Credentials
Once you have selected a credential, reviewed any requirements, and obtained any additional training or experience needed, you are ready to apply for and take the credentialing exam. Follow the credentialing boards' application procedures which often include:
- Submitting an application
- Submitting documentation of military training and experience
- Taking an exam
- Possibly paying application and exam fees
After you've earned the credential, make sure you are aware of any requirements to keep your credential active. Check with the credentialing agency regarding the following items:
- Is there a renewal period for the certification and if so, how long is it? Many certifying agencies require you to renew your certification after a period of time, for example every three years.
- Are there renewal requirements? Credentialing agencies may require additional training or education, commonly called continuing education, after you earn a credential to demonstrate up-to-date knowledge. Others may require that you take the certification exam again at the end of the renewal period. Renewal requirements, and costs, will vary by credentialing agency.
Most certifications and licenses have fees associated with them that are charged by the credentialing board or agency such as application fees and exam fees. In addition, you may need to pay for additional training or education if you do not meet the requirements set by a credentialing board or certification agency. To prepare for a credential, consider the following questions:
- Do you need additional training and experience to qualify for licensure or certification?
- Do you need financial assistance to pay for additional training or for credentialing exam fees?
There are resources available to help Service members cover some of the costs associated with credentialing. For example, eligible service members and veterans can use the Montgomery GI Bill to pay for fees for approved civilian occupational licensing and certification exams. GI Bill benefits can also be used for costs associated with an undergraduate degree at a college or university, a certificate or diploma from a business, technical or vocational school, training programs, and apprenticeships.
See the Cost & Resources on COOL for more information on the resources available.
After using the Find and Select Related Credentials search to find the credentials related to your MOS, learn about credential requirements by following these steps:
- Look for the certifications marked as D (directly related) or S (skill related) in the Related Credentials table. These certifications have the most potential for you to take advantage of the training and education you've received in the Army by using the knowledge and skills you've learned to help you earn a civilian credential.
- Click on the certification name in the table to open up a Credential Snapshot page. The Snapshot pages contain a brief description of the certification, a summary of the credential requirements, and links to the certification agency's web page for additional information.
- Review the Summary and Eligibility tabs on the snapshot page to get an overview of what is required by the certification agency (on the Summary tab) and specific details (on the Eligibility tab), if applicable. Credentialing boards determine the requirements for licensure and certification. Typically they require a combination of the following:
- Education
- Training
- Work or professional experience
- Examinations
- Other unique job-related requirements
- Contact the credentialing agency to confirm applicable licensure or certification requirements and request application forms and exam preparation materials if available. If the COOL snapshot page is under development, find out if exam, experience, or education requirements are involved. Inquire about any fees associated with applying for a credential.
- Determine if the Army training or experience you already have is accepted by the credentialing agency.
- Determine what additional steps, if any, you need to take to become licensed or certified.
- If the credentialing agency does not explicitly recognize military training and experience in its written requirements, it may be necessary to contact the board directly to ask.
- If the credentialing agency indicates that military training and experience are not automatically recognized, find out if they can conduct an individual assessment of your military training and experience, and what you need to do to initiate the assessment.
Some jobs have certain professional and technical standards. Credentials – certifications and licenses – show that you meet these standards. For example, a welder can show his welding certifications to an employer to document that he has specific skills and knowledge. In the civilian world, credentials may be required for a job, or can make you much more likely to be hired for a job.
For a Soldier, civilian credentials are important for two reasons.
- When you transition back to civilian employment, credentials help you translate your military training and experience into something civilian employers can easily recognize. That can help you get hired, get a better job, or be promoted sooner.
- The Army encourages the pursuit of certifications not only because it improves the professionalism of its workforce but also because getting certified can help you in your Army career while you're still in service. Promotion Points are now awarded for approved technical certifications for enlisted Soldiers.
To learn more about the topics below, click on a box. Information for that topic will display below the boxes.
Licenses and Certifications – The Basics
Learn more about the types of credentials and their requirements
Do I Need a Credential?
Learn what to consider when deciding if you need or want a civilian credential
Training and Experience Documentation
Learn how to verify your military training and experience for civilian credentialing boards
Credential Types
Licensure and certification are the two primary types of credentialing.
- Licensure – Governmental agencies—federal, state, or local—grant licenses to individuals to practice a specific occupation, such as a medical license for doctors. State or federal laws or regulations define the standards that individuals must meet to become licensed. Licenses are typically mandatory.
- Certification – Non-governmental agencies, associations, and even private sector companies may grant certifications to people who meet predetermined qualifications. These qualifications are generally set by professional associations (for example, National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators) or by industry and product-related organizations (for example, Novell Certified Engineer). Certification is typically an optional credential, although some state licensure boards and some employers may require certification. For many occupations, more than one organization may offer certifications.
Why is Credentialing Important?
Credentialing is important for several reasons:
- Federal, state, or local law may require specific credentials to legally perform some jobs.
- Employers may choose to hire only employees who have certain credentials, or to pay those employees more.
- Credentials may improve an employee's prospects for promotion.
- Credentialed Service Members demonstrate to prospective civilian employers that their skills are on par with their civilian peers.
- Civilian credentialing can contribute to military career development, and may be accepted for self-development requirements and in performance evaluations.
Credentialing Requirements
Credentialing boards determine the requirements for licensure and certification. Typically they require a combination of the following:
- Education
- Training
- Work or professional experience
- Examinations
- Other unique job-related requirements
For some credentials, boards may have requirements related to:
- Residency
- How recently the training or experience took place
- Periodic renewal, typically every one to three years
- Continuing education requirements or reexamination requirements associated with renewal
State-Specific Requirements
While most certifications are national (have the same requirements in every state), requirements for occupational licenses vary by state. Not all states license the same occupations and for those that do, requirements can differ substantially. If you hold a license in one state but plan to relocate to another state, you need to find out if that state requires a license for your occupation and if it recognizes your license.
