Do you know who writes CE elective courses? Did you know that CE elective courses must be approved by the Commission before they can be offered by an education provider?
With the exception of the Basic Trust Account Procedures course and the 12-hour Broker-in-Charge Course, elective courses do not originate with nor are they written by Commission staff. In fact, any person may write a CE elective course, but the course must be submitted to the Commission for review and approval through a certified education provider.
What elective course topics can be approved by the Commission?
Rule 58H. 0402 states that elective courses must:
(1) cover subject matter related to real estate brokerage practice,
(2) offer knowledge or skills that will enable brokers to better serve real estate consumers and the public interest,
(3) consist of at least 4 hours of instruction and offer 4 CE credit hours, and
(4) include handout materials for students that provide the information to be presented in the course.
What are examples of topics that “relate to real estate brokerage practice?“
Currently, approved elective course topics include (but are not limited to) agency, appraisal, association management, building styles & designs, construction, contracts, environmental issues, ethics, finance, investment, land use, mortgage fraud, property inspection, property management, and risk management.
What are examples of topics that cannot be approved?
Topics such as business branding, marketing, and MLS data entry cannot be approved, as they are focused only on the broker’s business model, rather than skills or knowledge required by the law and/or needed to effectively represent clients or work with customers.
How do would-be authors determine topics?
Some authors choose real estate topics about which they are passionate. Some survey brokers for ideas and suggestions.
What documentation must be submitted to the Commission for course review and approval?
Commission rule 58H .0401 establishes the application requirements for Prelicensing, Postlicensing, and CE courses. All submissions must include a course guide with:
(1) course objectives,
(2) learning objectives for each topic addressed in the course,
(3) a course syllabus,
(4) instructional methods and aids to be employed, and
(5) all course materials that will be provided to students.
There are additional documentation requirements based on proposed delivery method.
Anyone aspiring to write a CE elective course should take advantage of the resources on the Commission’s website. Become familiar with 21 NCAC 58H .0401 and 21 NCAC 58H .0402, and then read and follow the instructions in the Commission’s Real Estate Education Course Approval Guidelines.
For more information, please contact the Education and Licensing Division at educ@ncrec.gov or 919.875.3700.