SAN DIEGO, CA -- The University of Ceramic Tile and Stone (UofCTS) offers a certification accreditation program for experienced tile and stone professionals who have a minimum of two years full-time on-the-job experience within their respective tile or stone industry.

The UofCTS Certified Tile Specialist (CTS) program covers ceramic tile, glass tile, specialty tile and related installation products. The UofCTS Certified Stone Specialist (CSS) program covers natural stone, engineered stone, manufactured stone and related installation products. 

Before issuing a UofCTS Certified Specialist designation, CTS and CSS candidates will have to complete and pass the three UofCTS prerequisite courses for the respective designation, and then they are allowed to register for the respective exam. Next, they must take and pass the final exam with a score of 80% or better. The UofCTS Certification Board will review and scrutinize the student’s final exam results and the results from the respective courses they took in determining if the student will be approved for the respective designation.  

The UofCTS Certified Specialist Program is an effective way to teach and update experienced industry professionals with product knowledge, industry standards, learning how to draft MasterFormat Architectural Specifications, learning proper selection and installation methods for tile and stone applications, and learning how to properly, clearly and effectively communicate with clients. The Certified Specialist courses have been developed with an emphasis on preparing students for their dealings with clients in a consultative manner. The training program builds confidence, enhances credibility with clients and improves professionalism, which ultimately leads to more sales. In addition, companies that have certified professionals on their staff are more likely to avoid costly job failures.

In order to be eligible to display the acronym designating an individual as a UofCTS Certified Tile Specialist (CTS) or UofCTS Certified Stone Specialist (CSS) professional you must:

  • Provide proof of at least two years of full-time experience within the respective industry and be currently employed within the industry. Must provide letters from employers.
  • Achieve a passing grade on either the UofCTS’ courses, “Understanding the Basics of Ceramic Tile” or “Understanding the Basics of Natural Stone.”
  • Achieve a passing grade on the UofCTS “Tile Installer Thin-set Standards (ITS) Verification” course and remain current.
  • Achieve a passing grade on the UofCTS “The Complete Guide on Developing Tile & Stone Specifications with Architects” course.
  • Pass the respective UofCTS Tile and Stone Certified Specialist final exam that includes 78 true false and multiple choice questions and five essay questions. **The prerequisite for taking the exam is to first complete and pass the three respective courses and provide the verification of employment.   
  • Approval from UofCTS Certification Board after reviewing and scrutinizing the Student’s final exam results and their course results to verify that they did complete each section of each lesson in each course.  

UofCTS Certified Tile Specialist (CTS) or UofCTS Certified Stone Specialist (CSS) final exam costs $300.00 USD per student. You can order the UofCTS Certified Specialist final exam by clicking on the respective acronym:  CTS Exam or CSS Exam. ***The prerequisite for purchasing the exam is to first complete and pass the three respective courses and provide the verification of employment.

Candidates who purchase the respective final cxam will get the following:

  • 30 days access to each of the three respective courses that are associated with the CTS or CSS designation. This will allow the candidate to prepare for the test by reviewing or retaking each of those respective courses that they have previously purchased and taken.
  • Once the candidate is prepared within those 30 days of access they can take the test.
  • The test will be proctored via a cell phone app like FaceTime or WhatsApp or an online web conferencing app like Zoom or Skype.
  • Final exam that includes completing 78 true false and multiple choice questions and five essay questions to be completed within three hours.
  • UofCTS Certification Board will grade essay questions, review student’s course results and student’s qualifications to determine if they will be issued the respective certification.
  • Upon approval from the UofCTS Certification Board, student will be mailed a certificate of accomplishment and the respective Certified Specialist pocket ID card.
  • The designated specialist will be required to renew their certification every two years by retaking the online UofCTS “The Complete Guide on Developing Tile & Stone Specifications with Architects” course for which they previously earned the Certified Specialist status.  It is very important that industry professionals review this material every two years in order to stay current with industry products, methods and standards that are continually changing and improving.

The UofCTS will issue a diploma and an ID card with the industry professional’s name and date in which he/she completed the UofCTS Certification program along with an expiration date. These cards can be presented to potential customers in addition to other credentials. Having a UofCTS Certified Specialist designation will provide added credibility for tile and stone professionals and will give companies a competitive advantage over their competition.*

*Please note: The UofCTS CTS and CSS certifications are not a guarantee that the certified industry professional will perform satisfactory work, nor will it be an indication of their level of competency. It is verification by UofCTS that a given industry professional has received a passing grade on the respective UofCTS online courses covering industry products, standards and methods, and has demonstrated that they understood this information.

For more information, visit the UofCTS website at www.UofCTS.org.