Certified Management Accountant

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The Institute of Management Accountants' (IMA ) Certified Management Accountant (CMA) certification is a comprehensive credentialing program that assesses mastery of the management accounting and financial management body of knowledge. Subject matter includes economics, corporate finance, cost management, internal controls, performance measurement, financial reporting, decision analysis, organization management, and strategic planning, with a strong emphasis on ethics. To date, the Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA), the certification division of IMA, has awarded more than 30,000 CMA certificates in the U.S. and internationally.

The CMA exam consists of four parts:
• Part 1: Business Analysis
• Part 2: Management Accounting and Reporting
• Part 3: Strategic Management
• Part 4: Business Applications

Candidates for certification must meet the following criteria to become a CMA:

• Education: Candidates must hold a baccalaureate degree, in any area, from an accredited college or university. Students attending accredited universities may take the examinations but must satisfy the education requirement prior to certification. • Employment: Candidates must complete two continuous years of professional experience in management accounting and/or financial management. Qualifying experience consists of positions requiring judgments regularly made employing the principles of management accounting and financial management. This experience may be completed prior to or within seven years of passing the examination. • Ethics: Candidates for certification must agree to comply with IMA’s [http://www.imanet.org/about_ethics_statement.asp Statement of Ethical Professional Practice]. • Membership: Candidates for certification must be a member of IMA. • Continuing Education: Once a candidate is awarded CMA certification, he/she must complete 30 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) per year, including two hours in the area of ethics. Part 1 of the CMA exam, Business Analysis, is waived for individuals who hold the U.S. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation or a comparable designation from another country. IMA and the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI) have a mutual recognition agreement in which professionals certified by each of the respective institutes can obtain the certification of the other. The CMA program has been designed to meet the evolving needs of business and is focused on the dynamic roles that management accountants and financial managers play inside organizations. Certified professionals can enjoy greater career opportunities and earning potential than their non-certified counterparts. To learn more about IMA’s CMA certification program, visit http://www.imanet.org/certification.asp.