How Many CEUs Does a BCBA® Need for Recertification?

If you’re a Board Certified Behavior Analyst^® (BCBA^®), you’ve probably wondered at some point, “How many CEUs do I need to stay certified?” Staying current with your certification isn’t just a regulatory task. It’s an opportunity to reflect, grow, and evolve alongside a field that is increasingly focused on compassion, collaboration, and effectiveness.

In the world of Applied Behavior Analysis, continuing education helps ensure that behavior analysts continue to deliver meaningful, ethical, and relevant services. A solid understanding of these requirements can help you plan your CEU journey with intention rather than stress.

What Are CEUs and Why Do They Matter?

CEU stands for Continuing Education Unit. These units are required by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board^® (BACB^®) for maintaining your BCBA^® certification. More than a checkbox, CEUs represent your ongoing commitment to staying connected to new research, ethical standards, and emerging practices that better serve the individuals and communities we support.

CEUs aren’t just professional upkeep. They’re a reflection of how we do better each year as reflective practitioners.

CEU Requirements at a Glance

As of the 2022–2025 certification cycle, BCBA^®s must earn 32 CEUs every two years. Within those 32 units, specific subcategories are required:

Ethics CEUs: 4
Required for all certificants, focused on ethical practice and may include content on cultural and contextual responsiveness.
Supervision CEUs: 3
Required only if you are actively providing supervision to RBT^®s, BCaBA^®s, or BCBA^® trainees during your cycle.
General CEUs: 25 or fewer
These can cover a wide range of behavior-analytic topics based on your interest or practice area.

Important Note: The BACB^® originally announced a 1 CEU requirement in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to begin in 2025. However, in 2025, this requirement was removed before it took effect. That doesn’t mean the content no longer matters. More on that below.

What’s Changing in 2027?

For certification cycles beginning January 1, 2027, here’s what you need to know:

The DEI CEU category will not be implemented
Ethics CEUs will remain at 4, and may include topics on cultural or contextual responsiveness
Supervision CEUs will increase from 3 to 4 for those who supervise
Total CEUs will remain at 32 per cycle

So if your recertification date falls before January 1, 2027, you are still under the 2022–2025 requirements.

Cultural and Contextual Responsiveness: Still Non-Negotiable

You may have heard about the DEI CEU requirement. It was announced, it was applauded by many, and then it was removed before it ever went into effect.

Here’s the hot take: Just because the BACB^® walked it back doesn’t mean we should too.

While there’s no longer a standalone DEI CEU, the BACB^® has clarified that content related to cultural and contextual responsiveness is acceptable under the Ethics CEU category, as long as it aligns with behavior-analytic literature and practice. This content isn’t optional for those committed to meaningful, equitable care. It’s essential.

In fact, many funding sources, accrediting bodies, and organizations are now requiring this type of training. As professionals, we should be actively seeking out learning experiences that help us reflect on bias, increase cultural humility, and meet the diverse needs of the people we support.

Topics worth exploring:

Bias in assessment and treatment planning
Cultural humility and identity-affirming practices
Inclusive communication strategies
Systemic barriers and access to care
Equity in educational and clinical settings

Cultural responsiveness isn’t extra. It’s ethical. It’s essential. And it still belongs in your CEU plan.

CEU Topics to Explore

Once your required Ethics and Supervision CEUs are covered, your remaining units are up to you. Here are a few popular and powerful areas that align with compassionate, modern behavior analysis:

Naturalistic and play-based interventions
Trauma-informed care and stress-responsive strategies
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Feeding, sleep, and toileting supports
Supporting co-occurring conditions
Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)
Ethical practice in schools or communities
Research methodology and dissemination
Supporting non-speaking learners or AAC users

General CEUs allow you to build expertise that truly reflects your values and your clients’ needs.

How You Can Earn CEUs

Many behavior analysts think CEUs only come from attending workshops or webinars. In reality, the BACB^® allows CEUs to be earned through three primary activity types:

Learning Activities

Attending ACE Provider events
Completing university coursework
Participating in approved BACB^® events (some CEUs issued automatically)

Documentation: CEU certificate, transcript, or automated credit
Time: 50 minutes of instruction = 1 CEU

Teaching Activities

Teaching an ACE Provider event
Teaching university-level coursework in behavior analysis

Documentation: Letter from department chair or ACE Provider
Time: 50 minutes of instruction = 1 CEU

Scholarly Activities

Publishing a peer-reviewed behavior analysis article = 8 CEUs
Reviewing or writing a decision letter for a peer-reviewed article = 1 CEU per letter

Documentation: Published article or confirmation from journal editor (with identifying info redacted)

You are not limited in how many CEUs you can earn from each category, as long as they are non-repeating and verifiable.

