The American Purchasing Society is a professional association of buyers and purchasing managers and was the first organization to establish certification for buyers and purchasing professionals. The American Purchasing Society was the first organization to establish a nationally recognized certification for purchasing professionals. An APS survey indicates that those with the Society's Certified Purchasing Professional award receive higher salaries than those without certification. The Society offers the Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP), Certified Professional Purchasing Manager (CPPM), Certified Green Purchasing Professional (CGPP), and the Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant (CPPC). The American Purchasing Society offers numerous online purchasing courses, available to be taken at your convenience. In addition to improving your purchasing knowledge, many of these courses also count as credit toward the CPP, CPPM, CGPP, CPPC certification programs.