Certification

The California Investigative Academy offers certification in various areas of investigative specialty. If you have sufficient experience, or have attended one of our attendance schools, seminars or workshops, or if you have completed any of our correspondence or on-line training courses, you may be eligible to apply for certification in any one of a number of specialty areas.

You may download certification qualification sheets and application by clicking on the appropriate link below.

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To qualify for certification testing, you must meet at least one of the following requirements:

1. Three years of verifiable experience in the specialty field for which you are seeking certification..

2. Two years verifiable experience in the same or related specialty area and successful completion of a pre-certification preparation course on the subject matter.

3. One year of experience in the specialty area and successful completion of an Academy approved course of training on the same or related subject (attendance school, correspondence course, or on-line course of training).

If you qualify, complete an application for certification testing and submit it to the Academy Certification Committee, along with the application fee. Your application will be reviewed and your qualifications verified. Arrangements will then be made to administer the test, either at one of our training sessions, on-line, or through a proctor at your work location.

The testing is completed in four parts. Part I of the testing process is verification of your education and experience. Part II of the testing process is a one hundred fifty question multiple choice and fill‑in‑the‑blanks questionnaire, covering all aspects of the specialty area for which certification is being sought. Part III of the testing process is a practical investigative exercise related to your designated area of certification. Part IV of the testing process may include a separate practical exercise and/or the preparation of an investigative report outlining your discoveries during the practical exercise portion(s) of the testing process.

Upon verification of your qualifications and satisfactory completion of the testing process, the academy will issue a document identifying you as a Certified Professional the designated area of specialty.

The Certification/Application fee for any specialty area is Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00). The fee covers the cost of verifying your qualifications, administration of the testing process, issuance of the certificate and maintenance of records. The pre-certification preparation course and other training you may require to meet qualification standards is not included in the certification/application fee. Your application cannot be processed without the appropriate fee.

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