Certified Industrial Hygienist

What is the CIH certification?

The Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) certification is the premier certification for occupational health and safety professionals around the world. It is also considered the top certification for indoor air quality consultants. This most prestigious certification is offered by the Board for Global EHS Credentialing (BGC) and is accredited through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

One reason the CIH certification is extremely sought after is the difficulty in obtaining it. Few candidates qualify and the exam is very challenging. However, those professionals that push through with obtaining the CIH will have many opportunities opened to them.

What are the CIH prerequisites?

Qualifying to take the CIH exam can be harder than actually passing it!  There is a 32-page Candidate Handbook that outlines all of the requirements.  Below we provide a quick summary of the requirements to become a Certified Industrial Hygienist:

• 4-year Bachelor’s degree with special STEM requirements
• At least 12 Academic Semester Credits of Industrial Hygiene coursework from a college or university, or 240 contact hours from a continuing-education provider
• At least 2 contact hours of ethics training
• At least 4 years of professional level comprehensive industrial hygiene practice
• Two letters of recommendation to detail your professional experience, one of which must come from a current Certified Industrial Hygienist

If you are looking for extra contact hours or to prepare for the exam, you should consider our CIH Crash Course.

If you have questions about your experience meeting the requirements, we suggest you contact the BGC at (517) 321-2638.