Certified Park and Recreation Professional

The Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certification is the national standard for all parks and recreation professionals who want to be at the forefront of their profession. Attaining the CPRP designation shows that you have met education and experience qualifications, and illustrates your commitment to the profession as well as your knowledge and understanding of key concepts within parks and recreation. This is a 2 year certification for professional certification for individuals employed in recreation, park resources and leisure services. It must renewed every 2 years with 2.0 Continuing Education Units. By becoming a CPRP you will:

• Join an elite group of more than 6,400 CPRPs who have committed to advancing our field.
• Increase the confidence outside groups and the community have in you and your organization.
• Show your employer that you’re a valuable member of the team and that you’re willing to learn new things.
• Gain an edge over other candidates when that promotion opportunity pops up or your dream job calls.

Certified Park and Recreation Executive

The Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE) establishes a national standard for managerial, administrative and executive parks and recreation professionals. This mastery-level credential focuses on the practical knowledge and current real-world skills necessary in today’s changing park and recreation environment. This is a 3 year certification is for executive-level professional certification for individuals employed in recreation, park resources and leisure services. It must be renewed every 3 year with 3.0 Continuing Education Units.

NRPA Resources

• Become a CPRE
• Renew Your Certification
• CPRE Exam
• CPRE Prep Materials & Resources

"I did not enter the field of parks and recreation through a collegiate degree. I was always active in my local parks and recreation agency and was a seasonal employee (youth sports official, lifeguard, pool manager), but during my collegiate years, I worked my way toward a career in communications, specifically seeing myself working for a newspaper the rest of my life as a reporter and editor. (You see how that went!)

Fast forward 13 years in parks and recreation, and much of my 'expertise' has come from my real-world experience at Hutch Rec, especially in marketing, special event planning, and programming. However, there were several administrative and parts of the profession that I knew I needed to grow in and expand my knowledge. I wanted to combine my real-world training with the professional knowledge of the field and desired to become a Certified Parks & Recreation Professional.

For those who haven’t had the traditional parks and recreation education (and really, for those who have), I would strongly recommend taking advantage of the study tools for the CPRP exam."

- Amy Conkling, HutchRec