Minnesota Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 20 Hours Every 2 Years
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Requirements Overview
Minnesota's continuing education rules for physical therapy licensees are set out in Minnesota Rules 5601.2100 through 5601.2700, under the authority of Minn. Stat. §§ 148.66 and 148.74. Every two years, PTs and PTAs must log 20 contact hours, with a minimum of 2 hours devoted to professional ethics directly related to physical therapy practice.
Hours are earned across four categories, each with its own cap: Scholarship (peer-reviewed work) up to 9 hours, Education and Teaching (developing/delivering courses, mentoring) up to 9 hours, Coursework (academic courses, residencies, certifications, workshops) up to 18 hours, and Self-assessment (FSBPT or APTA tools) up to 3 hours.
The rules contain no carry-over provision, so each two-year period must independently satisfy the full 20-hour, 2-ethics-hour requirement. New licensees start their first cycle on the January 1 following initial licensure, with CE completed before that date creditable toward the first cycle.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional ethics | 2 | Every renewal | A minimum of 2 of the 20 total contact hours each two-year cycle must be on professional ethics directly related to the practice of physical therapy. Added by rule amendment; the Board's FAQ explains the requirement exists 'to ensure that licensees stay current on emerging ethical issues,' paralleling similar ethics/boundaries requirements for MN-licensed attorneys and chiropractors. |
How You Can Complete Your CE
Minnesota CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Minnesota that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Category caps: within the 20-hour total, hours are earned across four activity categories with individual maximums: Scholarship (peer-reviewed publications/posters) up to 9 hours; Education and Teaching (developing/teaching an academic course, guest lecturing, developing/presenting an approved workshop or seminar, or serving as an APTA-credentialed residency/fellowship mentor) up to 9 hours; Coursework (academic coursework, APTA-credentialed clinical residency/fellowship, ABPTS certification, PTA advanced proficiency certification, or attendance at approved workshops/seminars/conferences) up to 18 hours; and Self-assessment (FSBPT or APTA self-assessment tools) up to 3 hours. Preparation time for teaching/presenting may be claimed at up to 2 hours of prep credit per 1 hour of presentation for first-time course delivery. (MN Rules 5601.2300, summarized on the Board's CE Requirements page.)
- New-licensee cycle timing: per MN Rules 5601.2200, a newly licensed PT/PTA's first two-year CE cycle begins on the January 1 following the date of initial licensure, and any CE completed between the licensure date and that following January 1 may be credited toward the first cycle — effectively giving new licensees up to just under 3 years to reach the same 20-hour total, rather than a reduced hour requirement.
- Audit / record retention: MN Rules 5601.2600 lets the Board periodically sample licensees and request evidence of CE for up to two consecutive compliance periods (i.e., up to 4 years of history), which must be the periods immediately preceding the current one; documentation may come from the licensee directly or from state/national organizations that keep such records. Licensees attest to compliance at the renewal immediately following each 2-year cycle. A third-party CE-tracking source (ptprogress.com) recommends retaining certificates for 4 years post-renewal, consistent with the 2-compliance-period audit lookback, though the Board's own pages do not state a specific retention period in years.
- No carry-over: none of MN Rules 5601.2100-5601.2700 (the complete, board-enumerated set of CE rules) provides for carrying unused or excess CE hours forward into a subsequent 2-year cycle; each cycle's 20-hour requirement (including the 2 ethics hours) must be met within that cycle.
- Penalties: under MN Rules 5601.2700, the Board shall refuse to renew or grant, or shall suspend/condition/limit/qualify, the license of anyone found to have failed to comply with the CE rules (5601.2100-5601.2600).
- License expiration note (site banner, current as of fetch): the Board's website displayed a banner stating 'All Minnesota PT and PTA Licenses expired on December 31, 2025' and that practicing on a non-renewed credential is grounds for discipline under MN Stat. 148.75(a)(18) — this is a general annual renewal-deadline reminder, not a CE-specific rule, and does not change the 20-hour/2-year CE requirement itself.
Provider Requirements
No blanket board pre-approval requirement for most CE. The Board automatically grants credit for courses planned/sponsored/cosponsored by an accredited university or college, medical school, or state/national medical or osteopathic association or specialty society; by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) or any national/state PT association; or approved by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) for the FSBPT-awarded credit hours. Any other educational activity not falling in those automatic-approval categories must be separately submitted to the Board for approval, with details on the sponsoring organization, presenting facility, instructor credentials, and course content/schedule.
Tips for Minnesota PTs
- Track your 2 required ethics hours separately from the start of your cycle — courses that don't explicitly cover professional ethics related to PT practice won't satisfy this minimum even if they count toward your general 20-hour total.
- Watch the category caps: no more than 9 hours from Scholarship, 9 from Education and Teaching, and 3 from Self-assessment count toward your 20-hour total, so relying too heavily on one category (e.g., APTA self-assessment tools alone) can leave you short.
- Courses sponsored by an accredited university, APTA or a state/national PT association, or approved by FSBPT are automatically credited — anything else needs to be separately submitted to the Board for approval before you count it.
- Keep your certificates of completion for at least two full cycles (up to 4 years); the Board can request evidence of CE from up to two consecutive compliance periods during an audit.
- If you're newly licensed, note that your first CE cycle doesn't start until the January 1 after your licensure date — CE completed in that gap period can still be credited toward your first cycle's 20-hour total.
Sources
- Cross-checked against the official published rules of the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy
- Each stated figure recorded with its exact source excerpt
- 3 sources cited — 1 primary (official board)
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