What Qualifies as CEU Content?

All CEUs must go beyond Task List content or exam prep. Acceptable content includes:

Behavior-analytic practice, methodology, and science
Ethics and professional development
Cultural and contextual responsiveness
Supervision and training
Research or conceptual foundations

To qualify as an Ethics CEU, the event must be primarily focused on ethical conduct, BACB^® ethics codes, or culturally responsive behavior-analytic practice. Courses that mention ethics briefly but center unrelated content do not count.

Keeping Track: CEU Documentation and Audits

It’s important to retain all CEU certificates and documentation in case you’re selected for a BACB audit. Digital organization tools, cloud storage, or a dedicated CEU binder can go a long way in avoiding the scramble before a deadline.

Make sure your certificates include:

The name and ACE Provider number of the provider
Your name and BACB Certification Number
Title and description of the event
Date completed
Number and type of CEUs earned

Pro tip: Document your CEUs regularly rather than saving it all for the final week. Future you will be grateful.

Planning Your CEU Journey: Be Strategic, Not Reactive

Given the 2-year cycle, earning 32 CEUs may sound like a lot, but when spread out over 24 months, that’s roughly 1.3 CEUs per month.

Here are a few planning tips:

Start early: Don’t wait until your renewal window is close. Make CEU planning part of your yearly professional goals.

Diversify sources: Attend conferences, join webinars, and explore self-paced courses.

Mix it up: Balance foundational topics with new or experimental areas.

Track required subcategories: Don’t overlook those supervision, ethics, or diversity units!

Budget wisely: Some CEUs are free or low-cost, others are worth investing in for their depth and community value.

A Community Approach to Continuing Education

While CEUs are often framed as individual responsibilities, they’re also an opportunity to engage in collective learning. Whether it’s through study groups, professional networks, or online communities, learning together often leads to deeper insight and greater motivation.

That’s where organizations like the Do Better Collective come in.

Why the Do Better Collective Is Your CEU Ally

The Do Better Collective isn’t your average CEU provider. It’s a vibrant, inclusive, and intellectually rich community of practice for behavior analysts and professionals across disciplines. It’s built on the idea that continued learning should be collaborative, affirming, and rooted in compassion.

Here’s why it matters:

Diverse voices: Learn from a wide range of professionals across ABA and adjacent fields, reflecting the true diversity of the populations we serve.
Curated content: Explore high-quality CEU content that aligns with current needs, including ethics, supervision, DEI, and general topics.

Safe learning spaces: The Do Better Collective fosters environments where curiosity is welcomed, questions are encouraged, and growth is supported.

Flexibility and affordability: Many offerings are self-paced, affordable, and accessible, making professional development sustainable and approachable.

The Do Better Collective doesn’t just help you meet your CEU requirements, it helps you become the kind of professional you aspire to be.

Your Certification Is a Commitment—To Others and Yourself

Recertification can seem like a bureaucratic necessity, but it’s also a profound invitation. It’s a chance to pause, reflect, and ask: How am I growing? Who am I becoming? How can I do better for myself, for my clients, and for the communities I serve?

Whether you’re tracking your 32 CEUs with spreadsheets or diving deep into ethics case studies, remember: every hour you spend learning is an hour spent investing in your own excellence and in the lives you touch through your work.

Ready to Do Better?

If you’re ready to take your CEU experience from checkboxes to growth, we’ve got you covered.

Whether you’re looking for a single course to deepen your skills or want ongoing access to our full CEU library and community, the Do Better Collective offers flexible options to fit your learning goals.

Explore Individual CEU Courses – Choose the topics that speak to you, from ethics to executive functioning, and start learning right away.
Join the Do Better Collective Membership – Get unlimited access to 75+ CEU courses, live events, exclusive mentorship, and a community of compassionate, values-driven professionals.

Whichever path you choose, you’ll find content rooted in connection, cultural humility, and meaningful behavior-analytic practice.

Be part of a movement committed to learning, reflection, and making life better for others, one CEU at a time.

References and Further Reading

For more information on CEU requirements and BACB^® policies, please review the following official resources:

BACB^®March 2025 Newsletter
Announcement of DEI CEU removal, supervision increase, and ethics content clarification
2027 BCBA^® Requirements Summary (PDF)
Overview of what changes for recertification cycles beginning January 1, 2027
BCBA^® Handbook (Current)
Full certification requirements, including continuing education policies

BACB® Continuing Education Overview Page
Official guidance on acceptable CEU content, documentation, and categories