If you want to continue enjoying the benefits of your Scrum Master certification, it is vital that you keep it current. You can lose your Scrum Master certification if you don’t make enough effort to keep it current.
It’s not as difficult as you might think to renew your Scrum Master certification. Continue reading to learn more about the Scrum Master certification renewal process, what SEUs and what you can do in order to keep your certification.
Why do Scrum Master Certifications expire?
Scrum Masters’ role is constantly changing. This means that the best practices of a year ago may be obsolete today.
The Scrum Master certification is not just a piece paper that candidates get and forget about a few weeks later. It’s a commitment and a possession you must keep up with throughout your career.
It shows that you are still interested in the job and are eager to learn new things and teach others about the concepts that you have learned. It is also a sign you are practicing the job and gaining more experience every day.
You can also keep your certification current to ensure that you are a member of Scrum Alliance which is one of the most respected Agile communities in the world.
How to renew your Scrum Master Certification
Scrum Master certifications must be renewed every 2 years. You must earn 20 Scrum Education Units (SEUs) every two years to renew your Scrum Master certification. The $100 fee is also required.
There are many options to obtain the required SEUs for recertification. Scrum Alliance categorizes SEUs into four categories.
Learning
You can earn Learning SEUs by:
Prepare presentations
Collaboration with Scrum Alliance CECs and CSTs, REPs and CTCs
Publicate Agile or Scrum-related articles, books, or blogs
Participate in community webinars
Read a book about Agile or Scrum
Events
Here’s what falls under the Events category.
Participating in local user groups
Participating in a Scrum Alliance Gathering at either a regional or global level
Participating in an Agile or Scrum Alliance event that isn’t sponsored
Presenting or coaching sessions
Participating in sessions hosted by other Scrum Masters
Volunteering
Volunteering in the Agile community and offering free Agile services is a great way to earn SEUs. It can also be very fulfilling on a personal scale.
Other
There are many other ways to earn SEUs in addition to the ones mentioned above. If they don’t fit into any one of the three types, you can submit them as the “Other”.
Submitting Your SEUs
After you have obtained the required SEUs, it is time to submit them on Scrum Alliance’s website. Here’s a step by step guide to help you get started.
Log in to your account by clicking here
Click the “Hello!” button at the top right corner.
Navigate to “My Dashboard”.
Click on the box for “Scrum Education Units”, and then choose the “Manage” option.
Choose the appropriate activity type (based on how you obtained the SEUs).
Please fill in the required fields
Renew your certification
Once you have submitted 20 SEUs during the current 2-year cycle you can renew your certification. Here’s how you can do it:
Login to your account at https://www.scrumalliance.org/login
Click the “Hello!” button at the top right corner.
Go to “My Dashboard”.
Navigate to the section “Actions”.
Select “Renew Certification”
Choose the certification you wish to renew (Certified Scrum Master).
Proceed to the checkout and pay the $100 fees
What if you earned a higher-level certification?
Let’s say you have higher-level certifications than the CSM certification. For example, the Advanced CSM certificate. In this case, you will need to obtain the full set of SEUs