About 24% of employed Americans hold a professional license or certification, and examples of professional licenses and their requirements span everything from medicine and law to plumbing and cosmetology.1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Certification and Licensing Status of the Employed by Occupation A professional license is a government-issued authorization that gives you the legal right to work in a specific occupation, and practicing in a regulated field without one can carry criminal penalties. The requirements differ by profession and state, but nearly every path involves four things: accredited education, supervised experience, a licensing exam, and a background check.
License, Certification, or Permit
People use these three words as if they mean the same thing. They don’t, and the difference matters before you spend money on a program.
A professional license is issued by a state or federal agency and is legally required before you can practice. A certification is a voluntary credential issued by a private organization. It signals knowledge or skill, but it does not grant any legal right to practice. You can hold a project management certification without needing one to legally do project management work. A permit is narrower still, authorizing a specific activity (a restaurant to operate, a contractor to build at a particular address) rather than ongoing professional practice.
Examples of Licensed Professions
Licensing concentrates where public safety or consumer trust is on the line. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 75.1% of healthcare practitioners hold a license or certification, compared to 62.2% in legal occupations and roughly 18% in construction trades.1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Certification and Licensing Status of the Employed by Occupation State licensing boards, usually made up of practitioners within each field, set and enforce the entry standards.
Healthcare
Physicians, registered nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and psychologists all require state licenses. Physicians complete four years of medical school followed by three to seven years of residency. Registered nurses earn either a bachelor’s or associate degree in nursing and must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Psychologists typically need a doctoral degree plus supervised clinical hours before they can practice independently. Healthcare licensing is among the most rigorous because the consequences of incompetent practice are immediate and severe.
Legal and Financial Services
Lawyers must pass a bar examination before practicing in any state, and they need a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.2American Bar Association. Bar Exams Forty-one jurisdictions now use the Uniform Bar Examination, which produces a portable score that can be transferred between participating states.3National Conference of Bar Examiners. Uniform Bar Examination
Certified Public Accountants follow a similarly structured path. Most states require 150 semester hours of college education (roughly a year beyond a bachelor’s degree), supervised experience under a licensed CPA, and passage of the Uniform CPA Examination.
Skilled Trades
Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians are licensed because their work directly affects building and infrastructure safety. The typical path is a four- to five-year apprenticeship combining thousands of hours of on-the-job training with annual classroom instruction. After completing the apprenticeship, candidates sit for written and practical exams on technical codes and safety standards.
Professional engineers follow a different track. They earn an accredited engineering degree, pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, complete several years of supervised practice, and then pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam.
Service Occupations
Cosmetologists, barbers, massage therapists, and real estate agents all require licenses, primarily to maintain health and sanitation standards or protect consumers in financial transactions. About a third of workers in personal care occupations hold a license or certification.1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Certification and Licensing Status of the Employed by Occupation Education requirements in these fields are generally shorter, often measured in hundreds of training hours rather than years of school, but the licensing exams and renewal obligations still apply.
What You Need to Get Licensed
Exact requirements vary by profession and state, but nearly every licensed occupation follows the same four-part structure.
Accredited Education
Every licensing board specifies a minimum educational credential from an accredited program. For some professions that means a doctoral degree (medicine, psychology, law). For others it means a bachelor’s or associate degree (nursing, accounting, engineering). Skilled trades substitute formal apprenticeship training for a traditional degree. The important detail is accreditation. Your program must be recognized by the accrediting body your state board accepts, or your coursework may not count toward licensure.
Supervised Experience
Most boards require hands-on experience under a fully licensed professional before granting independent licensure. Physicians complete residencies. Lawyers in some states must complete a period of supervised practice. CPAs work under a licensed accountant. Electricians log thousands of apprenticeship hours. This phase bridges classroom theory and real-world practice, and there is no shortcut.
Examination
A standardized exam is nearly universal across licensed professions. These exams test both foundational knowledge and applied competence. Widely used examples include the Uniform Bar Examination for lawyers, the NCLEX for nurses, the Uniform CPA Examination for accountants, and the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam for engineers. Passing scores are set by each state’s board, and some states set higher minimum scores than others on the same national exam.
Background Check
Applicants undergo a character and fitness evaluation that includes fingerprinting and a criminal background check. You will typically need to disclose any criminal convictions, prior disciplinary actions, and sometimes civil judgments. Boards use these reviews to assess whether your history raises concerns about safe and ethical practice. Background check and fingerprinting costs generally run between $10 and $50, depending on the state and profession.
If You Have a Criminal Record
A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you from getting a professional license. A growing number of states have enacted laws that prevent licensing boards from issuing blanket denials based on criminal history alone. These laws generally require boards to consider whether the conviction is directly related to the duties of the licensed profession, how much time has passed, and what evidence of rehabilitation the applicant can show.
If your application is denied based on your record, most states require the board to explain the reason in writing and provide a way to appeal. Some states also let you request a preliminary determination before you invest time and money in education and exam fees, which can save years of effort if an old conviction would be disqualifying. The specifics still differ significantly from state to state, so check your board’s rules before applying.
Keeping Your License Active
Getting licensed is the first step. Keeping it active requires meeting ongoing obligations that boards enforce strictly. Licenses renew on a set cycle, typically every one to two years depending on the profession and state. Renewal involves submitting an application before the expiration date and paying fees that commonly range from $50 to several hundred dollars per cycle.
Continuing Education
Nearly every licensed profession requires you to complete continuing education (CE) hours before you can renew. CE keeps you current on changes in your field, whether that means updated building codes for electricians, new treatment protocols for nurses, or evolving ethical standards for lawyers. Required hours vary widely. Some professions require as few as 10 hours per renewal cycle; others require 40 or more. The content typically must come from board-approved providers, and you need to keep records in case of an audit.
Missing the Renewal Deadline
Failing to renew before the expiration date usually does not immediately wipe out your license, but the consequences escalate quickly. Most boards impose a grace period during which you can still renew by paying a late fee, though you may not legally practice during that window. If you miss the grace period, your license may lapse into inactive or expired status. Working while your license is expired is treated the same as practicing without a license at all, which can be charged as a misdemeanor or, for healthcare professions in most states, a felony. Work you perform without a valid license may also be unenforceable, meaning clients can refuse to pay and insurers can deny coverage.
If you know you will not be practicing for a stretch, many states allow you to voluntarily place your license in inactive status. Inactive status typically costs less than full renewal and suspends your CE obligations while the license is inactive. You cannot practice while inactive, but reactivation is simpler than applying from scratch. You will generally need to complete the CE hours you would have owed during the inactive period and pay a reactivation fee. If you let inactive status lapse beyond the allowed period (often two years), most boards require you to reapply as a new applicant.