Policies

The following policies have been developed to help inform and guide candidates and certificants in a variety of typical and unique circumstances.  Some of these policies evolve regularly.

60 Day Grace Period Policy

Given that circumstances occur that might cause you to be delayed in accruing and submitting your educational hours for recertification by the deadline, the PRC Board has instituted a 60-day grace period. With this grace period, you may take an extra 60 days past your certification expiration date to fulfill and/or submit your education requirements and submit your renewal. If your certification has expired more than 60 days, you will need to file for an appeal with the PRC Review Committee. Appeal form is located under the Appeal Policy.

Appeal Policy

The Appeal Policy applies to any researcher who has applied for, but been denied PRC.

Note: Candidates may reapply at any time, with no set limit as to how many times they can apply. However, candidates may appeal the decision on any given application only once.

Appeals Process For PRC:
A request for appeal must be received in writing at MRA Headquarters within 30 calendar days of the date of the written denial. Requests received after that date will not be honored. You must include the following in your written appeal:

• Copy of the written denial
• Copy of your original application
• Letter stating specific reasons for appeal and why your application for PRC should be reconsidered. 
• Contents of the letter must be relevant to the PRC designation in the original application and must address the reasons for denial outlined in the letter of denial received by the applicant from the PRC Review Committee. Extraneous information will be disregarded.

Receipt of your appeal at MRA Headquarters will be acknowledged within 48 hours. Acknowledgement will be via email or fax; please state your preference in your cover letter.

The PRC Review Committee will hear your appeal within 60 days of the date of receipt at MRA Headquarters. You will be notified of the hearing date at least five business days prior to the hearing. You may be asked to be available for questions via telephone on that date.

If you are asked to be available but cannot accommodate this request, you may choose to have the appeal continue as scheduled OR you may request one other hearing date. If you cannot be available during the second scheduled date, the first hearing date will continue as scheduled. The PRC Review Committee will consider all material presented and render a decision within 10 business days of the hearing date.

You will be notified via US Mail of the decision of the PRC Review Committee. The decision of the PRC Review Committee is final.

If warranted, the Review Committee will supply the applicant with suggestions on steps required to meet the application criteria.

You may withdraw your appeal at any time in the process. This must be done in writing via email with receipt, via fax or via US Mail.

Appeal Based On Ethics Violation:
The Committee may address an appeal for an ethics violation under certain circumstances. An example would be if the reason for the violation occurred many years ago and was corrected.

Education Hour

Once you have acquired the Professional Researcher Certification, you are expected to demonstrate ongoing professional commitment to the field by earning industry-related education. An "education hour" is 60 minutes of interaction in a structured educational and/or training environment for personal or professional development. Education hours involve your attendance at such a program and proof thereof.

Exam Appeal Policy

Candidates who do not pass an exam may request in writing to MRA, that their exam be reviewed and re-scored within 30 calendar days from the date of notice of exam results. Requests must be post marked prior to the 30 day deadline. Requests received after that date will not be honored. You must include the following in your written appeal:

1. Copy of your exam results.
2. Letter stating specific reasons for appeal and why your exam should be reconsidered.

Receipt of your appeal at MRA will be acknowledged within 48 hours. Acknowledgement will be via email or fax; please state your preference in your cover letter.

The PRC Review Committee will consider your appeal within 60 days of the date of receipt at MRA.

The PRC Review Committee will consider all material presented and render a decision. You will be notified via US Mail of the decision of the PRC Review Committee. The decision of the PRC Review Committee is final.

If warranted, the Review Committee will identify specific domains where further study may be required in order to pass the examination in the future. You may withdraw your appeal at any time in the process. This must be done in writing via email with receipt, via fax or via US Mail.

Pending Applicant Policy

This policy applies to any individual who has submitted an incomplete application for the Professional Researcher Certification.

Applicant will receive a pending notice, no later than 14 days after the application has been submitted, requesting all necessary documents and information.

Applicants will be given no more than 30 days, from the date of the pending notice, to provide all information requested. If the applicant does not complete the application process, the application is denied at the end of the period provided in the notice. All application fees are non-refundable. A denial notice will be sent to the applicant explaining the reason for the denial.

Applicants are eligible to reapply at anytime for the Professional Researcher Certification. A new application fee will be required and all requirements must be met at the time of re-application.

Revocation

Revocation of the Professional Researcher Certification credential occurs when an individual does not, within the specified time period, provide the necessary documentation of earned education hours to maintain their Certification or does not meet the basic ethical standards for coursework and professional action.

Round Table Discussion Policy

Round Table Discussions:
In order to receive education hours for a round table discussion, the session must meet the following criteria:

Each round table discussion must have a moderator to facilitate, who is knowledgeable in the subject being discussed.
The moderator and/or host organization must provide 3 or 4 learning objectives for each round table that will be discussed during the session.

*Round table discussions without a knowledgeable moderator to facilitate the round table can not receive education credit. 

Education providers may submit their education programs for PRC approval.  The PRC provider program is to assist PRC’s in obtaining high quality continuing educational programs that will enhance a PRC’s professional growth and maintain their certification.  The Certification department may award credit on an hour-to-hour basis for all time spent in a continuing education program for in seat time only.  For more information visit the PRC Education Providers page.