Certified Network Professional Program

All about the CNP

How to Obtain the CNP

There are 2 routes to obtain the CNP designation and both routes require passing a base exam and a background check:

1. Experience credits only
2. A combination of education and experience credits

Base Exam

All candidates for the designation must pass a base exam as specified in the CNP Guidelines. The base exams are to be considered stand alone exams. The fact that some of them are part of other industry certifications and qualify for certifications on their own (example Network +) does not prevent the candidate from utilizing the certification awarded, as a result of passing any base exam, for meeting the requirements for the CNP.

Experience Credits Only

Experience credits can only be assigned for professional level work as determined by CNP Guidelines. Some examples of professional work activities would include: network systems analysis and design, network data base analysis or administration, network systems programming, web development, network hardware design, telecommunications, network systems planning or analysis, network security design and analysis, research involving networking, management of networking activities, maintenance where network design or analysis is included, teaching networking at a professional level, sales or marketing where professional level network recommendations are required.

10 or more years of professional level experience in networking qualifies as meeting the standards for entry as a CNP.

Education Credits plus Experience

Completion of any of the widely recognized certification programs from Major Vendors and the Open Source Community apply. A minimum of 100 points are required for qualification of meeting the standards for entry as a CNP. Those points could come from the certification category only, the education category only or a combination of both of the categories. The certification or education credits from a completed program count.

Certification Category

The points system is generally based on 10 points per test that is required for a certification as specified by the vendor. For more details on the accepted vendor certifications and their point values, please consult the CNP Guidelines. Candidates must have at least 2 vendor's certifications in the 100 points. Only one and only the highest certification is accepted from a single vendor, i.e. for Cisco you cannot use the CCNA and the CCNP.

Examples are:

Microsoft

• MCSE 2000 (6 exams - 60 points)
• MCSE 2003 (7 exams - 70 points)

Cisco

• CCDP (7 exams - 70 points)
• CCNP (7 exams - 70 points)

HP

• ASE (5 exams - 50 points)

Linux Professional Institute

• LPIC-2 (4 exams - 40 points)

Novell

• CNE (5 exams - 50 points)
• MCNE (9 exams - 90 points)

Red Hat

• RHCE (1 exam - 10 points)

ISC

• CISSP (1 exam - 20 points)

ICCP

• CCP (3 exams - 30 points)

Sun

• Solaris Network Admin (3 exams - 30 points)

Formal Education Category

For Students

The points for the education category are listed below. Credit is only given for candidates who have graduated from an accredited program and only the highest degree program is accepted.

Points	Degree
20	Vocational/Technical Certificate in a related field
30	Vocational/Technical Certificate in a specific field
40	Associate Degree in a related field
50	Associate Degree in a specific field
50	Bachelors Degree in a non-related field
60	Bachelors Degree in a related field
70	Bachelors Degree in a specific field
70	Masters Degree in a non-related field
80	Masters Degree in a related field
90	Masters Degree in a specific field
90	Ph.D. Degree in a non-related field
100	Ph.D. Degree in a related field
100	Ph.D. Degree in a specific field

Specific Fields	Related Fields
Colleges & Universities	Colleges & Universities
Computer Analysis	Business
Computer Electronics	Data Processing
Computer Information Systems	Electrical Engineering Technology
Computer Repair	Electronics Engineering Technology
Computer Science	Engineering Technology
Computer Systems Technology	Information and Office Technology
Computer Technician	Information Processing
Electronic Computer Maintenance	Information Systems Analysis
Mainframe Computers	Office Automation
Network Management	Programming and Analysis
Unix System Management	Small Business Information Systems
Vocational/Technical	Vocational/Technical
Computer Office Information Systems	Business
Computer Science	Business Administration
Electrical Technology	Business Automation
Information Systems	Manufacturing Engineering

For Teachers

Because teaching requires much more effort than attending classes, there is an additional set of points awarded as listed below:

Points	Teaching Activities
50	Vendor Teaching Certification (MCT, CNI etc)
50	Formal Education Teaching Certification
70	Presenting at a major conference or conducting international Web Casts as a profiled expert speaker or moderator

All certifications and presentation experience must be CNP approved and only current certifications or presentations done in the last 12 months prior to the application will be accepted.

Experience Category

Below is the listing of experience credits that can be used. As mentioned above in the Experience Credits only path, the credits can only be assigned for professional level work as determined by CNP Guidelines.

3 years of professional level experience is the minimum qualification for a candidate for this certification.

