Continuing education is a critical part of any trusted and accredited certification program. Continuing education keeps your knowledge and skills sharp so that you can perform at a high level in the industry and retain the credibility your NSCA certification delivers.
CEU stands for Continuing Education Unit and is simply the way we measure your continuing education. CEUs range across a variety of topics. For example, you could pursue CEUs in nutrition, anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, training, or sports psychology. You can earn CEUs in various ways such as attending in-person or virtual events, writing an article for publication, leading a Special Interest Group, or taking and passing a quiz.
The amount of CEUs you earn is most often based on the number of contact hours (or actual clock hours) you spend to complete an activity. There are some exceptions, such as when CEUs are reported for college or university courses, NSCA Volunteer Work, NSCA or NCCA-accredited certifications, and Publications.
Contact Hours |
CEU Equivalent |
5 hours |
0.5 CEUs |
20 hours |
2.0 CEUs |
CEU activities are divided into four categories that group similar types of CEU opportunities together. You need CEUs from at least two different categories. This encourages learning from a variety of CEU types.
Category A | Attendance |
Category B | Share Your Expertise |
Category C | Educational Activities |
Category D | NSCA Quizzes & Assessments |
The NSCA is committed to providing quality education opportunities, particularly for NSCA certificants needing to earn CEUs toward recertification. These opportunities take many forms, including CEU quizzes, third-party CEU approved activities, NSCA events, and more.
Health care professionals carry an extra burden of continuing education. Learn how to navigate with tips on how to earn CEUs that do double-duty.
Beyond journal access and member-only content, gain access to up to 12 complimentary CEU quizzes each year as a member! We are offering three (3) Free CEU Opportunities for March and April and another three (3) for May and June in 2024. Get a jump start on your continuing education and take full advantage of your membership benefits.
Our online CEU reporting process is a convenient way to review, record, and stay on top of your CEU progress for the current recertification cycle.
The Recertification Planning Tool will help you plan out your CEUs for the recertification cycle, help you understand how many CEUs are needed, what type of activities count as CEUs, and key information to help you navigate continuing education and recertification.
View the RECERTIFICATION PLANNING TOOL >>
The required number of CEUs needed to recertify is based on your certification date and where it falls within the three-year cycle. Refer to the Recertification Planning Tool to help you identify the # of CEUs needed.
The amount of CEUs you earn is most often based on the number of contact hours (or actual clock hours) you spend to complete an activity. There are some exceptions, such as when CEUs are reported for college or university courses, NSCA Volunteer Work, NSCA or NCCA-accredited certifications, and Publications.
5 Contact Hours = 0.5 CEUs
20 Contact Hours = 2.0 CEUs
You can find a list of CEU activities and values in the different Category sections in the Recertification Policies and Procedures PDF
If you hold multiple credentials, you do not need to submit 6.0 CEUs separately for each certification. CEUs can be applied toward multiple certifications. For example, if you became CSCS and NSCA-CPT certified before January 1, of the new cycle you are only required to submit a total of 6.0 CEUs for the reporting period. A more complex scenario exists if you became CSCS and NSCA-CPT certified at different times during reporting period. Special attention must be paid to the dates on your certificates to assure that the required CEUs are completed after those dates. Certificants are encouraged to contact the NSCA if there is confusion regarding recertification requirements.
For more information, view the Recertification Planning Tool >>
Only continuing education content that relates to the scope of practice and Detailed Content Outline (DCO) of an NSCA certification exam will be accepted. Below are some examples of acceptable and unacceptable content. If you have questions about the acceptability of a particular activity’s content, contact the NSCA prior to engaging in the activity for credit. Examples of acceptable content:
Examples of Unacceptable Content