WELL Faculty

1. Earn your WELL AP credential first. WELL Faculty is an advanced designation — you must hold an active WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) credential before applying, as it demonstrates foundational mastery of the WELL Building Standard.

1. Build a track record of WELL education. Accumulate documented experience teaching, presenting, or training others on WELL topics — this could include workshops, webinars, conference presentations, university courses, or corporate training sessions.

1. Gather supporting documentation. Compile evidence of your WELL teaching activities: presentation slides, course syllabi, attendee records, speaker bios, video recordings, or letters of support from event organizers or clients.

1. Review IWBI's WELL Faculty application criteria. Visit wellcertified.com to review the current eligibility requirements, application guidelines, and any specific competency standards IWBI expects from Faculty applicants.

1. Submit your application and portfolio. Complete the WELL Faculty application form and upload your supporting documentation. Pay the application fee (approximately $250) at the time of submission.

1. Await portfolio review. IWBI staff and a review committee evaluate your submission against educator competency criteria. This is not a timed exam — acceptance is based on demonstrated qualifications and the quality of your application materials.

1. Receive your WELL Faculty designation. Upon approval, you'll be recognized as a WELL Faculty member, listed in the IWBI directory, and issued a digital badge you can display on LinkedIn and other platforms.

1. Maintain your credential. Renew every 24 months by continuing to engage in WELL education activities, maintaining your WELL AP credential, and paying the applicable renewal fee.

The WELL Faculty application is evaluated through a portfolio-based review rather than a written exam. IWBI and its review committee assess applicants across several dimensions of educator competency and WELL expertise.

WELL Knowledge Depth: Reviewers assess the applicant's demonstrated mastery of the WELL Building Standard, including its 10 concepts (Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community). Evidence of active WELL AP status is a baseline requirement, confirming foundational knowledge has already been formally tested.

Teaching and Training Experience: The core of the portfolio review focuses on the applicant's track record as a WELL educator. This includes the breadth and frequency of WELL-related presentations, workshops, webinars, university lectures, or corporate training sessions delivered. Reviewers look for evidence that the applicant has meaningfully contributed to WELL education — not just attended events, but actively taught others.

Quality of Educational Materials: Applicants may be asked to submit or reference educational content they have developed, such as course curricula, slide decks, training guides, or published articles. The quality, accuracy, and pedagogical value of these materials are considered.

Professional Standing and Engagement: Reviewers consider the applicant's overall engagement with the WELL ecosystem — including participation in IWBI events, contributions to the WELL community, and professional reputation in the health and wellness building space. Letters of support or references from event organizers or clients may strengthen an application.

The WELL Faculty designation occupies a niche but respected position within the broader WELL ecosystem, which itself has grown substantially since the WELL Building Standard launched in 2014. As of the mid-2020s, WELL has been applied in over 100 countries, with tens of thousands of WELL AP credential holders worldwide. WELL Faculty, however, is a much smaller and more selective cohort — estimated at several hundred members globally — reflecting its role as a recognition for the most active WELL educators and trainers rather than a mass-market credential.

Within the health-focused building certification space, WELL Faculty has no direct equivalent competitor. Programs like LEED Fellow (by USGBC) offer a comparable "elite educator/expert" tier within their own ecosystems, but WELL Faculty is unique in its explicit focus on health and well-being in the built environment. The broader wellness real estate market has grown significantly, driven by post-pandemic awareness of indoor environmental quality, mental health, and occupant well-being — trends that have increased demand for WELL expertise and, by extension, for qualified WELL educators.

Demand for WELL Faculty members is strongest in markets where WELL certification has high adoption: North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, and the Middle East. Corporate real estate, healthcare, and higher education sectors are particularly active WELL markets. However, the credential's relatively small holder base and limited public data on outcomes mean that its market value is closely tied to the overall trajectory of the WELL Building Standard itself. As WELL continues to expand globally and release new versions and product lines (WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Performance Rating), the role of qualified educators becomes increasingly important, supporting the long-term relevance of the WELL Faculty designation.

The WELL Faculty program was established by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in 2017, several years after the launch of the WELL Building Standard v1 in 2014. As the WELL ecosystem grew — with thousands of professionals earning the WELL AP credential and hundreds of projects pursuing WELL certification globally — IWBI recognized the need to formally identify and support a cadre of expert educators who could train the next generation of WELL practitioners. The WELL Faculty designation was created to fill this gap, providing official recognition for professionals who were already actively teaching and presenting on WELL topics.

The program has evolved alongside the WELL Building Standard itself, which underwent a major update with the release of WELL v2 in 2018 (piloted) and its full launch in subsequent years. WELL Faculty members have played a key role in helping the broader professional community understand and adopt WELL v2's expanded framework, which grew from 7 to 10 concept categories. IWBI has also expanded its product portfolio over time — adding the WELL Health-Safety Rating (launched in 2020 in response to COVID-19), WELL Performance Rating, and WELL Equity Rating — and WELL Faculty members have been instrumental in educating the market on these new offerings. The program remains relatively selective, with a global community of several hundred Faculty members serving as ambassadors and educators for IWBI's mission to advance human health and well-being through the built environment.