About the Credential

The purpose of APPA’s Certification program is to:

• Assure educational institutions of the quality of their facilities management professionals
• Drive professional development
• Establish standards for professional performance in educational facilities management

The Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) designation provides a professional credentialing continuum for the educational facilities professional.

This is the credential for both aspiring and existing senior level educational facilities professionals with five or more years of professional experience.

In addition to knowledge based questions, the online CEFP examination is designed to test and validate both professional experience and the sound application of knowledge. The Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) is an advanced standard to identify and honor the experienced educational facilities professional. The CEFP recognizes those professionals with mid- to senior-level professional experience and education in the field of educational facilities management.

It is an advanced level of certification that represents a mastery of professional expertise and is a mark of superior proficiency in the core competencies for education facilities professionals. The CEFP demonstrates superior proficiency, professional strength, and unfailing dedication in the field of educational facilities. The CEFP represents the foundational knowledge, talent, and skills of facilities professionals by highlighting accountability and emphasizing the importance of the profession as a whole and also at the institutional level.

APPA looks to have the CEFP become the industry standard for educational facilities professionals, in which employers use the CEFP in their recruiting documents and recognize the certified individual as having the skill, proficiency, and experience level that will serve their institutions well. Having this advanced certification will allow educational facilities professionals to become more competitive amongst other professionals and more desirable for future leadership positions. They will also have more opportunities for career advancement and the ability to leverage their personal return on investment in terms of career development.

To maintain the CEFP credential, senior level professionals must demonstrate their commitment to on-going professional development and continuing leadership by means of a recertification process every four years. The process utilizes a point system that assigns recertification credits for participation in professional development programs, as well as APPA and non-APPA volunteer leadership and service in support of the educational facilities profession.