CERP/CERPIT Maintenance

Earn 50 CECs in 5 years

You must earn a total of 50 continuing education credits (CECs) within the five-year period since you were initially certified, last recertified, or upgraded to CERP status. Appropriate continuing education opportunities are those that keep practitioners abreast of rapidly evolving knowledge, approaches, strategies, techniques and requirements in the field of ecological restoration. Credits may be provided for approved short courses, webinars, symposia, workshops, technical publications, and other events that contribute to the field of ecological restoration.

Submit CECs through SER's CEC Portal

All continuing education must be submitted to SER through its CEC submission portal. SER currently uses the third-party software Submittable to process all CEC submissions. This is the same software you used to submit your initial CERP/CERPIT application. Once you submit continuing education to SER through the portal, your submission will be evaluated by SER's CERP Coordinator and Continuing Education Committee to determine if it is acceptable for CERP program requirements. This evaluation process can take up to 4 weeks. You will be notified via email of the committee's final decision in regards to your submission. If your submission is approved, you will be awarded a set number of CECs determined by the committee.

Track CECs

As a CERP/CERPIT, you have an online CEC journal on SER.org, where you can track all CECs that have been approved for your current 5-year certification period. Please note that SER staff will upload CEC submissions that have been approved through the CEC portal (Submittable) to your online CEC journal (SER.org) on a monthly basis.

There are seven broad categories of training and other professional activities with content relevant to ecological restoration for which CECs may be granted. The maximum number of CECs for any single event is 10 credits.

[1] Specific sessions and symposia within larger conferences may be pre-approved for credit.

[2] Continuing education credits will only be awarded once to college or university instructors for teaching regular semester- or quarter-long courses pertaining to ecological restoration. If courses are taught multiple times (e.g., each year), only the first time it is taught will be considered for CECs.

[3] If the certificant serves on the Board and a committee at the same SER organizational level (e.g., both for a chapter), then they should only count the Board service. If the certificant serves on the Board and a committee at different organizational levels (e.g., chapter board, SER committee) then both may count toward CECs.

[4] No more than 5 CECs can be obtained through volunteer service over the 5 year period.

Regardless of whether CEC approval is sought before or after the event, CECs will be evaluated based on a number of standards including content, structure, instructor quality, and other qualifying factors (as applicable).

Content and Structure

• Training or instruction must meet the definition of SER continuing education: Learning opportunities that keep practitioners abreast of rapidly evolving knowledge, approaches, strategies, techniques and requirements in the field of ecological restoration.
• The content must fall into the one or more of the categories of educational requirements for SER certification of restoration practitioners (see Society for Ecological Restoration Certification Program Educational Achievement Criteria).
• Educational objectives must be clearly stated.
• Contact time must be a minimum of one hour. Time spent on breaks, meals, administrative presentations, social events and travel (unless instruction occurs during travel) does not count toward instructional time.
• Participants who complete the training or activity must obtain a Confirmation of Completion certificate or other documentation. If grades are assigned, the participant must obtain a passing grade and provide documentation.
• For distance learning (e.g., webinars, online courses), the sponsor or instructor will provide estimated contact time and the means of attendance verification.

• be certified by SER or
• be certified in a discipline appropriate to the course content by an appropriate society or government entity, be employed at an accredited college or university, or possess credentials appropriate for the subject matter of the proposed training as agreed upon by a majority of the SER Continuing Education Committee.
• Instructors will abide by the SER Code of Ethics.
• Instructors will not promote commercial products or include proprietary information in presentations.

• Publications are not eligible for CECs until they have been accepted by the publisher.
• Qualifying volunteer service must be at a not-for-profit organization and service must focus on ecological restoration.
• Documentation of volunteer hours (number of hours and description of the task) must be provided by the organization’s administrator or their designee.

To keep your CERP credential in good standing and continue to be listed on the CERP Directory, you must pay an annual maintenance fee.

Upon becoming certified, you will automatically be enrolled in recurring payments that will be charged once a year for the next three years to cover your annual maintenance fees. If you need to change your payment method, or would like to pay via check or wire transfer, please email Megan, Membership and Marketing Associate, at megan.taylor@ser.org.

The annual maintenance fee is not the same as the recertification fee. The annual maintenance fee is paid for each year of your certification, whereas the recertification fee is paid once you become eligible for recertification (in lieu of your annual maintenance fee) when your certification expires.

The schedule of annual maintenance fees is below. Equity and Open Door rates are available for individuals who could not otherwise afford to apply to the CERP program. SER Business, Lifetime, and Restorer members receive deeper discounts on the member rate. Only SER members with an active membership are eligible for the reduced rates listed.