Become a LEED Professional

Your LEED Credential proves your level of green building expertise to employers, clients, and other stakeholders, putting you among the most qualified, educated, and influential green building professionals in the marketplace.

 
About LEED Credentials

LEED Green Associate:  For professionals who want to demonstrate green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice, this credential denotes basic knowledge of green design, construction, and operations.


LEED AP





LEED AP Specialty: For specialists in a particular LEED Rating System. The LEED AP Specialty exam is both the LEED Green Associate & the Specialty exam. You must be able to demonstrate experience on a LEED project in order to qualify for the specialty exam
 
Earning your Credential

LEED Green Associate

1. Attend Lunch + LEED
2. Read the Handbook
3. Check your eligibility
 4. Register w GBCI & apply for exam 
5. Take an Study Course
6. Review Study Materials
7. Pass the exam!

LEED AP Specialty

1. Read the Handbook
2. Confirm your LEED experience
3. Review Study Materials
4. Pass the exam!

...Save $50 when you register for both at once!

View the GBCI's Step-by-Step Exam Guide







Maintaining your LEED Credential 
Click here for information on the Credential Maintenance Program and how to earn CE hours.

Already a LEED AP?
Changes to the LEED Accreditation Process

As of 2009, The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) provides third-party administration and verification of  LEED professional credentials. GBCI recently changed the LEED professional credentials in two key ways:

  • There are now three tiers of LEED professional credentials, Green Associate, LEED AP with specialty, and LEED Fellow.  The LEED AP specialties include: Building Design and Construction (BD+C), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C), Operations and Maintenance (O+M), Homes or Neighborhood Development (ND).
  • Green Associates and LEED APs with specialty must maintain their credentials by earning Continuing Education (CE) hours or retesting every two years, according to the Credential Maintenance Program (CMP). The CMP is designed to keep LEED professionals current with change to green building technology and the LEED rating systems.  

Those individuals who wrote the Canadian LEED AP exam before January 17, 2010, did not have a specialty associated with their LEED AP credential. To allow existing LEED APs without specialty to upgrade their credential to LEED AP with specialty, GBCI has created a special upgrade process. It is available until October 27, 2011 to LEED APs who passed the Canadian exam. LEED APs who wrote the US LEED AP exam may have an earlier deadline (as early as August 1, 2011) and should check the GBCI website for the date that applies to them.

For more information on any of these topics, please visit the LEED Credentials section of the CaGBC website.


Benefits of a LEED Credential
  • Proven green building knowledge.
  • Strengthen your green building qualifications.
  • Market your expertise to employers and clients.
  • Recognition for involvement in the LEED Certification process (1 credit)
  • Listing on GBCI public LEED Professional directory

See what people are saying: Videos: "Why I Became a LEED Professional"