Systems Engineering Certification

Demonstrating knowledge and experience in the practice of Systems Engineering

ASEP

If you have just started practicing  – or want to start practicing – systems engineering, then ASEP is for you.  This certification is for people at the beginning of their career as a systems engineer. The ASEP has “book knowledge” but not yet significant experience as a systems engineer.

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CSEP

If you are a practicing Systems Engineer with more than five years of systems engineering professional work experience, then CSEP is for you.

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ESEP

If you are a systems engineering leader with recognized systems accomplishments and have many years of systems engineering professional work experience, then ESEP is for you.

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SEP Directory

Click here for a list of all current certified systems engineering professionals. 

 

How Much Does Certification Cost? 

 Certification Name  Application
Fee 		Examination Fee Renewal Fee (and Period)
Associate Systems Engineering Professional ASEP

180 USD

PPP2 Countries:
25% fee reduction

PPP3 Countries:
50% fee reduction

LST-103  

Computer Exam 
80 USD 

Paper Exam 
Fee varies 

100 USD
(every 5 years) 

TransitionASEP to CSEP200 USDno exam requiredn/a
Certified Systems Engineering ProfessionalCSEP350 USD

Computer Exam 
80 USD 

Paper Exam 
Fee varies 

100 USD
(every 3 years) 

Expert Systems Engineering ProfessionalESEP

630 USD 

No exam requiredNo renewal required
ExtensionsAcqNot availableNot availableNo additional cost

* INCOSE membership is required for all applicants starting in 2016. Membership is not required for renewal for CSEPs who paid their application fee before 1 January 2016, unless there has been a lapse in their certification. 

NOTE: Please upload documents through the Certification links on your Profile Home page. Once documents are uploaded, click continue and system will prompt you for payment.

Description of Fees 


Application fees  are the non-refundable fees paid for the processing, review, and data management of your certification application.  These are paid once to INCOSE when the application is submitted.  The only time these fees are required more than once is if you start over with the application process. 

Examination Fees  are the non-refundable fees paid to take the knowledge examinations. If you fail the exam, you may be allowed to take it again (for a total of three attempts to pass the exam during the twelve month application period) and will have to pay the exam fee for each attempt. Fees are paid online during registration for the exam. Fees for computer exams are listed in the fee table above. Fees for paper exams vary, with some being offered for free and others charging up to 80 USD, depending on the type of event at which the exam is held. 

Membership fees  are the non-refundable fees paid to be an INCOSE member, independent of certification. Candidates for certification at all levels must be INCOSE individual members. 

Renewal fees  are the non-refundable fees paid for the processing, review, and data management of your certification renewal.  These are paid every three years (CSEP) or five years (ASEP) to INCOSE when the renewal documentation is submitted.  

Non-standard fees  described in the following sections may be charged in exceptional cases where applicants choose to reschedule their exam on short notice or do not submit their renewal paperwork by the deadline. 

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Group Payment

The INCOSE Certification Office can accept a single payment from companies to cover the certification application costs for a group of employees named with the payment. The named employees have one year from the time of the group payment to complete their individual certification that includes submitting the application form and scheduling and passing an exam. INCOSE does not collect fees for certification exams; requests to pay for multiple exams using a single payment could be discussed with Prometric but have not previously been successful.  The Group Application Form can be found on the  Certification forms page. 

Fees For Rescheduling or Cancelling Exams

The exam provider charges a fee for exams scheduled or rescheduled within 24 hours of the test time. Failing to appear on the test date or appearing more than 15 minutes after the scheduled exam start time will result in forfeiture of the entire exam fee. INCOSE does not have the ability to alter these fees. 

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Late Renewals

Individuals who do not submit their completed renewal form, fee, and log of PDU activities will be subject to additional fees and/or have to re-start the certification process.  A reactivation fee of $50 USD will be charged if the renewal is submitted within six months after the deadline.  The reactivation fee is $100 USD for renewals submitted greater than six months but fewer than 12 months after the deadline. For any late renewals greater than 12 months, the reactivation fee is $150 USD. 

Additional information about requirements for renewals, including late renewals, is available on the  Certification Renewal Page

Certification Program History

Certification is a formal process whereby a community of knowledgeable, experienced, and skilled representatives of an organization, such as the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), provides formal recognition that a person has achieved competency in specific areas (demonstrated by experience and knowledge). Certification differs from a “license” that is a permission granted by a government entity for a person to practice within its regulatory boundaries. Certification also differs from a "certificate" that documents the successful completion of a training or education program. 
 
