Professional Development Units (PDUs) Policies and Guidelines
Maintaining your designation gives evidence of your commitment to the principle of lifelong learning and ensures that your professional sales skills are developed as markets, customers, and innovative technologies evolve. As the holder of a professional sales designation, you are required to meet the annual Professional Development Units (PDU) requirement. This process ensures that you are up-to-date on the most current issues and practices in sales.
How do I maintain my professional designation?
CSA - Maintain professional membership with CPSA and complete 20 Professional Development Units (PDUs) annually
CSP - Maintain professional membership with CPSA and complete 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs) annually
CSL - Maintain professional membership with CPSA and complete 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs) annually
For a list of activities that count towards your PDUs click here.
PDU hours must be reported annually, per calendar year, once you become designated. For example, if you were awarded a professional designation on April 1, 2018, then you will be required to report on your 2018 professional development hours by February 2019.
- PDU hours will not be pro-rated for the year that you graduate. Any prerequisite course you took prior to obtaining your designation can be counted towards your professional development hours, if completed within the calendar year that you were awarded your designation; and,
- Your PDU hours must be submitted online by making an annual declaration.
The CPSA Institute follows an audit-based program. This means that you will be required to maintain your own documentation of your annual professional development activity in case you are selected by the CPSA Institute for professional development activity audit.
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The CPSA Institute does advise that you retain any evidence of PDUs for a period of 18 months in case you are chosen for audit.
If you are chosen for audit, you must submit to the CPSA Institute any documentation, record, declaration, evidence or other item relating to professional development units undertaken to show your compliance.
Activity |
Description |
PDU Value |
Instructor-led Programs (in-person) |
Offered by a post-secondary institution or private training company. Formally enrolled course work or training aligned to sales competencies and/or your industry and area of specialization. |
1 PDU/ hour |
1 PDU/ hour |
1 PDU/ hour |
Instructor-led Programs (online) |
Virtual instructor-led training with an assessment element (assignment, presentation, discussion board postings or quiz with feedback provided). |
1 PDU/ hour |
1 PDU/ hour |
1 PDU/ hour |
In-house Training Programs |
Training session within your organization aligned to sales competencies and/or your industry and area of specialization. Applies for facilitation by your organization or from an outside trainer. |
1 PDU/ hour |
1 PDU/ hour |
1 PDU/ hour |
Independent Online Program |
Virtual training or e-learning coursework without an instructor, but with some form of assessment (e.g. online quiz). |
1 PDU/ hour
|
1 PDU/ hour
|
1 PDU/ hour
|
Conference |
Attending an event relevant to sales professionals, aligned to sales competencies and/or your industry and area of specialization. Does not include an assessment component. Time is counted for educational session portions only. |
1 PDU/ hour
5 MAX |
1 PDU/ hour
15 MAX |
1 PDU/ hour
15 MAX |
Industry Networking Events |
Activities with a professional association or local chapter that do not clearly fit within one of the other categories. |
1 PDU/ hour
5 MAX |
1 PDU/ hour
5 MAX |
1 PDU/ hour
5 MAX |
Independent Study (documented) |
Reading online articles, watching videos, or listening to audio content aligned with the sales competencies and/or your industry and area of specialization with documentation to support activity. |
0.5 PDU/ hour
5 MAX |
0.5 PDU/ hour
5 MAX |
0.5 PDU/ hour
5 MAX |
Independent Study (undocumented) |
Reading articles, books, magazines, watching videos, or listening to audio content aligned with the sales competencies and/or your industry and area of specialization without documentation to support activity. |
N/A |
0.5 PDU/ article
5 MAX |
0.5 PDU/ article
5 MAX |
Authorship |
For each document of a professional nature that requires original thought and/or substantial research. |
N/A |
5 PDU/ article
|
5 PDU/ article
|
Build a Sales Course or Program |
Course or training program aligned with sales competencies and/or your industry or area of specialization. The course must be offered as part of an accredited program. Credit will be granted for the first time the course is developed. |
N/A |
10 PDU/ course
|
5 PDU/ course
|
Deliver a Sales Course or Program |
Facilitation of a course, workshop or seminar aligned with sales competencies and/or your industry or area of specialization. Credit will be granted for the first time the course is facilitated. |
N/A |
1.5 PDU/ course
|
1.5 PDU/ course
|
Teaching Related Activities |
Serving as an examiner, assessor, or program evaluator. |
N/A |
N/A |
1 PDU/ activity
20 MAX |
Volunteer or Industry-related Board Activity |
Volunteering on sales or industry related committees, boards, or volunteering to support on-site at industry events. |
N/A |
1 PDU/ activity
10 MAX |
1 PDU/ activity
10 MAX |
Mentoring |
Acting as a mentor outside normal job duties (i.e. not direct reports.) under a formal agreement to develop specific skills. |
N/A |
1 PDU/ hour
10 MAX |
1 PDU/ hour
10 MAX |