Eligibility & Certification Policies
Eligibility for NAIT Certification
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Individuals meeting the following criteria are eligible* to be certified by NAIT:
1) You must have an industrial technology-related degree (AS, BS, MS or Doctorate) or an equivalent degree, teach or serve as an administrator in an industrial technology-related degree program, or be professionally employed in a capacity related to the discipline of Industrial Technology. You are also eligible in your last semester prior to receipt of your AS or BS degree, if your impending graduation is verified on your application by your academic advisor.
and
2) You must take and pass the NAIT Certification Examination*. The exam is offered at many colleges and universities accredited by or affiliated with NAIT or you can also contact NAIT to arrange an individual exam session. The exam may be offered at NAIT's annual convention each fall.
(* Eligibility policy effective January 1, 2005.)
Certification Levels
Certified Industrial Technologist (CIT): CIT is the initial certification status awarded to eligible applicants. CIT status is awarded for a maximum of eight years and is not renewable. Upon completion of the initial eight-year CIT certification and acquisition of 75 PDUs, recertification is at the CSIT level. CITs with 75 PDUs at the end of the fifth year of CIT certification may request an upgrade to CSIT status.
Certified Senior Industrial Technologist (CSIT): CSIT is awarded to eligible applicants with five years of post-graduate professional experience who have completed 75 PDUs of continuing education activity in the five years prior to their application. CSIT certification is renewable every five years and requires 75 PDUs of continuing education activity within the prior 5-year CSIT period.
NAIT Membership
Applicants for certification must be NAIT members (or include payment for membership with the application for certification).
Documentation
Appropriate documentation of professional experience and PDUs must be included on the application for certification. NAIT reserves the right to verify degree status, professional experience, and PDUs.
Fees
Certification Exams (CIT or CMS)
Individual Examination Fee: $20
Group Exams for Program Assessment
- 1 to 10 exams: $20 per exam
- 11 to 25 exams: $250 flat rate
- 26 or more exams: $300 flat rate
Certified Industrial Technologist (CIT)and Certified Manufacturing Specialist (CMfgS)
$45 - Application Fee (paid once at initial application)
$25 - Annual Renewal Fee (paid at end of first year and each year thereafter)
Certified Senior Industrial Technologist (CSIT)and Certified Senior Manufacturing Specialist (CSMfgS)
$20 - Examination Fee (unless paid by institution)
$75 - Application Fee (paid once at initial application)
$25 - Annual Renewal Fee (paid at end of first year and each year thereafter)
Fee Policies:
- NAIT Membership and Certification are billed simultaneously and both the membership fee and the certification renewal fee must be paid to maintain a valid NAIT Certification.
- The annual renewal fee is due at the same time as the NAIT membership fee.
- NAIT members applying for initial CIT, CSIT, or CMS certification will receive credit for a portion of their existing dues and NAIT office will prorate their existing dues to establish a new membership renewal date coincident with the certification renewal date.
- Certification status must be continuous throughout the certification period. Failure of individuals to pay the annual NAIT membership fee and/or the annual certification fee within 60 days of the date due will result in suspension of certification.
- Upon payment of all fees that are owed, the certification will be reinstated as long as the certified member is in compliance with all other relevant policies, including continuing education policies.
- NAIT reserves the right to treat a request for reinstatement of a lapsed certification as a new application. This is most common when a certification has been lapsed for three years or more and records of the certification are no longer available; in such cases, NAIT requires the holder of the lapsed certificate to provide documentary evidence of their prior NAIT Certification, to pay all past due fees, and to comply with continuing education requirements. On a individual basis, the Certification Officer may waive specific policies for good cause.
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NAIT Certification Examination
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Policy: The Board of Certification shall design and administer certification examinations for individuals who do not meet the prerequisite criteria for certification (i.e., graduate of or faculty member in a NAIT-accredited Industrial Technology program). The examinations shall be administered at least once each year at the NAIT Annual Convention and at other times as determined by the Board of Certification. The areas covered by the examinations and the minimum acceptable scores shall also be determined by the Board of Certification.
Examination Information:
Examination Study Guide: The NAIT Board of Certification has developed a study guide to assist examinees in preparation for the exam. To request a PDF of the Study Guide and Frequently Asked Questions, use this email link inquiry@nait.org. This is an unattended email address, simply place "Certification Information" in the subject line and send. You will receive further information and instructions on obtaining this additional information via email. The study guide includes information on the NAIT Certification Program and includes sample exam questions and suggested reference materials to assist in studying for the NAIT Certification Exam.