After three years of intensive research and development, INCOSE established its Professional Certification Program in March 2004 to provide a formal method for recognizing the experience and knowledge of systems engineers through the "Certified Systems Engineering Professional" (CSEP) designation. This designation requires at least five years of systems engineering experience confirmed by systems engineering knowledgeable references. CSEP certification is valid for three years from the date awarded, and may be renewed in three-year intervals by demonstrating various ways of continuing education and ongoing professional development. The original CSEP examination was based on the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook Version 2A. In 2008, the exam was updated to reflect Version 3.1 of the handbook, which was based on the international systems engineering standard ISO/IEC 15288. In 2010, the exam was again updated to reflect Version 3.2 of the handbook and the latest version of ISO/IEC15288. The exam has been based on Version 4.0 of the handbook since 2015.
The program was expanded to multiple levels of certification in 2008. Now the INCOSE Certification Program has an entry level “Associate Systems Engineering Professional” (ASEP) for those who do not yet have the requisite years of SE experience. The ASEP requires and uses the same exam as CSEP. Upon achieving at least five years of SE experience, the ASEP can transition to CSEP. In 2010, INCOSE introduced the “Expert Systems Engineering Professional” (ESEP) designation for senior systems engineers with at least 25 years of recognized systems engineering experience (20 years if already a CSEP) and demonstrated systems engineering leadership and accomplishments. 
 

Certification Expansion

In 2008, the certification program added its first extension. This extension, designated “Acq,” was for professionals that work in the United States Department of Defense acquisition environment and was earned by first achieving the CSEP designation and then taking an additional acquisition exam based on the Defense Acquisition Guidebook Chapter 4, on Systems Engineering. The Acquisition extension was retired in 2014. 

The computer-based knowledge exam was the primary path to ASEP and CSEP certification until 2018, when the paper exam overtook it in popularity. The paper exam has the same format of questions as the computer exam but is offered to a group in a classroom setting. It also follows a slightly different process from the computer exam, with candidates allowed to take the paper exam prior to joining INCOSE or applying for certification. These steps are still required for those who wish to get certified after taking the exam. 

In 2023, a paper and poster explained the expansion of the certification program and its growth as a system of systems. 

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The INCOSE Certification Program began recognizing equivalency from other programs in 2013, starting with the German SEZert. This led to agreements with INCOSE UK and SESA (Australia) for country-local paths to certification and then to academic equivalencies. In 2018, INCOSE recognized its first Academic Equivalency, allowing students to meet the knowledge requirement for ASEP and CSEP certification through their coursework, without taking the knowledge exam. This is anticipated to be a useful path for candidates to demonstrate knowledge in languages other than English and without travel to testing centers.

Certification Advisory Group (CAG) 

This group of ESEP or senior CSEP volunteers serve three-year, renewable terms to provide strategic direction and advice to the Certification PM and the INCOSE Board of Directors. 

 

BETH-WILSON

BETH WILSON, ESEP

JonasHallqvist

JONAS HALLQVIST, ESEP

NICOLE-HUTCHISON

NICOLE HUTCHISON, CSEP

WAYNE-BIDEN

WAYNE BIDEN, CSEP

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Certification Application Reviewers (CARs) 

Over fifty volunteers, who are all either CSEPs or ESEPs, are trained and commit to a two-year, renewable term to review CSEP and ESEP application packages. 

Certification Exam Development Team 

The exam writers, reviewers, and editors are volunteers who develop the questions for the INCOSE knowledge exam. This is a rotating group of volunteers who may participate with as little as a five-hour commitment. 

Learn more about these roles and volunteer to participate in them on the INCOSE Volunteer Opportunity Board: 

 
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Appeals

Candidates who are denied ASEP, CSEP or ESEP certification may appeal the outcome based on the following reasons:
  • INCOSE did not follow the documented process.
  • Members of the INCOSE review team should have recused themselves.
  • Degree should have been qualified as a technical degree
  • Extenuating circumstances prevented fair evaluation.

No additional application materials are allowed to be submitted for the appeal.

You may get advice and an explanation of your application denial from the Certification Program Manager. If you are denied and wish to appeal, use the Appeal form and contact the Program Manager at certification@incose.net.

 
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