Some states will give consideration to individuals licensed in another state. For example the licensing board may:
- Recognize licenses granted by other states as equivalent, called “reciprocity.”
- Issue a license based on the individual having met similar requirements out-of-state, called “endorsement” or “license by credentials.”
- Credit equivalent out-of-state training, education, and examinations.
Even if a state recognizes another’s license, you may still need to take an exam or pay a fee. Check with the state licensing board to find out more about the specific requirements.
You can obtain state licensing board contact information from the “Licensed Occupations” section of the U.S.Department of Labor’s America’s Career Information Network.
I'm Active Duty
The Army certainly thinks you'd benefit from having civilian credentials – that's what COOL is all about! The Army supports civilian credentialing for active duty members because it improves the professionalism of Soldiers and in some cases you can earn points for promotion. At the same time, you can better prepare yourself for civilian employment when you do leave the Army. Use the following information to help decide whether or not to pursue a credential while on active duty:
- Ask yourself if you like what you are doing in the military and if you expect to pursue a civilian career in this field.
- If you do expect to continue in your military occupational field, search COOL using "Find & Select Credentials" at the top of the page to determine whether the civilian counterpart for your field requires a license or certification.
- If there are license or certification requirements, determine whether the Army requires or encourages you to obtain the credential while in the military. Make sure you keep your credential current and renew it, if necessary, during your military career.
- If the Army does not require the credential during your military service, then consider obtaining it on your own during your military service.
- If you don’t expect to continue in your military occupational field, search COOL using "Find & Select Credentials" at the top of the page to determine whether the civilian occupation you are interested in requires a license or certification. Consider what would be required to obtain the credential during military service.
- Some factors you might consider when thinking about credentialing are:
- What are my prospects for obtaining civilian employment without the credential? Remember, licensure is typically mandatory while certification is usually optional.
- What delays in obtaining civilian employment might I face if I wait until after I leave the military to obtain the credential?
- What will obtaining the credential while in the military entail and will I be able to fulfill the requirements while carrying out my duties?
- What costs are associated with the credential and will the military or VA subsidize any of them? Refer to the COOL Credentialing Costs section for more information.
- Will I need to renew my license or certification during military service and, if so, what is required?
I'll Be Transitioning Soon
Not all Soldiers will need a license or certification to practice the equivalent of their military occupation in the civilian workforce. For those who do, the impact of licensure and certification requirements vary depending upon if credentials were earned while in the military, and if military education, training, and experience meet the civilian credentialing requirements.
It is a good idea to identify what credentials you need as soon as possible before transitioning, because obtaining a credential may take some time. Ideally, you'd have your credentials in hand by the time you leave the service. In deciding if you want or need a civilian credential when you transition out, it might help to consider the following five basic scenarios:
- The civilian equivalent of your MOS does not require a license or certification.
- You do not necessarily need to pursue credentialing, but having a credential may still give you an advantage.
- Your military training and experience provides all of the necessary credentials to practice the occupation as a civilian.
- For example, the Army requires Medical Specialist MOSs to obtain Emergency Medical Technician certification from the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician.
- Your military training and experience provide certification in the field, but not a license.
- Your transition to the civilian workforce may be relatively seamless because certification and licensure requirements are often similar. However, you may still need to obtain a license from the appropriate government agency.
- Your military career provides education, training, or experience necessary to become licensed or certified, but not the formal license or certification from the credentialing board.
- You may have to follow an administrative process that typically requires completing an application, documenting military training and experience, and possibly taking an exam.
- Your military education, training, or experience may need supplementation to meet licensure and certification requirements.
- If you are in this situation you may experience a period of unemployment or underemployment until you are able to meet the requirements. See the COOL Costs and Resources page to learn about available resources.
I'm Already Out
If you are already out of the service, your decision-making process regarding credentials is very similar to what is described in the I'll Be Transitioning Soon topic. Note that you may be able to use your GI Bill benefits to pay for necessary training, education and exam fees related to credentials. Refer to the Credentialing Resources topic on the Costs & Resources page for details.
Credentialing boards may require different types of documentation. Some credentialing boards are familiar with military documentation and have explicit requirements for military documentation of education, training, and experience.
Other boards may not be familiar with military documentation. If the credentialing board is not familiar with or has questions related to your military training or experience, inform them about the types of documentation that you have or can obtain. They may be more willing to consider your training and experience if they are aware of these documents.
The Army provides three types of education, training, and experience documentation: two official military forms and a military transcript.
- Army American Council of Education (ACE) Registry Transcript (AAARTS) – is a computerized transcript system that produces official transcripts for eligible Soldiers upon request by combining a Soldier's military education, training and experience with descriptions and credit recommendations developed by ACE. The transcript is available to Soldiers who entered the service after 1981. Eligible service members or veterans can access the AARTS web site. Active duty personnel can request a transcript through the local education center.
- Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET) (DD Form 2586) – The DD Form 2586 is created from a Service member's automated records on file. It lists military job experience and training history, recommended college credit information, and civilian equivalent job titles. Verification documents are provided to transitioning Service members from the VMET Defense Manpower Data Center web site.
- Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214) – The DD Form 214 is a source of significant authoritative information used by civilian and governmental agencies to validate veteran eligibility for benefits. It is issued to every Service member at time of discharge. The National Archives and Records Administration provides information on DD Form 214.