Individual Examinations: Individuals interested in taking the exam on an individual basis should contact NAIT to make arrangements for a paper or online exam session. Individuals must pay an examination fee of $20 to sit for the exam. If the individual passes and wants to become certified, they will be responsible for submitting an application and paying the appropriate NAIT membership fee and certification documentation fee. Use this email link to contact Mary Lee at the NAIT office.
Certification after Examination: Examinees who have passed the NAIT Certification Examination and who apply for NAIT Certification will be certified by NAIT upon receipt of their application and payment of all applicable fees. Examination results are usually available from the NAIT Office within 45 days of the date examination score sheets have been submitted to NAIT for scoring; results from online exam sessions are communicated immediately to the examinee, and the exam results report for the academic department can be provided within 2 weeks. Applicants must be NAIT members or join NAIT in order to be certified. You may obtain the "NAIT Application for Certification" in PDF format using Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking HERE. If applying for certification after passing the exam, you will need to pay relevant membership fees and indicate on the application form the approximate date of the exam and the College or University at which you took the exam so that NAIT can verify your exam results.
Examinations for Program Assessment: When used for program assessment purposes, the exam fees are typically paid for by the Program or Department using the exam. Aggregate exam scores, and comparative score information, are released to the Program or Department contact after the exams have been scored and the examination fee has been paid. Individual exam scores are not released to the Program or Department unless the examinee signed the confidentiality waiver at the time of taking the exam. Programs and Departments using the examination as an exit examination usually obtain confidentiality waivers from the examinees so that their individual scores may be released.
Exam Fees:
- Individual Examination Fee: $20
- Group Exams for Program Assessment
- 1 to 10 exams: $20 per exam
- 11 to 25 exams: $250 flat rate
- 26 or more exams: $300 flat rate
For more information about the NAIT Certification Examination or to obtain scores and determine your NAIT Membership status before applying for certification, contact NAIT at (734) 677-0720 or NAIT.
Certificates: Certificates appropriate for framing are issued for one-year periods upon initial certification and upon annual renewal. Additional file copies of the certificate are available upon request for employers.
CIT and CSIT Lapel Pins: Upon initial certification as a CIT or CSIT, and upon the first recertification as a CSIT, NAIT will send the certified member a CIT or CSIT lapel pin. The lapel pins are also available for sale for $5.
Annual Renewal: Individuals with CIT, CSIT, CMfgS and CSMfgS certifications must renew their dues each year; individuals must pay the certification renewal fee ($25), as well as NAIT professional membership dues ($80). Retired NAIT members who are certified are not required to pay the annual certification renewal fee.
Renewal Periods
CIT certification is awarded for an eight-year period and is continuous for the eight years as long as the annual renewal fee and NAIT membership dues are paid within 60 days of the due date. CIT certification is not renewable after eight years and CITs must meet the professional development activity criteria (see below) in order to be recertified as a Certified Senior Industrial Technologist (CSIT).
CSIT certification is awarded for a five-year period and is continuous for the five years as long as the annual renewal fee and NAIT membership dues are paid within 60 days of the due date. During each five-year certification period CSITs must meet the professional development activity criteria (see below) in order to be recertified for another five-year certification period.
Professional Development Activity Requirements for Recertification
During the initial certification period (eight years for CIT and five years for CSIT), 75 professional development units (PDUs) of continuing education activity must be completed and reported to NAIT in order for the certified member to be eligible for recertification (see "Professional Development Units" below.) After recertification as a CSIT, 75 professional development units (PDUs) of continuing education activity must be completed and reported to NAIT during the 5-year CSIT Certification period in order for the certified member to be eligible for recertification as a CSIT at the end of the 5-year period.
NAIT Sponsored Professional Development Activities
Individuals who attend NAIT sponsored professional development activities at national conventions will need to report their activity on the PDU report sheet provided in their convention materials. NAIT will then record this activity on the individual's official certification records.
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Professional Development Units
- A total of seventy-five (75) contact hours known as Professional Development Units (PDUs) must be completed to qualify for recertification. The professional development activity must be related to the discipline of Industrial Technology. Appropriate professional activities include, but are not limited to courses, seminars, workshops and training sessions sponsored by professional associations (i.e., NAIT, ITEA, SME, ASSE, ASQ, etc.), colleges and universities, employers or other education and training organizations.
- Required documentation of activities shall include name of sponsor, title and description, number of hours, CEUs or credits, and verification of attendance, and should be provided in a document not produced by the certified individual - the sponsor of the activity, or the certified individual's organization usually can provide such a document, often in the form of a certificate, or letter.
