Credentials Guidelines

The Association of Professional Genealogists recognizes that genealogical credentials are not widely known or understood in the public sector. Thus the public can be easily misled by inappropriate use which implies special qualifications. To avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the credentials held by APG members, the association sets forth policy for the following criteria.

Professional Credentials

Professional credentials are those awarded by an accrediting or certifying body that conducts a rigorous examination program that is separate from membership in its own or another society; that publishes in professional genealogical literature, and provides (in response to public requests) a clear and detailed explanation of its examination policies and procedures, setting forth the specific standards that successful applicants must meet.

The accrediting or certifying body administers its tests on a non-exclusionary basis, without regard for race, creed, or color and without need for personal recommendation by a current member of that agency.
The accrediting or certifying body makes public, upon request, its pass-fail ratio for applications in order to substantiate the group's high testing standards.
The accrediting or certifying body provides its applicants with an appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of their applications, in support of its ruling for acceptance or rejection.
The accrediting or certifying body publishes, and makes available upon request, a roster of its approved genealogists.
The accrediting or certifying body does not usurp the preexisting credentials of any other testing agency.

Academic Degrees

Associate, bachelor, or postgraduate degrees awarded to the individual on the basis of academic achievement and completion of degree requirements by an accredited college or university. Such degrees will be followed by the discipline in which the degree was awarded. For example, BA, history or BS, biology.

Honorary Awards

Honorary Awards are given by open membership organizations to a limited number of members in recognition of noteworthy service (e.g. fellows of the National Genealogical Society, Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Society of Genealogists).

These awards are given by scholastically-oriented societies on the basis of published scholarship or service that has withstood peer review and public criticism-provided that such a society makes public the specific criteria upon which its honorees are chosen and makes available upon request its list of honorees (e.g. Fellows of the Society of Antiquities in the United Kingdom).

Program Certificates

Those offered by programs and institutes that do not offer educational degrees.

As entities develop certificate programs, they may submit a request to the EC to have it added as an optional listing for APG members.
Such requests should be submitted to the ED via letter with attachments that give complete details of the educational curriculum and requirements of the program. The ED will submit the package to the EC for consideration.

Other

The letters "APG" are not to be positioned as a postnominal.
Letters granted by lineage societies (e.g., DAR, UE) are not accepted as postnominals by APG.

Section XVII
APG Policy Manual (Rev. 2005)