Professional Development
ACPA strongly encourages chemical professionals to further develop their careers, and one of the most common routes is through continuing education, seminars and workshops.
In fact, as part of the provincial government regulation of our profession, Professional Chemists in Alberta are legally required to document their professional development annually by completing a tally of the Professional Development Credits (PDCs) they have earned by various means (including coursework). In Alberta, Professional Chemists are required to document a minimum of 50 professional development credits annually.
An online version of the required form is available on the Professional Development page under the Member Menu at the top right of this screen. Members who do not meet the minimum professional development requirements will lose their membership and can no longer use the title "Professional Chemist" or "P.Chem." Members will not be mailed their membership card until dues are paid and PDC credits are filed for the current year.
Alternate PDC Claim/Request for Extension Form
What kind of documentation do I need to support PDCs claimed?
Professional Development Activity PDC Allotment Documentation
Please note that documentation to support PDC credits claimed should be kept for a minimum of three years.
Resources:
Workshop for Preparing a Profession Development Audit: Files from the workshop
ACPA Learning Centre
If you are a member of ACPA, log in to start learning or pick up where you left off. Free and discounted courses are available. If you are not a member, join now and gain access to member discounts along with a long list of other member benefits and opportunities!
Public Professional Courses
The ACPA and the Chemistry Institute of Canada (particularly at their annual conferences) regularly offer professional development courses. Watch for announcements by e-mail and in the News and Events page of this website. If you are not yet on our announcement mailing list, please contact the ACPA office.
In addition, many other kinds of courses are recognized as professional development. Some of these publicly offered courses can be viewed through the following links:
Professional Development Courses
University Courses
- University of Alberta Undergraduate Courses
- University of Alberta Graduate Courses
- University of Calgary Undergraduate Courses
- University of Calgary Graduate Courses
- University of Lethbridge Chemistry Programs
- The King's University College Undergraduate Program
- Athabasca University Undergraduate Courses
- Grant MacEwan University Undergraduate Courses
College and Technical College Courses
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Chemical Technology Courses
- Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Chemical Laboratory Technology Program
- Red Deer College
(Chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmental and Conservation Sciences Courses available) - Mount Royal College
(Search for Chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmental Technology, or Natural Chemistry) - Keyano College
(Search for Biochemistry or Environmental Technology)