Types of Professional Designations

A designation says to your clients or customers that you are continually improving as an industry professional by studying the best practices of our national industry.  

Most designations cover industry basics such as marketing and business techniques, however, specialized coursework includes aging-in-place remodeling, property management, green building and more. 

​Access to real-world information and great leadership opportunities are benefits typically mentioned by designees. However, graduates also routinely express that the chance to network with expert instructors and their peers is a huge plus.  
  • Certified Graduate Associate (CGA):  Developed specifically for NAHB associate members (including suppliers of materials and financial services), the CGA program offers participants an opportunity to enhance their knowledge of home building industry fundamentals.
  • Certified Graduate Builder (CGB): An overview of key areas in today’s home building industry, the CGB curriculum covers business management, financial strategies, marketing techniques, construction technologies, and more.
  • Graduate Master Builder (GMB): The GMB program allows industry professionals who already have completed either the Certified Graduate Builder or the Certified Graduate Remodelor course to more fully develop their skills and provides in-depth instruction geared for experienced building professionals.
  • Certified Green Professional (CGP):  The National Association of Home Builders’ Certified Green Professional™ Designation teaches builders, remodelers and other industry professionals techniques for incorporating green building principles into homes—without driving up the cost of construction.
  • Master Certified Green Professional (Master CGP): Exclusively for experienced builders and remodelers, the Master Certified Green Professional (Master CGP) designation comprises a more in-depth study of green building science and methods. The courses required for the designation cover topics like building science techniques, the high-performance home and marketing strategies for selling green.
  • Certified Graduate RemodelerTM (CGR): An exclusive professional designation that emphasizes business management skills as the key to a professional remodeling operation, the CGR designation trains remodelers in project management, design estimating and job cost, along with other core skills relevant to the remodeling industry.
  • Graduate Master Remodeler (GMR): Targeted to roll out in 2008, the Graduate Master Remodeler (GMR) program includes advanced and updated courses geared toward experienced remodeling professionals.
  • Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS): Developed by NAHB RemodelorsTM , in collaboration with the AARP, Home Innovation Research Labs and and the NAHB 55+ Housing Industry Council, the CAPS program provides comprehensive, practical, market-specific information about universal design and working with older and maturing adults to remodel their homes so they stay safer as they age. 
  • Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP): The CSP program is designed to help specialists in new home sales to enhance their professional image, increase their marketability in the home building industry and sell more homes.
  • Master Certified New Home Sales Professional (Master CSP): A more advanced designation that acknowledges additional educational achievements of CSP graduates, the Master CSP program is open to professionals currently holding a CSP designation. Advanced courses such as “House Construction as a Selling Tool” and “Essential Closing Strategies” are targeted toward improving participants’ sales and marketing skills and providing increased marketability in the industry.
  • Certified New Home Marketing Professional (CMP): As a mid-level professional designation, the CMP program recognizes the achievements of students who have completed two marketing-intensive core Institute of Residential Marketing courses, each of which have an online and a classroom component: Principles of Residential Marketing: Research & Analysis and Principles of Residential Marketing: Strategy & Implementation
  • Master in Residential Marketing (MIRM): The most prestigious designation bestowed by the Institute of Residential Marketing, the MIRM represents the highest level of achievement for professionals in new home marketing. MIRM graduates are required to complete all mandated coursework and submit a case study for approval before graduating from the program.
  • Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP): A specialized designation for developers, property managers, asset managers and others working in the low-income and affordable housing industry, the HCCP program is the industry benchmark for education, experience and ethical standards for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) professionals. The HCCP designation is the only nationally endorsed credential of its kind, and was created through a partnership of NAHB and the National Affordable Housing Management Association.