ESA Certification: Guidelines & Requirements

Goal and Function

The goal of certification is to foster the incorporation of ecological principles in the decision-making process of the Society. To meet this goal, the Ecological Society of America recognizes individuals whose education, training, and experience meet the established standards of the Society.

The ESA certification program provides ready access to professional ecologists for advice and technical guidance on public policy and regulatory issues facing society.

Though certification does not guarantee the competence of individuals to address specific matters, the Society attests that certified members have met minimum education and experience requirement for various certification levels. Each certified member also acknowledges adherence to the ESA Code of Ethics.

Objectives

To serve the needs of ecologists who wish to establish and validate their professional credentials.

• To guide biologists, government agencies, courts, and the public in defining minimum standards of education and experience for professional ecologists, and to encourage all practicing ecologists to meet such standards.
  
• To create and maintain public confidence in the advice and opinions of Certified Ecologists as well as educated and experienced professionals who have pledged to uphold the Code of Ethics of the Ecological Society of America and to act in the best interest of the public.
  
• To assist the public in identifying ecologists by establishing a procedure for critical peer evaluation based upon defined minimum education, experience, and ethical requirements.
  

Requirements for Eligibility: Education and Experience

Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree which includes the equivalent of at least 30 semester hours of biological science with at least 9 semester hours of ecology, and at least 12 semester hours of physical and mathematical science. Undergraduate requirements may be met in graduate programs but should be documented. Graduate degrees must include an introduction to three major areas of ecological inquiry: populations, communities and ecosystems.

Levels of Certification: Associate Ecologist

Successful completion of a bachelor's or higher degree in ecology or a related science from an accredited college or university, and at least one year of post-graduate professional experience^* gained in the performance of research or development of methods demonstrating technical competence in the current application of ecological principles and/or theory to decision making.

Ecologist

• Successful completion of a master's or higher degree in ecology or a related science from an accredited college or university, and at least two years of full-time equivalent professional experience^* after degree, OR at least 5 years of professional experience^* in addition to the education requirement for Associate Ecologist.
• In addition to experience required for Associate Ecologist, demonstration of ability to perform professional work in ecology such as independent studies, complex data analyses, and formulation and testing of hypotheses must follow completion of the master's degree or the degree level used to qualify for Ecologist's level.

Senior Ecologist

• Successful completion of a doctoral degree in ecology or a related science from an accredited college or university, and at least five years of professional experience^*, OR at least 10 years professional experience^* in addition to the education requirement for Ecologist.
• Additional experience necessary to qualify at this level includes: a) demonstration, in work output, of thorough knowledge of the literature, scientific principles and theories of ecology, b) demonstration of written original contributions or original interpretation of ecological information, and c) demonstration of technical or organizational competence as evidenced by supervision of projects. Experience must follow completion of the degree level used to qualify for Ecologist.
• An applicant who does not qualify under the above criteria may submit a statement to the Board of Professional Certification explaining why and how the intent of the education and experience requirements is satisfied.

Streamlined Application Requirements

• Must be an ESA members
  
• Must meet the requirements of a Senior Ecologist
  
• Must have at least 10 years of experience beyond PH.D.

Ethics and Professional Conduct

Certified Ecologists shall conduct their activities in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Ecological Society of America and with the highest standards of professional conduct and personal honor. Those who subscribe to the Code of Ethics are eligible for certification, provided they meet minimum education and experience requirements.

Appeals Procedure

A decision of the Board of Professional Certification to deny certification may be appealed in writing to the ESA Governing Board. Details of the procedure are available upon request.

Disciplinary Procedure

The Board of Professional Certification, with approval of the Professional Ethics Committee, shall have the authority to censure a certificant, to suspend certification for a stated period, or to revoke certification on the finding that an individual has willfully violated the Code of Ethics or misrepresented the facts at the time of certification. Such a finding may be reached by concluding that an allegation of improper deportment is true.

Such an allegation may be presented to the Board in writing, by any member of the Ecological Society of America. Anonymous allegations will not be entertained. Anyone named a party to such proceeding shall be informed in a timely manner of the evidence brought forward and be given an opportunity to respond to the allegations. The Board will forward all material to the Professional Ethics Committee. After review of the case by the Committee and the board, the Board will render a written decision informing the certified ecologist, the individual who initiated the allegation, and the Governing Board. Any such action of the Board may be appealed to the Governing Board, whose decision will be final.

For additional certification information, please contact Rachel Dellon at (202) 833-8773 or Email: @ rachel@esa.org.

* Time spent in graduate school beyond the degree being used for the level of certification sought counts as half-time experience. Length of experience will be evaluated only up to the application deadline (February 1).