In addition to my Mineral Management Basics Online Course, there are only a few options out there designed to help you take your mineral management to the next level. In this episode, we walk through the National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) Mineral Management Program, which is the only professional certification specifically designed for mineral and royalty owners. It’s one of the best-kept secrets in the mineral ownership world, and in this episode we lay out exactly how to use it as a step-by-step roadmap — from building a foundation all the way to earning the top designation in mineral management.
Be sure to also subscribe on Apple Podcasts via the link above and please leave us an honest rating and review. We read every one of them and sincerely appreciate any feedback you have. To ask us a question to be featured on an upcoming episode, please leave a comment below or send an email to feedback@mineralrightspodcast.com.
The NARO Mineral Management Program Is the Best Kept Secret In Minerals — But It Shouldn’t Be
Most mineral owners don’t know this certification program exists, and that’s a problem worth fixing. NARO’s Mineral Management Program offers the only professional designation in the mineral and royalty ownership space: the Registered Mineral Manager (RMM) and the Certified Mineral Manager (CMM). The program is open to anyone — not just professionals. Whether you just inherited minerals or have been managing royalties for years, there is a level in this program that is right for where you are in your journey. Both Justin and I serve on the NARO Certification Committee that oversees this program, so the guidance we share in this episode comes from direct involvement in keeping the curriculum current and rigorous. Education is central to NARO’s mission, and this program is the most structured expression of that mission — combining self-study, formal coursework, and a proctored exam with a recognized credential you can use.
Start with the Basics: Lay the Foundation Before You Build On It
Before pursuing any formal certification, you need to be able to speak the language — and that means starting with the fundamentals. The terminology around mineral ownership — different types of interests, legal land descriptions, how royalties are calculated — is genuinely foreign to most people who didn’t grow up near the oil patch, and starting without that vocabulary makes everything harder. My Mineral Management Basics Course is designed to fill that gap, covering the different types of oil and gas interests, how to do a basic title search, how to locate your property on a state oil and gas commission map, and how to get information on your wells. NARO actually uses this course to train its own staff, which tells you something about how the basics and the formal certification program complement each other. If you’ve grown up in an oil and gas state and already have some exposure, you may be ready to go directly into the RMM program. For everyone else, this course is the bridge.
The Registered Mineral Manager (RMM): Your First Formal Credential
The RMM designation is the first step in the formal certification journey and is built for individual mineral owners who have a basic foundation to build upon and who want to take the next step to genuinely informed ownership. To earn the RMM, you must accumulate a minimum of 50 education credit hours — including at least one ethics credit — and then pass Exam 1. You must also be an active NARO member and pay the required registration and exam fees. Education credits can come from NARO webinars, conventions, the Mineral Management Review Course, relevant professional experience, and other industry organization events such as my Course and others offered by the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) or the National Association of Division Order Analysts (NADOA) — and credits can even be submitted retroactively for events attended up to five years before you register. The RMM level teaches you how to actually apply the fundamentals — for example, how to calculate your decimal interest when you receive a division order, so you can verify you’re being paid correctly rather than just accepting whatever number the operator sends you. Even if you never pursue the formal certification, both Justin and I think every mineral owner who is managing their own interests should attend the Review Course and keep the Review Manual on their desk as a reference guide — the same way you’d keep a textbook for looking up formulas you don’t use every day. The manual is available through the NARO website for $100.
The Certified Mineral Manager (CMM): The Pinnacle of Mineral Management Knowledge
The CMM is the highest designation in the program, representing a depth of knowledge that shows you can manage significant complexity, serving other owners professionally, or simply committed to being the best at what you do in managing your own interests. To sit for the CMM exam, you must have already passed Exam 1 (the RMM Exam), earned your RMM designation, and accumulated a minimum of 100 education credit hours. Exam 2 is offered only at the NARO National Convention, so if the CMM is your goal, attending the National convention at some point is required (for now). The CMM curriculum goes considerably deeper than the RMM — where the RMM might cover a standard division of interest calculation for a pooled unit, the CMM curriculum covers things like calculating the correct decimal interest for allocation wells or multi-unit wells with complex unit boundaries and well paths relative to a mineral tract. Many existing CMM holders include trust officers, attorneys, landmen, bank mineral managers, and dedicated family mineral managers who want to be equipped to handle anything, and the designation may also open the door to other opportunities like serving as an expert witness in administrative or judicial proceedings. The exam is rigorous enough that even experienced industry professionals sometimes need more than one attempt to pass, which is a meaningful signal of how seriously the program takes the standard it sets.
Recertification Keeps Your Knowledge Current — and That Matters
Earning the designation is the beginning, not the end. The five-year recertification cycle ensures that RMMs and CMMs stay current as the legal and regulatory landscape around mineral ownership continues to evolve. RMMs must accumulate 30 education credits — including one ethics credit — every five years to maintain their designation, which works out to about six hours per year and is very manageable. CMMs must accumulate 60 education credits every five years, roughly 12 hours per year, which for anyone working professionally in the space is easy to accomplish through convention attendance and industry webinars alone. The mineral rights world is not static — in 2025 alone there were significant court decisions in Texas on produced water rights and on how nonparticipating royalty interests are calculated under fixed versus floating royalty structures, the kinds of developments that can directly affect what mineral owners receive in royalties. The recertification requirement is not a bureaucratic hurdle. It is the mechanism that ensures the people holding these designations are actually up to date, not just credentialed from a decade ago.
This Is a Lifelong Journey, Not a Sprint
The Mineral Management Program is designed to grow with you over your entire life as a mineral owner — and you don’t have to do it all at once. That arc takes years, and that’s exactly what the program is designed for. You also don’t need to be pursuing a certification to benefit from the Review Course or the Review Manual — the course is open to anyone, even those not enrolled in the program, and sitting in on it at a convention is a genuinely valuable use of your time whether or not you ever take the exam. The program also connects you with a community of people — both new owners trying to figure things out and experienced professionals who have spent careers in this world — and that connection alone has real value.
How to Get Started: Your Next Steps
Here is exactly what to do if you want to pursue the Mineral Management Program:
- Start by building your foundation with the Mineral Management Basics Course
- Then join NARO — membership is required for the program, and you can use the promo code MRPODCAST to get $25 off your first year, bringing your introductory membership down to $50.
- From there, start attending NARO and other industry events. Once you are ready, register for the program by downloading the registration form at naro-us.org/the-mineral-management-program and submitting it with the $100 registration fee.
- To take the Review Course and sit for Exam 1 to earn your RMM, plan to attend one of the 2026 NARO state or national conventions.
- Again, if the CMM is your goal, mark your calendar for the 2026 NARO National Convention, November 4–7, 2026 at the Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star in Dallas, Texas — it is the only place you can sit for Exam 2. For questions, contact the Mineral Management Program registrar at registrar@naro-us.org or 918-794-1660.
Resources
- Mineral Management Basics Online Course
- National Association of Royalty Owners (For a limited time, use coupon code “MRPODCAST” for $25 off an Introductory Membership. Good only for first-time members).
- Program Registration Form: Download Here
- CMM Policies & Procedures (PDF): Download Here
- 2026 NARO Convention Dates
- Mineral Management Program Registrar: registrar@naro-us.org / 918-794-1660
This episode is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney before signing any legal document related to your mineral interests.
