Are you thinking about getting certified through the Irrigation Association to become a Certified Irrigation Contractor? Are you holding back because you feel you need a college degree before taking the exam?

Well, take a deep breath. You don’t need that college degree to become a CIC or any other landscape irrigation certifications.

Do You Need a College Degree To Be An Irrigation Contractor?

The short answer is no. But you do need some work experience and pass a certification exam to become a certified irrigation contractor.

According to the Irrigation Association, none of the following irrigation certified credentials need a 4-year degree:

• Certified Irrigation Technician
• Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor
• Certified Irrigation Contractor
• Certified Irrigation Designer-Landscape.

You may benefit from a 2-year technical college degree or a full landscape design degree from an accredited college for some of these certifications. But IA doesn’t list either college degrees as mandatory to take the certification exams.

Instead, you’re required to work in the field first and then prepare for the certification exam. To keep your certification in good standing, you also need to take continuing education units (CEUs) through the IA.

The Breakdown of Irrigation Association Certifications

The Irrigation Association provides four different certifications for water sprinkler professionals. Three out of the four certifications don’t require any post-high school education.

If you want to be a Certified Irrigation Designer-Landscape, you’re encouraged to have three years of working experience or irrigation-related education.

Here’s what each certification level needs:
1.  Certified irrigation technician: This is an entry-level irrigation technician whose primary job duties include installing, maintaining and repairing water sprinklers. You need six months or 1,000 hours of irrigation experience before you apply for the exam. And you need to complete 20 CEUs per two-year cycle.

2.  Certified landscape irrigation auditor: This level requires that you have one-year working experience in the irrigation industry before taking the exam to become an auditor. This certification and the certified landscape irrigation auditor-drip require that you take 20 CEUs per two-year cycle.

You can also become a certified landscape irrigation auditor-drip. You need to meet the same working requirements and continuing education requirements as a certified landscape irrigation auditor.

3.  Certified Irrigation Contractor: To take the CIC exam, IA recommends that you have three years of working experience in the irrigation field. You don’t need a degree to get your CIC. You take an exam and keep your certification up-to-date by taking 20 CEUs per two-year cycle.

4.  Certified Irrigation Designer-Landscape: As a CID-Landscape, you design irrigation systems through drawings or computer animation for commercial, golf courses and residential clients. IA recommends that you have three years of working experience or education in an irrigation-related field.

Like the other three certifications, you need to take 20 CEUs within a two-year cycle to keep your certification current.

Take Your Certified Irrigation Contractor Up a Notch with K-Rain

At K-Rain, we provide a Premier Contractor Program (PCP). When you join our PCP, you get the following three benefits:

1.  You earn cash rebates right away from your first K-Rain purchase. You can redeem your rebate into debit cards or as credit toward your next K-Rain purchase.

2.  You get homeowner referrals for installations in your area.

3.  You get access to our online marketing tools to grow your business.

Enroll your CIC company with our Premier Contractor Program today. You simply need to fill out our registration form.