Top Packaging Certifications for Packaging Professionals

Whether you have a few years or only a few months of experience, earning certification can also help you take the next step in your career by demonstrating your commitment to becoming an expert and thought-leader in packaging.

This is not an exhaustive list, but if you are looking to grow as a packaging professional these are among the top packaging certifications available that will give you top-tier packaging training.

Certified Packaging Professional (CPP)

The Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) is one of the oldest and most recognized professional packaging designations in the world. Since 1972, the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) has awarded over 2,000 CPP designations. To become a CPP, you must demonstrate their command of applied packaging technology and concepts by successfully completing an open book, multiple-choice exam and one of the following options:

Narrative exam (three narrative, “essay-type” questions from a list of questions formulated by other Certified Packaging Professionals
Resume of activities (documenting past six years of experience and active participation in packaging and/or related disciples)
Paper (candidate may write a new paper or submit an unpublished paper written within the past two years on a technical or management topic of his or her choice)
Patents (candidate may submit proof of a patent granted no more than five years prior to their certification application)

Additional information on the Certified Packaging Professional designation.

Certificate of Packaging Science (CPS)

The Packaging School is the exclusive provider of professional packaging curriculum developed at Clemson University. The Certificate of Packaging Science (CPS) from the Packaging School is a one year, 100% online certificate program that can help you take your packaging career to the next level. Over 12 courses, you will receive packaging training that will provide you with the knowledge, tools and skills to be an influential and informed professional in the packaging field. The CPS program is also ideal for brand managers, supply chain professionals, material buyers and anyone else who works with packaging professionals and wants to better understand the packaging development processes.

The Packaging School’s Certificate of Packaging Science includes courses on:

Paperboard cartons
Corrugated containers
Polymers in packaging
Packaging machinery
Package printing
Sustainable packaging
Packaging design workflows

Additional information about the Certificate of Packaging Science.

Certificate of Mastery in Packaging Management (CMPM)

The CMPM is issued by Clemson University’s Center for Corporate Learning and taught by the experts and professionals at the Packaging School. This advanced professional certificate program is structured to develop thought leadership in the areas of packaging development, material procurement and organizational management. Over the course of the 12-week, 100% online CMPM program, students receive packaging training which includes learning how to develop complete packaging systems and actualize cost-savings for their organization. Admission is by application only (deadline to apply for the upcoming 2019 class is March 15).

Subjects covered in the CMPM program include:

Essentials of project management
Logistics and supply chain management
Human factors in packaging design
Regulations and corporate sustainability
The global competitive landscape

Additional information about the Certificate of Mastery in Packaging Management.

Certificate in Packaging

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and The Packaging Society offer a Certificate in Packaging that provides a solid bed of foundational information and packaging training you can build on to start or advance your packaging career. The program consists of a mandatory core unit that covers the role and functions of packaging, major packaging materials, the packaging development process, packaging costs and the relationship between packaging and the environment, as well as three or four optional courses chosen by the student. These “electives” help you focus your studies and make the Certificate in Packaging more applicable to a specific role or field within the packaging industry.

Optional courses available to students enrolled in the Certificate in Packaging program include:

Packaging legislation, standards and regulations
Packaging line operations
Packaging design and marketing
Labelling and coding for packaging materials
Properties, manufacture and use of corrugated board in packaging

Additional information about the Certificate in Packaging program

Graduate certificate in packaging engineering

If you’re thinking about going back to school to get a master’s degree in packaging sciences or design, a graduate certificate might be the best first step. Certificate programs typically take a shorter amount of time to complete and are generally less expensive than degree programs, but still meet the supplemental needs of professionals looking to grow their packaging expertise.

A graduate certificate can also be a stepping stone on the pathway to earning a master’s degree in the future. Some certificate programs are designed to be stacked, meaning if you do decide to pursue a graduate degree later, you’ll already have credits you can apply to the degree.

Some of the available graduate certificate programs in packaging engineering include:

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