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AMS Resources and Response to the Federal Science Crisis
Certified Climate Science Professionals (CCSPs) are backed by the American Meteorological Society, a trusted voice for weather, water, and climate science and services. Earning the CCSP demonstrates to all that you have met rigorous standards of scientific expertise, professionalism, and personal integrity.
Becoming a CCSP pays off in professional value across your career.
Receiving CCSP accreditation attests to everyone that you have gone through rigorous testing and demonstrates your education, experience, and knowledge of climate science as well as your ability to effectively communicate this knowledge to users who are seeking climate services.
AMS certifications have been nationally recognized as the standard in weather, water, and climate certification since 1957. Earning a CCSP designation provides you a competitive edge with employers, and earns you recognition among your peers as an expert in identifying and providing authoritative data and information to solve climate-related problems and inform decision making.
All active CCSPs receive a quarterly newsletter that provides information about the ongoing activities of the CCSP program and the field. CCSPs are also encouraged to share information about their work by submitting articles for publication.
A 28 point professional development requirement every 5 years helps keep you abreast of new scientific research and tools. Attending conferences, serving as a lead forecaster on special events, mentoring a high school student, serving as an expert witness, or authoring a peer reviewed paper are just a few of the many ways to stay current in the field.
See old friends and meet news ones at the Certification Breakfast held each year at the AMS Annual Meeting–the largest weather-water-climate conference, attended by hundreds of climate science professionals.
In a crowded information environment, CCSP certification helps members of the public, decision-makers, and others know that you speak from a place of scientific understanding and experience.
This mark of distinction, displayed on your social media pages and website, sets you apart as an expert in communicating complex climate information.
As a minimum, applicants must meet one of the below requirements and have a minimum of five years of work at the professional level in climatology or a related field. Substitution of a postgraduate degree below the doctorate is permitted for one year of experience, and substitution of the doctorate degree in climatology or a related science for up to two years is allowable.
(A) Hold a Bachelor's (or higher) degree in meteorology, climatology, or atmospheric science.
(B) Hold a Bachelor's (or higher) degree in other disciplines such as geography or engineering, among others. Acceptability of degree(s) will be determined after a review of the applicant’s college/university transcripts. Note: degrees in English, literature, philosophy, languages, journalism, communications, business administration, or similar disciplines would not lead to eligibility for the CCSP.
To earn the CCSP credential, a candidate must make application for the designation, be recommended by three associates, pass a stringent written examination, and pass an oral examination before the CCSP Board.
Candidates must first complete an online application form. Applications will be accepted only from individuals who meet the eligibility requirements.
Application to the AMS CCSP Program requires a two-step process. The first part is a written examination, which must be successfully completed before the candidate can proceed to the second part, the oral examination. To foster an anonymous, unbiased evaluation, the candidate is known throughout the written examination only by an identifying number assigned by the Chair. The CCSP applicant must pass a two-part written examination. The first is an “open-book” examination consisting of 15 questions (out of a pool of 18) to test the applicant’s general climatological background as well as their area of specialty or expertise. Candidates will also have the option to write one of their own questions, in lieu of one of the 15, for potential addition to the test bank. These questions are subject to the same grading rubric. In the written examination process, candidates must provide their own work and may not receive assistance from others. Any instance of plagiarism, including but not limited to the use of artificial intelligence (AI), is strictly prohibited and will result in a Code of Conduct complaint. All written answers should be in the candidate's own words. A period of 90 days is normally suggested as sufficient to complete the written part of the examination. A climate science report is the second part of the written assignment. Candidates will be provided with two report scenarios and will choose one to complete. Effective communication skills are essential for anyone contemplating attainment of the CCSP credential. A CCSP candidate must demonstrate that they possess the ability to apply their climatological knowledge beneficially to the affairs of humankind and communicate that knowledge to the public. It is essential that the CCSP be able to provide a written product that communicates effectively to any non-technical user.
To pass the written portion of the exam, the candidate must fulfill the following three steps: (1) the average score for the 15 written questions must be 70 or higher; (2) the candidate must score an average of 70 or higher on at least 9 of the 15 questions; and (3) the candidate must score an average of 70 or higher on the climate science report. If the outcome of the above three steps are not met, the exam is deemed a failure and no oral review will be conducted for that applicant. Three Board members are assigned to grade the exam using the following grading rubrics.
Applicants achieving a passing grade on the combined written exam and climate science essay are qualified for an oral exam. The oral portion of the examination is conducted through a virtual testing process. Commonly the full Board participates, but a panel of at least 3 Board members is required.
The exam will include the following:
All applicants are advised before the oral exam begins, the names and affiliations of the members of the Panel who will administer the exam. Any applicant may request that any member be disqualified for reasons of conflict of interest. The Chair or senior Board member of the Panel, however, reserves the final decision on all such requests.
Applicants will be given a list of any questions and/or climate science essay sections for which their aggregate score across all graders was less than 70, to assist them with preparing for the oral exam. No information on the identity of, or scoring from, individual graders will be provided.
Following each examination the participating members vote individually on their recommendation for each candidate. The ballot contains a statement that “To the best of their knowledge, the voting Board member has no conflict of interest with this applicant.” The ballot asks each grader to assess the candidate in three categories: knowledge, communications, and ethics. Grades are assigned on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) in each category. For each category, there is a space for remarks explaining the grade assigned. At the end of the ballot, there is a signature and date block. Certification will be recommended if the majority of graders give the candidate a score of 7 or higher in each of the three categories.
Results of the Board’s vote are communicated to the Commissioner on Professional Affairs.
*Non-members may apply for AMS membership and pay the member rate.
The annual renewal fee for the CCSP is $206 for AMS Members and $515 for Non-members.
Acceptable payments: Check (made payable to AMS) or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express)
Certification is for a period of one year, and can be renewed annually. Renewals are billed by the AMS in conjunction with annual membership and subscription notices. If an individual fails to renew certification or fails to achieve an acceptable level of continuing professional development during the five-year period following certification or the completion of the most recent continuing professional development period, the certification will be considered Inactive.
Inactive Status
Inactive CCSPs can’t practice as a CCSP or market themselves as CCSPs. Those wishing to acknowledge their past active CCSP status in resumes may do so, but must list the years from initial certification to when they lapsed into Inactive status.
Retired Status
Retired CCSPs may request that their status be changed to 'retired'. CCSPs with a retired status are no longer required to pay the CCSP renewal fee and do not need to complete the professional development requirement. Those wishing to acknowledge their past active CCSP status in resumes may do so, but must list the years from initial certification to when their status changed to retired.
Reactivation
Reactivation of an Inactive certification can be obtained under the following situations:
CCSPs must demonstrate exemplary qualities of character and devotion to high professional standards. Relations with peers, and with clients or employers, should be conducted in a spirit conforming in full to the Society’s Code of Conduct. The applicant’s record of professional work should clearly indicate that they maintain those traits for conduct complying fully with the Society's Code of Conduct and applying generally in public contacts.
The Certified Climate Science Professional (CCSP) Progam was inaugurated in September 2026. The purpose of this program is to provide the community with certified climate scientists that are qualified to deliver authoritative analysis and interpretation of climate information to provide solutions to climate-related problems for those seeking climate services.
Full Procedures