Certification FAQ

Yes, the current fee for renewal is US $250.00.

No, SWANA does not require you to take any courses to take a certification exam. SWANA training courses are a great way to help you prepare to take our exams. Passing a certification exam requires amassing knowledge, skills, and abilities over time from a variety of sources; no one course provides all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to pass a certification exam. Knowledge is gained over time from years of experience in the field; online courses, webinars, and podcasts; in-person seminars and events; hands-on workshops; on-the-job training; local, regional, and national conferences; mentoring programs; trade publications; and more.

To recertify, you must have 30 Professional Development Hours (PDH), formerly known as CEUs, submit your Certification Renewal Application, and $250 USD renewal fee before your certification expiration date.

The certification period is good for three (3) years. During those years, you are responsible for accumulating 30 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) in order to be eligible for recertification.

Hours are determined by the Certification Staff—usually on an hour-for-hour basis if the materials relate directly to a specific discipline. Individuals seeking to receive credit for non-SWANA courses must submit an agenda prior to the event and the Certification Staff will provide the individual with a PDH form. Send the agenda/program with detailed descriptions and timelines of the sessions of the event to certification@swana.org.

Once a certification expires, the only way to become recertified in the discipline again is to retake the certification exam and pass it with a 70% or more.

Visit the SWANA Online Testing Page for more information about SWANA certification and to register for the exam.

You can register for single sessions. It is not necessary to register for the complete training package.

A SWANA PDH stands for Professional Development Hour. Essentially, 60 minutes of education equal one PDH. To become eligible for recertification, you need 30 PDHs within your three-year SWANA certification term. PDHs can be earned by attending SWANA and non-SWANA industry training courses, events, conferences, etc.