- A Human Resources Office or Personnel Office can often provide documentation of professional development activities. Letters signed or verified by a supervisor are also accepted as valid independent evidence of continuing education activities.
- See below for specific examples of PDU values for specific activities and forms of documentation.
- The NAIT Staff stand ready to assist you in documenting your activity. Although we require you to provide the documentation and NAIT will not obtain documentation on your behalf, the NAIT Staff will walk you through the documentation process and suggest types of documents that will be effective to verify your activity. Please do not hesitate to contact the NAIT office if you have questions or need help. The easiest way to do that is by a phone call to the NAIT office, (734) 677-0720, during normal business hours (9-5 Eastern Time, Monday through Friday) or by sending an email to the Certification Officer, Dave Monforton.
NAIT Convention Workshops, General and Breakout Sessions:
PDUs: 1 PDU per contact hour. Documentation Required: PDU Report Sheet.
NAIT Convention Presentation:
PDUs: 3 PDUs per presentation. Documentation Required: PDU Report Sheet/NAIT Convention Program or confirmation by NAIT office.
NAIT Convention "Selected Paper":
PDUs: 6 PDUs per "Selected Paper". Documentation Required: Confirmation by NAIT office.
Attendance at Conference Related to Industrial Technology:
PDUs: 1 PDU per contact hour. Documentation required: Validation by program sponsor/Confirming document from supervisor or Human Resources/Training Department or institution offering training.
Presentation at Conference Related to Industrial Technology:
PDUs: 2 PDUs per presentation. Documentation required: Validation by program sponsor/Confirming document from supervisor or Human Resources/Training Department or institution offering training.
Educational and Industrial Training Sessions or Workshops:
PDUs: 1 PDU per contact hour. Documentation required: Certificate or other independent document indicating total contact hours/Confirming document from supervisor or Human Resources/Training Department or institution offering training.
Other Professional/Technical Certification:
NAIT does not give standardized credit for obtaining or maintaining other certifications, though continuing education activities completed to satisfy education requirements may also qualify for NAIT Certification PDUs.
Continuing Education Course:
PDUs: 1 CEU = 5 PDUs. Documentation required: Copy of signed CEU certificate.
Industrial Technology Related Audited College Course:
PDUs: 1 Semester hour = 8 PDUs. Documentation required: Copy of transcript showing audit which also indicates student's name and institution name (many web-based transcripts do not identify the student and thus are not sufficient.)
Industrial Technology Related College Credit Course:
PDUs: 1 Semester hour = 12 PDUs. Documentation required: Copy of transcript showing credit which also indicates student's name and institution name (many web-based transcripts do not identify the student and thus are not sufficient.)
Develop and Teach New College Level Industrial Technology Credit Course On or Off Campus:
PDUs: 1 Semester hour = 12 PDUs. Documentation required: Confirming document from supervisor or verified by supervisor, stating name of course, number of credit hours, when first taught (month/year), and that the individual "developed and taught the course for the first time."
Develop and Teach New Industry Training Course, Workshop or Seminar:
PDUs: 1 student class time contact hour = 1 PDU. Documentation required: Confirming document from supervisor or verified by supervisor, Human Resources/Training Department, or institution offering training, stating name of course, number of student contact hours, when first taught (month/year), and that the individual "developed and taught the course for the first time."
Peer-Refereed Published Article:
PDUs: 10 PDUs. Documentation required: Copy of article with publication information clearly showing date of publication and that it was accepted for publication after peer-refereed review.
Published Chapter in a Textbook:
PDUs: 25 PDUs. Documentation required: Copy of chapter with publication information clearly showing authorship and ISBN#.
Published Textbook:
PDUs: 75 PDUs. Documentation required: Bibliographical entry clearly showing authorship including ISBN#.
Prepare and Conduct a Workshop on New Topic:
PDUs: 3 PDUs. Documentation required: Copy of workshop outline and brief report on workshop.
Serve First Time on NAIT Accreditation Team Visit:
PDUs: 5 PDUs. Documentation required: NAIT visiting team report.
Serve First Time as NAIT Accreditation Team Chair:
PDUs: 10 PDUs. Documentation required: NAIT visiting team report.
Elected NAIT Position or Board Chair:
PDUs: 20 PDUs. Documentation required: Verified by NAIT National Office.
If you have questions about what and how to report your PDUs, just contact Dave Monforton at the NAIT office!
Telephone: 734-677-0720
Fax: 734-677-0046
Email: dave@nait.org
