Green Career Path: LEED New Professional Certifications

The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), established in January 2008, provides third-party project certification and professional credentials recognizing excellence in green building performance and practice. GBCI administers project certification for commercial and institutional buildings and tenant spaces under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating Systems^TM addressing new construction and ongoing operations. GBCI also manages the professional credentialing programs based upon the LEED Rating Systems including the LEED Green Associate and LEED AP credentials.

How to go about getting a LEED Certification

There is no minimum educational requirement to obtaining a LEED professional certification. In order to sit for a certification exam, you must apply to write the exam with the GBCI. The exams are taken at and administered by Prometric Testing Centers. The requirements for writing the exams are different depending on which certification you are seeking. There are two basic levels of certification at this time: LEED Green Associate (suitable to those with a non-technical background just starting out) and LEED AP credentials which is based on specializations. The GBCI provides a list of reference materials for each credential enabling you to prepare on your own for an exam or there are many courses both online and in a classroom setting which will help prepare you as well. Candidates will have to decide which method of learning is best for them. We will review each certification in turn, detailing the requirements and costs.

LEED Green Associate

For professionals who want to demonstrate green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice, GBCI has created the LEED Green Associate credential, which denotes basic knowledge of green design, construction, and operations. The Green Associate credential also serves as the first step for professionals pursuing a LEED AP specialization.

To take the LEED Green Associate exam, you must have experience in the form of involvement on a LEED-registered project, employment (or previous employment) in a sustainable field of work, or engagement in (or completion of) an education program that addresses green building principles. You only have to meet one of these criteria to demonstrate eligibility. Your experience must be documented in the form of a letter of attestation from a supervisor, client, project manager, or teacher and must describe your involvement on the job or in the classroom. For candidates who have attended or are attending an education program that addresses green building principles, GBCI will accept a certificate of completion or an official transcript in lieu of a letter of attestation. Any other eligibility documentation must be in the form of a letter of attestation.

The LEED Green Associate exam is comprised of 100 randomly delivered multiple choice questions and must be completed in 2 hours; total seat time for the LEED Green Associate exam will be 2 hours and 20 minutes including a tutorial and short satisfaction survey. The exam fee for the LEED Green Associate, per appointment, is:

USGBC national members/full-time students: $150
All others: $200

If you receive a score of 170 or higher (raw exam scores are converted to a scaled score that ranges from a minimum of 125 to a maximum of 200 with a passing score set at 170), you earn the LEED Green Associate designation. Upon receipt of that notification, you may use “LEED Green Associate” as a professional designation on business cards and signatures. All other instances should be noted as “LEED® Green Associate.” Passing a LEED Green Associate exam also authorizes you to use the LEED Green Associate logo in accordance with the GBCI logo guidelines.

Candidates who successfully pass the LEED Green Associate exam must complete 15 Continuing Education (CE) hours biennially. LEED AP Credential The LEED AP credential will continue to signify an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices; it also will reflect the ability to specialize in a particular LEED Rating System. The LEED AP exam is divided into two parts. The first step is the LEED Green Associate exam, which demonstrates general knowledge of green building practices. The second step is a specialty exam based on one of the LEED Rating Systems. These parts may be taken together or separately. The new LEED AP specialties are as follows:

Operations + Maintenance [apply now]
Homes [apply now]
Building Design + Construction [available summer 2009]
Interior Design + Construction [available summer 2009]
Neighborhood Development [available 2010]

To take the LEED AP exams, you must have previous experience with a LEED Registered Project within three years of your application submittal date. This work experience must be documented in the form of a letter of attestation from a supervisor, client, or project manager and must describe your involvement on the LEED Project as a consultant, contracted worker, member of the LEED Project Team, LEED Homes Provider, LEED Commercial Reviewer, LEED Homes Green Verifier, or staff member of a Certifying Body (CB). The LEED AP exam is comprised of two parts, each containing 100 randomly delivered multiple choice questions, and must be completed in 4 hours; total seat time for the LEED AP exam will be 4 hours and 20 minutes including a tutorial and short satisfaction survey. You need only take the second, specialty part if you already hold the Green Associate Certification. The exam fee for the LEED AP, per appointment, is: For combined exam (both part 1, core green buidling knowledge, and part 2, specialty):

USGBC national members: $300
Non-members: $450

For specialty exam only:

USGBC national members: $150
Non-members: $250

If you receive a score of 170 or higher on both parts of the exam, you earn the LEED AP designation. Upon receipt of that notification, you may use “LEED AP” followed by your specialty(ies) (BD+C, Homes, ID+C, ND, O+M,) as a professional designation on business cards and signatures. All other instances should be noted as “LEED® AP” followed by your specialty(ies). Passing both parts of a LEED AP exam also authorizes you to use the LEED AP logo that corresponds with your specialty(ies) in accordance with the GBCI logo guidelines. Candidates who successfully pass both parts of the LEED AP exam must complete 30 Continuing Education (CE) hours biennially. For more information, visit the GBCI’s website at: http://www.gbci.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=19