I’m often asked how much experience credit the CSLB will give for a college degree.
Well, that depends on what the degree is for. Is it a AA or AS degree, is it a BA or BS degree? Is it a MBA? Is it a law degree?
This is the currenct CSLB college credits breakdown, on average.
- BS in Construction Management: 36 months
- Business Bachelors or Masters degree or Law degree: 24 months
- AS in Construction Management: 18 months
- Other BA or BS degree: 18 months
- Other AS or AS degree: 6 months
- Individual college classes: Case by case basis
- Aprenticeships: 24-36 months
To be honest, in the 20 years I’ve been in this industry, and the time I worked at the cslb, I’ve never seen them give 6 months credit for an AA or AS degree. So I’ll be interested in seeing if that ever happens. If it does, all the better for so many applicants out there who are just short of qualifying.
Hello,
I have a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering and am looking to apply for a General B California Contractors license. I emailed someone on the board and they told me that a civil degree counts for 3 years of experience for a General B license. Can you confirm if you’ve seen this? I took construction management classes as my electives and have my additional year of experience with a general B contractor to total my 4 years if my degree does count for 3 years.
Please advise.
Thanks!
Hi Chris,
That sounds about right. But the person you spoke to on the phone doesn’t evaluate transcripts, so nothing is guaranteed. I’d go ahead with the application.
Hi, I have 3 degrees:
– AA in Social and Behavior Science
– AS in Construction Management
– BS in Computer Science
How many years of experience do you think I can get for these degrees?
Thanks for providing these blog posts! They’re extremely helpful!
Hello,
I think you would get a solid 24 months credit. Possibly 36, but no guarantees on that.
Does the CSLB give credit for degrees that were obtained more than 10 years ago? For example, if a lawyer has been practicing law for 12 years, would they need to do a full four years of journeyman work or could they still get credit for their 12 year-old law degree and do only 2 years of construction work? Thanks!!
Hello,
It doesn’t matter how old the degree is. What classification would you be applying for? If it’s the B-Gen, you would 24-30 months of experience that was obtained as an employee of a B contractor.
Hi, I have a 4 year bachelors degree and a masters in business. I’m wanting to get a B or B2 contractors license. How much credit do you think I would receive? Thank you.
Hello,
You could get 18-24 months credit. For the B class, you’ll need to show at least two years of experience that was obtained as an employee of a B contractor. The B-2 is very easy to qualify for. Two years full time self employed, or four years part time self employed and you’ll be all set.
Thank you for your reply.
Does it matter if the experience was obtained from a B contractor in a different state? Also does working for a specialty contractor such as a plumber count?
Hello,
Yes, B experience under a B contractor would be acceptable for a CA license. No, experience under a plumbing license would not be acceptable for a B license.
Hello! I am looking at getting my BS in construction management to get the general building (B) license, but I’d also like to have some specialty licenses (C-6,9 ,10) in the future. Would it be possible to use my BS in construction management for 3 years of experience for each of the licenses I want to get?
Hello,
Yes, you should get credit again for the degree, how much credit would be determined when you apply for the additional classes. Nothing is guaranteed with the cslb.
Hello,
I have a 5 year professional bachelors in architecture. Could I expect to get 36 months credit for this degree?
I am now a licensed architect. Can any experience credit be given for my efforts performing construction administration on projects as an architect?
You would probably get 24 months credit for your education. They don’t always give 36 for an architecture degree. A four degree in Construction Management gets 36 months when applying for the B.
You will need to show at least 2 years of journeyman or supervisory level B experience that was obtained as an employee of a B contractor. “Construction Admin” experience would not qualify.
I’m 17 and I want to get a A.A degree in construction management and as well as an AS degree in construction management. How much will that count towards a C-12 license or a C-27 license.
Hello,
Click here to view the cslb guidelines on college credit. You should wait until you are at least 23 before applying for your first license.
I was curious if you have any feedback on applying for a Gen A. I completed a 4 year Stationary Engineer Apprenticeship program. I submitted my application and they stated that they do not accept ANY apprenticeship credit for Gen A. Is this true to your knowledge? It isn’t documented anywhere.
The cslb can and does create rules that are not published. If they say no, you can’t change their minds. Click here for the published guidelines.
Hi — I am curious of your opinion on if my education will count as time for either a C-46 (solar) or C-10 (electrical).
I have a B.S. in Earth Sciences (Geology)
and I have all the units for a M.S. in Environmental Systems.
While neither degree is directly related to building/electrical, I have many many units of math classes, physics, economics, statistics, etc.
What about construction courses taken in Highschool?
Thanks for you input!
Hi Nick,
You’ll definitely get credit for the college classes. Probably not for the HS classes. The cslb will determine the amount of credit when they review your transcripts. Click here to see their overview of college credits.
How many total years of credit would a BA in Criminology and an MBA earn me?
Hi Greg,
Click here to see the cslb’s guidelines on college credit. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/contractors/applicants/contractors_license/exam_application/experience_for_exam.aspx
Not bad, thank you!
Hello, just wondering if how much experience
credit would a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice qualify for?
Hi Daniel,
You would most likely get 18 months credit for that degree.
Thanks for the write up, it seem like Engineering (Mechanical) would only qualify as 18 months credit then?
If you’re applying for the C-20, for example, you’d probably get 24-36 months credit.
Hi Mr , I do have 3 years in work experience And 5 years BS in Architecture can i get credit for last one year , and what is the maximum will i get for my architecture degree ? Thanks
Hello,
Your degree would be worth anywhere between 18 months and 36 months. Most likely 24 months would be my guess.