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The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES™) establishes, maintains, and enforces the standards for evaluating professional development and continuing education programs for landscape architects.
I'm a Professional
ASLA members can find their LA CES certificates of completion under their "Professional Development" tab. Non-members may create an account to track PDH.
- Track your PDH
- Download Certificates of Completion
I'm an Education Provider
- Renew Your Provider Subscription
- Submit Courses for Review
- Report Attendance
- Send Certificates of Completion to Attendees
Become a LA CES Education Provider
Become an approved education provider and showcase your commitment to high-quality continuing education. Applicants should already offer—or be ready to launch—programs that meet LA CES standards.
About LA CES
The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES) is a collaboration of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB), and Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF).
LA CES establishes, maintains, and enforces standards for evaluating professional development and continuing education programs for landscape architects. Continuing education has never been more important for professionals; it is needed to stay up to date in the profession, to develop new areas of expertise, and is mandated for maintaining licensure in many jurisdictions. LA CES guides professionals in identifying courses that are appropriate for landscape architects and are offered by legitimate organizations that have controls and processes in place to monitor quality and track attendance.
The mission of the LA CES program is to assure landscape architects and licensing boards that courses provided by LA CES approved providers are of sufficient quality. Only providers that have met LA CES requirements may register courses with LA CES. Registered courses cover a broad range of subject matter and providers are required to identify those courses that meet the LA CES standard of health, safety, and welfare subject matter.
LA CES Approved Provider Guidelines
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Registered courses must adhere to the LA CES definition of continuing professional education: "Continuing professional education consists of learning experiences that enhance and expand the skills, knowledge, and abilities of practicing landscape architects to remain current and render competent professional service to clients and the public."
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Registered courses must specify whether the primary subject matter meets the LA CES definition of Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW). For a course to be considered as meeting the LA CES HSW standard, at least 75% of the course material must qualify under this definition. (Click here for more information on determining if a course meets the public health, safety, and welfare classification.)
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All registered courses must follow LA CES guidelines when assigning professional development hours (PDH), and each course must be a minimum of 1 PDH in length. (Click here for more information on calculating professional development hours and click here for more information on distance education requirements.)
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Registered courses must be designed to address the specific learning needs of the target audience and must include clear, concise written learning objectives or outcomes. Each course requires at least three learning objectives/outcomes.
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Registered courses must meet the following requirements:
- Qualified Instructional Personnel: Courses must be developed and delivered by qualified instructors with relevant experience, knowledge, and credentials.
- Appropriate Content and Methods: The course content and instructional methods should align with the intended learning objectives and outcomes.
- Educational Materials: Materials used in the course should be educational, generic in nature, and support the learning objectives. “How-to” demonstration courses of proprietary products are not permitted. (Click here for more information on proprietary information guidelines.)
- Instructor Role: Instructors should focus on teaching and should not act as salespeople promoting any products or services.
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Registered courses must include a mechanism for assessing participant attainment of the learning objectives/outcomes.
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Registered courses must be evaluated by participants and issue a confirmation and verification of completion for each participant who completes a course.
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Registered courses must maintain complete attendance records for at least six (6) years and make them available to participants upon request. A review process must be in place to ensure that LA CES criteria are met. Attendance records must be submitted on the LA CES website within twenty (20) business days after the event’s completion, using the provided template. Additionally, approved providers must retain copies of all course materials for a minimum of six (6) years.
FAQS
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Review the LA CES Provider Guidelines to understand all provider responsibilities and requirements, then complete the online application. Once your application and payment are received, the LA CES Application Review Committee will provide feedback and a final recommendation. Review can take up to 30 days, but it usually much faster.
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The fee structure effective January 1, 2026, is based on provider type and organizational revenue:
LevelFeeFor-Profit and Not-for-Profit Providers with gross revenue < $500K$425Universities, Government agencies, For-Profit and Not-for-Profit Providers with gross revenue $500K - $2 million$599For-Profit and Not-for-Profit Providers with gross revenue $2 million - $7 million$699For-Profit and Not-for-Profit with gross revenue >$7 million$799Landscape Architecture Firm/ Multidisciplinary Firm$599Platinum Level*$5,000*If you are applying to be a Platinum provider (approved to host content for other approved LA CES providers), please contact us at [email protected].
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No—there are no extra fees for course submissions, and approved providers may submit an unlimited number of courses.
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Once approved, your subscription remains active for one year from the approval date.
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Course reviews may take up to two weeks, but they are typically completed within one week.
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Most states require continuing education to maintain licensure. LA CES courses are accepted by most states to meet these requirements. For detailed information on licensure and continuing education, please visit CLARB's landscape architecture licensure requirements.
Be sure to review your state’s mandatory continuing education requirements to confirm that your selected courses meet state-specific criteria.
