John Veverka & Associates

The Heritage Interpretation Training Center is pleased to offer our

"Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter
Certificate Program"

While other organizations may offer certified interpreter or related certificates, our Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter Certificate is far more content extensive, taught at a university level, and more in-depth than any of the other non HITC interpretive certificates. It offers more current content, hands-on learning experiences, and direct content with the Certificate Manager/Trainer and Coach throughout your Certification experience.  It is based on 40 years of offering and conducting interpretive training workshops and courses world-wide.

Our Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter Certificate is:

- Taught and coached by professional interpretive trainer John Veverka, with 40 years of actual interpretive training experience, as well as years of presenting hundreds of interpretive training programs and workshops on interpretive skills.  This includes  teaching introductory and advanced courses in heritage interpretation at Michigan State University and conducting hundreds of interpretive skills and program presentation techniques workshop world wide.

- Based on a University Course Outline system consisting of completing five actual courses in interpretive presentation and tour leading experiences, interpretation, not just taking one course, one test and mainly paying the course fee, our Certification Program courses are offered in content sequence leading up to the final course in developing your personal interpretive manual and general training (draft) for a program or tour you plan to offer. Also developing skills in audience feedback (verbal and non-verbal) as a presentation evaluation tool.

This certification can apply to a park, museum, zoo, federal agency or other agency or organization where your job may be to plan lead or present interpretive programs, guided walks or other interpretive demonstrations or related live interpretive experiences.  It is designed for anyone seeking a career or even just a summer or temporary interpretive profession who have had no formal (University level interpretive courses) and would like to advance their understanding of interpretive theory, philosophy, techniques and presentation skills.

HITC awards CEU (Continuing Education Unit credits) for the Certificate Program (and each individual course that is offered as part of the Certificate Program.


About the Instructor: Prof. John Veverka




- B.S and M.S in Heritage Interpretation - The Ohio State University
- Ph.D. program in Interpretation at Michigan State University.
- Adjunct Professor Heritage Interpretation (summer heritage tourism institutes) North Carolina   
 State University,
- New York State University. Adjunct Professor, Heritage Tourism Institute.
- NAI Certified Interpretive Planner and Trainer
- NAI Fellow
- Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter (Canada).
- Author of several interpretive planning/training college text books.
- Publisher of InterpNEWS - the International Heritage Interpretation e-Magazine.
- 40 years of interpretive planning, training and writing experience.
- Director, The Heritage Interpretation Training Center

Required courses as part of the Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter
Certificate completion:

Introduction to Heritage Interpretation Course. 14 Units - 2 CEU credits. A review of interpretive basics in case you never had a college level course in interpretive principles, practices or theory. You can also use these training approaches and teaching aids in your own training courses.
http://www.heritageinterp.com/introduction_to_heritage_interpretation_course.html

An introduction to planning and presenting live interpretive programs and tours for Museum/Heritage Site Docents and Volunteers. 12 Units - 1.5 CEU credits.  A short course on teaching docents and other staff in conducting interpretive tours.
http://www.heritageinterp.com/_an_introduction_to_planning_and_presenting_live_i.html

Interpretive Writing e-LIVE Course - 8 Units and 2 CEU Credits.
http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_writing_course.html

Interpretive Techniques - The Rest of the Story Course. Advanced Interpretive Techniques for
Interpreting the "rest of the story". 12 Units, 2.5 CEU Credits, Cost for the 30 hours training with live interaction with the instructor.
http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_techniques_-_the_rest_of_the_story_co.html

Planning for Interpretive Experiences. Employing The Experience Economy, Markets of One and Experiential Planning Concepts and Strategies For Heritage Sites and Attractions.
Thirteen Units, 2.5 CEU Credits.
http://www.heritageinterp.com/planning_for_interpretive_experiences.html

The "final exam" for the Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter certificate is you submitting a working draft of an interpretive program (live program, guided tour, etc.) that you would like to deliver, and/or a short video of you presenting your program.


While there is a recommended sequencing of courses, just as with any university degree program, from introductory to more advanced courses, depending on your own background and training/experience, you are allowed to undertake more than one course at a time. It is estimated that the average time needed to complete all the required courses, could be approximately 10 months. All the individual courses are "work at on your own pace" and as fast or as slow as you need to.


All individual courses and units include:

1. YouTube video instruction for each individual course unit.
2. Interpretive text books (e-books) and reference materials.
3. Reading assignments and materials.
4. Homework assignments to be sent directly to the course certificate manager.
5. You may chat with, call or SKYPE with the course coach as needed - you have a LIVE
instructor. This is NOT an "internet-only" course.

Upon Completion of the Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter certificate course, you will receive:

- Fifteen (15) CEU unit credits.
- A certificate of completion and Certification Pin.
- Course content transcript showing all courses/assignments completed.
- A Certification Logo for you to use on your web site or other electronic media.
- A cover letter/transcript listing all the courses you have completed as part of the Certification
 program.
- A listing of your name on our new Certified Professional Interpreter program web site with a
 link to your e-mail or web site (as desired).

Note: unlike other certifications, you will NOT have to do everything over again in four years. This is a lifetime Certification.

Certified Professional Interpretive Heritage Interpreter certification program: $700.00

Note- the tuition cost includes five (5) individual interpretive courses and One-on-One interaction and coaching with the Certificate Manager/coach. All text books and reference materials, and individual consultation on your interpretive planning project as needed.

If you would like to sign up for our Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter certificate program, you can pay the Certification tuition via PayPal or credit card.  You can also contact John Veverka for more course details.

Certification program payment ($700.00)

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