Governance & Authority
All CEDIA Certifications are overseen by the CEDIA Certification Commission which is a permanent, independent governing body established by the CEDIA Bylaws. The Certification Commission develops, maintains, and provides oversight for the certification programs in adherence with best practices and recognized accreditation standards for certification programs. The certification programs are developed to identify qualified home technology professionals. As such, the certification examination for each credential is based on a job task analysis study designed to identify the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities essential to practice.
The Certification Commission ensures that all application and eligibility requirements, examination development and administration, renewal/recertification requirements, and all certification program policies and procedures are directly related to, and support, the identified purpose and scope of each certification program.
Meet the Certification Commission
Accreditation
The CEDIA Certified Cabling & Infrastructure Technician (CIT) and Certified Integrated System Technician (IST) is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) has having met the global standard for personnel certification bodies as defined by the ISO/IEC 17024 standard. ANAB is a signatory to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA), which provides mutual recognition by accreditation bodies across the globe.
Third-party accreditation provides candidates, employers, and other stakeholders confidence that the certification is a fair, relevant and reliable and measure of competency.
Impartiality Statement
The CEDIA Certification Commission is solely responsible for the essential decisions related to the development, administration and ongoing maintenance of all CEDIA Certification programs. Impartiality is central to carrying out all of the Commission’s activities. CEDIA and the Certification Commission establish and implement policies to manage conflicts of interest and ensure the objectivity of certification activities.
Impartiality Regarding Training
The Certification Commission’s role in developing and administering the CEDIA certification examinations is to determine if candidates for certification meet the established qualifications and standards. The Certification Commission does not require, provide, approve, accredit, recommend, or endorse any specific training courses, study guides, review programs, or other examination preparation products.
Feedback and Complaints
Individuals may submit feedback to CEDIA regarding the application process, testing experience, program staff or other elements of the program by sending an email to certification@cedia.org
If an individual wishes to place formal complaint regarding a current certification holder regarding a possible Code of Conduct or other policy violation this must be done so in writing. Please view the full CEDIA Certification Disciplinary & Complaints Policy for further information.
Please view the CIT Handbook or IST Handbook for a complete list of program policies.
Verification of Certified Individuals
If you wish to verify the status of an individual’s certification, please contact the CEDIA Certification at certification@cedia.org.
Legacy Certifications
Electronic Systems Certified (ESC) The ESC served as CEDIA’s entry-level certification from 2015-2020 covering a range of foundational technical and general industry knowledge. This certification is valid for 5 years from the date of earning and is not renewable. CEDIA continues to recognize those individuals who earned the ESC and are still active. As of January 1, 2021, this certification is no longer offered as it has been replaced by the CEDIA Certified Cabling & Infrastructure Technician (CIT).
Electronic Systems Certified Technician (ESC-T) - The ESC-T served as CEDIA’s intermediate-level certification from 2014-2021 covering a wide range of technical topics. As of November 1, 2021 this exam was no longer offered as it was replaced by the CEDIA Certified Integrated Systems Technician (IST). Individuals who held the ESC-T were able to transition to the IST at their next cycle provided that they followed existing renewal policies for 30 CEUs, agreed to the new Code of Conduct and provided proof recent work experience.
Electronic Systems Certified Networking Specialist (ESC-N) The ESC-N served as CEDIA’s advanced level networking certification from 2014 – 2024. As of September 1, 2024 this exam was no longer offered as it was replaced by the CEDIA Residential Networking Specialist (RNS). Learn more about this transition here. CEDIA will continue to recognize those who actively hold the certification through the end of their current certification period. At that point they may transition to the RNS by submitting the standard 30 CEUs and agreeing to the new Code of Conduct.
Program Report
As of December 31, 2023:
Active CEDIA Certifications held
CIT: 371
IST: 171
ESC-N: 143
ESC-D: 128
ESC: 78
ESC-T: 65
Total number of exam candidates and averaged pass rate for last 3 years
CIT: 1554, 23%*
IST: 105, 78%
ESC-N: 82, 67%
ESC-D: 70, 52%
*Pass rate for CIT candidates already employed in industry (423) is 65%
Contact Information
All general inquiries should be directed to CEDIA Certification staff which is the contact point for the CEDIA Certification Commission and all Certification related matters.
CEDIA Global Headquarters
Certification Department
8475 Nightfall Lane
Fishers, IN 46037
800-669-5329 (x182) or 317-328-4336 (x182)
certification@cedia.org