How to Earn PDUs Through Formal Training
Formal academic educational courses related to project management can earn you 10 to 15 PDUs per semester. These are not free PDUs, as you have to be registered on an academic course being offered by a university or college. You don’t have to complete a whole degree and in fact only individual courses will be recognized by Project Management Institute (PMI)® for PDU credits. The transcript or grade report is required for confirmation.
This will allow you to earn PDUs in any of the three talent triangle areas, as long as you are not financially challenged. If you are, there may well be project management related courses offered at your local community college that are more economical than the state and private collegiate institutions.
Wherever you decide to study, it goes without saying that the course must have a project management element. That doesn’t mean it has to focus 100% on project management. When only a portion of your course relates to project management, you can calculate the PDUs you have earned by the percentage of overall curriculum focused on the topic. For example, if 20% of the course covers project management topics, you can claim 20% of your hours of instruction. One hour of instruction equals 1 PDU.
If your course is not offered by a university or college you will have to keep records of your registration form, certificate of attendance, and a syllabus or brochure setting out what the course covered. You also have to demonstrate the qualifications of the instructor, so if it isn’t clear to you, ask the company or the instructor.
Like formal academic training, Continuing Education (CE) can be submitted as PDUs. Unlike formal academic training, CE’s are courses that comply with IACET standards. CEU’s (Continuing Education Units) can be converted to PDUs; generally at a ratio of 1 CEU to 10 PDUs. Your best bet is to confirm with the provider that the course you are interested in complies with the ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard and of course it must be about project management.