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction." 1
The NKBA initially created the Ongoing Professional Development Program (OPD) in 1993 to promote and enrich knowledge, improve skills, and develop attitudes for the enhancement of the kitchen and bath industry, thus ensuring public confidence in NKBA-certified professionals.
Since the CEU is a nationally recognized system of measurement for participation in continuing education, NKBA decided to switch from the OPD program to the CEU program, effective January 1, 2002.
1 This definition was taken from the handbook entitled "The Continuing Education Unit Criteria and Guidelines," written by the National Task Force on the Continuing Education Unit.
CEU Provider Program
The NKBA also recognizes providers of quality continuing education with our CEU Provider Program. The NKBA/CEU Provider Program offers providers of continuing education several opportunities to award NKBA CEUs for their programs. Benefits of becoming a CEU Provider include access to the NKBA membership mailing list, added exposure on the NKBA web site, quarterly announcements in NKBA publications, and much, much more!
For NKBA Members
Click here for a list of all pre-approved CEU Programs.
The following partners are official CEU Providers with NKBA:
AEC Daily
Hanley Wood Exhibitions
Coverings National Trade Productions
Clark Distribution Corporation
Merchandise Mart Properties Inc - Canada
Design Trends Seattle
Studio Bisazza
GE Appliances
Sub-Zero Wolf
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to earn CEU credit?
The continuing education program was adopted by NKBA's Board of Directors in 1993, with the overwhelming support of its certified members, to provide NKBA-certified individuals with the necessary tools to excel in their profession and to promote themselves to the consumer.
CEUs provide the opportunity for individuals to have recognition of their efforts to update or broaden their occupational knowledge, skills, or attitudes. By ensuring that all certified kitchen/bath designers maintain an adequate level of knowledge, the NKBA will assist in building consumer confidence and trust in the profession. Both designers and consumers are better protected in a more educated marketplace
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How much credit do I need to earn?
The NKBA's Continuing Education Program requires that all certified members (AKBDs, CKDs, CBDs, CKBIs, CKEs, CBEs, and CMKBDs) earn 1.0 CEU (or 10 hours of education) every two years. These credits must be earned within the designated CEU cycle and cannot be carried forward from one cycle to the next.
Every six months, the NKBA will mail CEU summaries to each certified member, indicating how many credits they have submitted for the given cycle. Towards the end of the cycle, the NKBA will mail additional reminder notices to all certified members.
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What qualifies for CEU credit?
Earning CEU credit to maintain your certification is easy to do. Any activity where the certified member is on the receiving* end of some type of formal instruction or training is applicable for CEU credit, provided it pertains to the kitchen/bath industry. In addition to the numerous NKBA functions and programs available, many industry-related educational programs are acceptable.
Below is a list of resources for earning credit.
- NKBA educational programs
- ASID educational programs
- College courses (credit and non-credit)
- On-line educational programs
- NKBA chapter meetings
- IIDA educational programs
- Home center "how- to" seminars
- Correspondence credit
- K/BIS conference seminars
- NARI educational programs
- Vendor training/product knowledge seminars
- Other (submit to NKBA for pre-approval)
Examples of topics that qualify for CEU credit:
- Kitchen/bath design
- Interior design
- Construction
- Sales
- Architecture
- Color
- Art
- Health/Safety/Welfare
- CAD
- Universal design
- Insurance/liability
- Perspective drawing
- Surfaces
- Ergonomics
- Countertop design/
- Marketing
- Lighting/illumination
- Codes & standards
- Fabrics & furnishings
- Appliances
- ADA
- Building technology
- History of architecture
- Showroom design
- Other (submit for pre-approval)
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What is correspondence credit?
Members who are not able to attend traditional educational programs as outlined in the CEU Program, due to geographic or personal reasons, are able to prepare essays and submit them to NKBA's Certification Department for correspondence credit. The rules regarding correspondence credits achieved from writing essays are as follows:
Mail-in correspondence essays must be submitted along with the standard CEU Credit Form. On-line correspondence essays can be submitted electronically to the NKBA's certification department via the NKBA website.
- Minimum length for each essay is 600 words.
- Each essay is awarded .1 CEU credit.
- Essays can be based on any current NKBA published text or any articles from the NKBA's website.
- Essays are intended to be educational for the member, and should accomplish four things:
- Identify the topic and identify the NKBA resource material(s) used or referenced.
- Make a clear and concise written statement of the intended learning outcome of the essay.
- An open discussion on the topic presenting alternative views or interpretations, real life applications, clarifications or additional supporting facts and information.
- Make a clear and concise written recommendation or conclusion about the topic and demonstrate the attainment of the intended learning outcome.
- Essays must be professionally presented in typewritten or computer-printed format.
- Your name, account number and date must be on each page of the essay submitted.
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How do I submit CEU credit?
Submitting CEU credit is a simple process. Members are provided with CEU credit submission forms at the beginning of each cycle. Each form must be filled out completely in order for credit to be processed.
The following items are required to properly submit CEU credit:
- Member name - must be printed clearly
- Member ID # - can be obtained by contacting NKBA
- Program name - complete title of program/seminar
- Program description - brief summary of program
- Presenter/instructor name - instructor or program sponsor
- Location of program - city, state
- Date of program - list exact date (or dates if multi-day)
- Number of credit hours (record in tenths of hours. Example, 2 actual classroom hours equals .2 CEUs)
- Authorized signature - if the presenter or instructor is not available to sign the form, a copy of the certificate of completion, course syllabus, or other form of documentation will be required in order for credit to be processed.
A copy of the form must be mailed to the NKBA for processing. A second copy should be retained for your records. If a CEU submission is rejected by NKBA, you will be notified by mail.
Once submitted to the NKBA, the average processing time for CEU credits is 3-4 weeks. You will not receive confirmation of each CEU credit form you submit; however twice annually you will receive a summary of your CEU activities. If anything in your CEU summary does not reflect what your own records show, you will need to notify the NKBA, in writing, of the problem and send documentation
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CEU credit form
Click here to download a copy of NKBA's CEU credit submission form.
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What happens if I don't meet the CEU requirement?
Certified members who do not meet the 1.0 CEU requirement for every CEU cycle will lose their certification. The NKBA's current policy states that any member who does not comply with the CEU program requirements and loses their certification can only reinstate their certification if they re-apply and re-take the certification exam.
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If I can't earn the credits by the end of the cycle, can I get an extension?
The NKBA's current policy states that no extensions or exceptions can be granted, so all 10 hours of education must be earned and submitted by the end of the cycle.
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What if there are no local schools or chapters in my area?
There are plenty of options for earning CEU credit that can be done locally: you can write correspondence essays via any NKBA publication or from the NKBA website, you could take a distance-learning course via the internet (provided it relates to any of the pre-approved topics listed on page 5), you could attend a "how-to" seminar at a local home center, you could attend seminars at any local builders show, appliance shows, etc., or you could take a course at a local community college, vo-tech or university.
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Can I submit CEUs I have earned through other associations?
Absolutely! The NKBA accepts CEU credit from any source, provided the topic relates to the kitchen/bath industry.
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Do I have to pay to submit CEU credit?
There is no cost to submit CEU credits, however every certified member pays an annual certification maintenance fee of $100, which covers the cost of maintaining your continuing education records.
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