Points	Number of Years of Professional Experience
10	4 Years
20	5 Years
30	6 Years
40	7 Years
50	8 Years
60	9 Years

Specifics for this route

1. Successful completion of a base exam
2. 100 points of combined education and experience credits
3. 3 years of professional level experience in networking

Submission Requirements

1. A completed CNP application form with references and proof of work experience.
2. A completed NPA Membership application form, if you're not a current NPA Member.
3. The appropriate fees paid.

The fees are as follows:

Non-NPA members - $400 (includes NPA membership)

NPA members - $200

Associate CNP holders - $100

If your application is unsuccessful, the application fee will be refunded, less an administration processing charge of $150.

Associate CNP (ACNP) Designation

If a candidate has:

1. Submitted the CNP Application and References, and they have been accepted.
2. Passed a base exam
3. Paid the fees
4. Has been accepted as a Member of NPA

The Candidate may use the Associate CNP (ACNP) designation. The continuing education and the annual recertification requirements are the same. The process to convert to a CNP, once the remaining requirements have been met, is to:

1. Resubmit the CNP application and References
2. Submit proof of active NPA membership
3. Pay a fee of $100.

Annual Recertification

To retain your CNP or ACNP designation, you must maintain your professional currency. Once you have been certified, you will need to recertify annually. Professional currency involves a combination of self-directed educational activities plus maintenance of your currency in the field of Network Information Systems.

Requirements

You are required to obtain:

1. At least 100 education credits per year.
2. At least 1000 hours per year of IS professional level activities.

A log and supporting information must be submitted with the recertification application. The recertification fee is $200 and is separate from your NPA membership fee. This fee supports the work of our committees and councils involved in professionalism related activities. These include: development of a common body of knowledge and registration of the CNP.

Examples of education credits are:

Attending Vendor Education	1 in class hour = 1 credit
Attending Formal Education	1 in class hour = 1 credit
Teaching a recognized course*	1 in class hour = 3 credits
Attending Seminars & Conferences	2 hours = 1 credit
Teaching/Leading Seminars	1 hour = 3 credits
Presenting at Conferences	up to an hour = 60 credits, after that it is an additional 40 credits for each 30 min interval
NPA & other professional events	1 hour = 1 credit
Self Study/CBT/Video	2 hours = 1 credit
Certification Test passed	10 credits
Paper accepted for publication	25 credits
Publishing a book	Credits are on a case by case basis, up to 100 credits

1. All courses must be CNP approved and only completed courses will be accepted.
2. Fractional units will not count
3. No more than 50 credits of self-study accepted.
4. A maximum of 3 papers can be used for credit.
1. 1 paper published outside the Network Professional Journal (NPJ) will be accepted for credit.
2. 2 additional papers will be accepted for credit if they are accepted for publication by the NPJ.

* Teaching credits only count for those classes outside of your normal profession. Those persons that teach as a profession can only use those hours for professional experience and not for continuing education credit. Educators can take the credit if the course was outside of their normal work experience.

For additional information on how to obtain educational credits or on what values are for other activities, please refer to the CNP Guidelines.

If I do not re-certify, what happens?

Your CNP or ACNP membership will be changed to inactive. You must cease using the CNP or ACNP designation, and cannot indicate that you are an Accredited Member of the NPA. In order to re-qualify, you will need to reapply under the CNP certification guidelines in use at that time. The fee for the review process is $300.

Accountability

There will be a process to ensure that CNP holders are being held accountable for their ethics and professionalism. All complaints will be investigated by the Ethics and Professionalism Committee and all outcomes will be governed by the NPA Accountability Guidelines.

Why is NPA Membership Required?

The CNP is strongly linked to adherence to the NPA Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct. Professional certification by NPA is not government sanctioned licensing. Adherence to a Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct provides one measure of professional conduct and behavior to employers, educators and the public. A cornerstone of our Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct is the assurance CNP holders will not take on tasks they are not competent to perform.

The NPA is responsible for the international practices and standards (e.g. Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, Common Body of Knowledge) needed by the CNP program. By its jurisdiction over CNP holders, the NPA will also provide a mechanism to guarantee the portability of the designation internationally.

Next steps:

1. We are working with State Governments to gain acceptance as a license for the occupation.
2. We are working with organizations in other countries to cross certify with them.
3. We are developing a Master CNP program for those individuals who are proven leaders in the industry. It is envisioned that this program will rollout in late 2006, with details available by mid 2006.

The CNP program was developed and funded by the Network Professional Association® (NPA). The NPA is a self-regulating, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the network computing profession.

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