CMA

The Essential Credential for Accountants and Financial Professionals

The Essential Credential

for Accountants and Financial Professionals

The CMA (Certied Management Accountant) is the advanced professional certication specically designed to measure the accounting and nancial management skills that drive business performance. Achieving the CMA credential demonstrates your mastery of nancial planning, analysis, control, and decision support, as well as professional ethics. The CMA credential is... FocusedOn the critical skills you use in business. RespectedLeading employers seek to hire and promote CMAs. ValuedCMAs earn higher compensation than noncertied professionals. ConvenientCMA Exams are offered electronically in hundreds of locations worldwide. The CMA is tailor-made for nance professionals at all levels, whether you want to enhance your value to your current organization or expand your career potential. See why the CMA is the essential credential

Measuring What Matters

The CMA exam is designed specifically to validate mastery of the advanced skills required to manage finance functions within an organization, enabling you to deliver value in todays complex business environment. There are two parts to the CMA exam, consisting of four hours each, which can be taken in any order. The exam is structured as follows: PART I Financial Planning, Performance and Control Planning, budgeting, and forecasting Performance measurement Cost management Internal controls Professional ethics PART II Financial Decision Making Financial statement analysis Corporate finance Decision analysis and risk management Investment decisions Professional ethics

By focusing only on advanced accounting and financial management skills, the exam is rigorous yet responsive to the needs of the marketplace and time-constrained professionals.

The CMA measures competency in these advanced skill sets

Financial Planning

Risk Analysis

Internal Controls

Financial Decision Making

Delivering a High ROI

The CMA is the certification program with the potential to deliver significant return on your investment. Consider the facts: Professionals with a CMA earn nearly $30,000 more in average total annual compensation than noncertified peers.* The total cost of the CMA program is approximately $2,500.

Plus, the CMA program lets you proceed at your own pace. You can earn a CMA in 12 months or over three years. Busy professionals will find the CMA to be time-efficient and cost-effective.

* IMA Annual Salary Survey, 2009

On average, CMAs earn nearly $30,000 higher annual compensation

CMA Accounting Professionals Noncertied Accounting Professionals

$125,600*

$95,974*

* IMA Annual Salary Survey, 2009

Expanding Y our Career Options

CMA certification can expand your opportunities in your current business or your future career. Leading employersfrom multinational corporations to private firms, academic institutions, and notfor-profit organizationsseek out CMAs to fill positions requiring critical accounting and financial management skills. Today, CMAs hold key positions in a wide range of companies, including 3M, Alcoa, AT&T, Bank of America, Boeing, Cargill, Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and Verizon. Earning the CMA will make you part of a network of over 30,000 credentialed peers worldwide.

Multinational Corporations

Private Firms

Academic Institutions

Not-for-Prot Organizations

Government Organizations

Convenient Exam and Flexible Study Options

The CMA exam is administered electronically in hundreds of testing facilities worldwide. With three exam windows each year, you can schedule exams at a time and place convenient for you. IMA and a number of top course providers offer a variety of exam prep options to meet the needs of busy professionals. Choose one of the following, or blend several approaches, to find the learning style that works best for you: Self-study (print and online) Live, instructor-led sessions Study groups (online) We also offer a comprehensive Exam Support Package (ESP), including retired exam questions and answers, as well as a CMA Candidate Resource Guide filled with helpful information.

Self-Study

Online Self-Study Online Study Groups Live or Online Instructor-Led Courses

Real Statements from Real People...

At Microsoft, we look for a combination of solid accounting skills, the ability to think strategically and strong business ethics. If someone is a CMA, we can be more comfortable that the person has mastered these aspects of the profession. Bob Laux, CMA, CPA Director of Technical Accounting and Reporting Microsoft Corporation

The CMA has given me a tremendous amount of value. Not just on the financial end of things, but because Ive gained broad-based accounting knowledge. Ive been able to advance my career because that knowledge translates into benefits for the companies I work for. Tammy Drescher, CMA Senior Cost Accountant Diamond Foods, Inc.

I can tell you the CMA certification or other professional credentialing is key for our 1,800 accountants. And, we have a credential expertise requirement for our senior leadership team to help ensure long-term, transparent financial reporting and SOX compliance. David Burritt, CMA, CPA Chief Financial Officer Caterpillar, Inc.

I tell my students: Taking the CMA exam is something you can do even before graduation. It gives you and your potential employer evidence that youre well prepared and well qualified. The CMA sets you apart from others who have a college degree alone, and its something that is recognized and respected by a lot of potential employers. Christine McKeag, CMA, CFM, CPA Assistant Dean, Schroeder Family School of Business Administration University of Evansville, Indiana

I use my CMA body of knowledge every day. It comes naturally in the role of CFO, because I need to look at things from many different angles, not just from the financial perspective. Management accounting skills are very much in demand as foreign and local companies reach out from the local marketplace and into more global arenas. The CMA body of knowledge is very valuable in this regard. John K. Lau, CMA, CFM, CPA Chief Financial Officer WesTrac China

CMA Requirements
1
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university

2
Foundational knowledge of economics, basic statistics, and nancial accounting

To be certied as a CMA, candidates must fulll both an education requirement and an experience requirement in addition to passing the exam

3
Two continuous years of professional experience

4
For certied CMAs: 30 hours of CPE credits, including two hours of ethics, and annual IMA Membership are required to maintain active status

About IMA

IMA, the worldwide association for accountants and nancial professionals working in business, offers its members exclusive access to the CMA program. IMA is committed to helping its members expand their professional skills, drive the performance of their organizations, and enhance their careers.

Visit www.imanet.org or call Member Services at (800) 638-4427 to learn more about the CMA program.

Visit www.imanet.org or call Member Services at (800) 638-4427 to learn more about the CMA program.