Certified Management Accountant.

Accountant because first and foremost, accounting is an essential discipline in all organizations. It is a way to understand a company and know if it is doing well or badly.
Management means making decisions about strategy, projects, teams, personnel and budget and then justifying them with solid arguments, often based on accounting principles.
Certification is a rigorous process that includes an Entrance Examination, a Case Examination, a professional training program, the CMA Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) and a 24-month practical work experience. Only candidates who have successfully completed all these steps will be awarded the CMA designation, a unique combination of accounting and management that offers surprising challenges for its holders.

There is no bachelor's degree with a major in “CEO” leading directly to the top of an organization. But the CMA designation is certainly the best way to quickly cut a path to the highest levels. Employers who hire a CMA to run their organization make no mistake. The CMA designation is a guarantee given by the Order that this manager has successfully completed a rigorous training process and that his or her competencies meet the high standards of his professional designation.

CMAs are everywhere, in big companies like Bombardier, Alcan, Pratt & Whitney, Cirque du Soleil and Cascades, and in small ones. Some work in consulting firms as experts, while others teach at university or CEGEP. The CMA designation opens all kinds of doors that will allow you to live according to your values and preferences.

What you really have to love is the logic of numbers. Accounting is essentially addition and subtraction. The challenge of management accounting is to add up the right things, logically, and not forget anything. To be admitted to a management program at university, you must satisfy its requirements, which include passing certain math courses in CEGEP. For more details, consult the Web sites of the universities that interest you.

To become a CMA, there are three main steps. First, you have to have earned a bachelor's degree recognized by the Order or the equivalent. Click here to see the list of recognized diplomas. You must then pass the CMA Entrance Examination, unless you are exempt because you have successfully completed a university program accredited by CMA Canada and obtained an academic average of 75%. And finally you must acquire 24 months of practical work experience while taking the CMA Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) and pass the Case Examination halfway through the program. For a full-time student, that means three years of university and two years in the job market while taking the SLP.

It's the "M" that makes all the difference! The training received by CMAs allows them to develop an expanded and integrated vision of all the vital functions of organizations. In other words, they learn to see more than numbers. Instead of focusing, as traditional accountants do, on financial information (financial statements, balance sheets, etc.), theoretical applications and auditing, CMAs try to understand and see how and why things are done the way they are. They are comfortable with going into the field to see what is happening and talking to other managers. Their openness and broader perspective make CMAs proactive rather than passive accountants.

Like all accountants, CMAs first acquire a solid foundation in accounting. But it is the CMA Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) that will make them value-added accountants ideal for playing a key role in decision-making.

Yes, to sit for the CMA Entrance Examination, you must have passed all the courses in the CMA pathway of your university program. Students in the cooperative program (alternating work and study) at the Université de Sherbrooke are subject to special conditions because they only complete the final courses in the pathway a few weeks after the Examination is held. For more details, you can contact the Coordinator, Admission and Quality at admission.qualite@cma-quebec.org.

Yes, and you must also pass it to register for the SLP, unless you are exempt from it because you have successfully completed a university program accredited by CMA Canada and obtained an academic average of 75%.

By no later than March 15 of the year in which you expect to sit for the examination. The registration form is available from CMA student committees, university CMA representatives or by clicking here.

Yes, on condition that you have first taken the CMA pathway courses offered as part of accounting or business administration programs, accounting option. The Order offers you the option of doing a free self-evaluation of your prior learning that will give you an overview of the elements you are missing in your training to begin the CMA accreditation process. You can then submit a detailed evaluation request that will specify the courses to be taken.

The CMA Strategic Leadership Program is a unique education that goes beyond traditional accounting as such. It can be the springboard from a position as an accountant to that of a strategic management professional and then up to the highest positions in organizations. The individual and team work required allows future CMAs to apply problem-solving, decision-making, ethics and leadership.

The CMA Strategic Leadership Program involves six weekends divided over the 24 months of practical work experience. Of course, between sessions, candidates must do readings and research, participate actively in on-line discussions and present reports. The SLP is a demanding program and the workload is part of the chosen learning strategy.

For the candidates who start in 2008, the SLP costs $5,725. Divided over the two years of the program, these fees are often paid by employers of candidates. The Order ensures that the employer is involved in training the future CMA and that the candidate is benefiting form its support.

The CMA Order is responsible for the diffusion of the CMA Strategic Leadership Program in Quebec. The Order very carefully selects high-quality moderators to guide candidates in the Program. In all cases, the moderators have high levels of practical experience and are from the business world and universities. They are also comfortable in explaining inside tips to the candidates, who can benefit from the experience of these seasoned professionals.

The Case Examination consists of a substantial case study. It is intended to measure the skills of candidates in the following areas:

• strategic management
• risk management and governance
• performance management
• performance measurement
• financial management
• financial information

All candidates must take the Case Examination after Phase 1 of the CMA Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) and must pass it before starting Phase 2 of the Program.

They are vice presidents, directors, controllers, accountants, project directors and team leaders. In short, they are in the heart of the action in their organization, and they are decision-makers.

The average salary of CMAs is $89,460, which ensures an enviable lifestyle. CMAs currently enjoy a situation of full employment, which practically guarantees that they will find a job in their field.

The practical work experience lasts 24 months and is acquired in an organization of the candidate's choice. Jobs approved as practical experience must be related to management accounting, financial accounting, management, finance, information management, etc. In addition to being a unique source of experience for candidates, the practical work experience will allow them to apply what they have learned in the SLP to real situations. Members of ClicCMA like you can have four months of practical work experience recognized for work done as students. To find out all the details, click here.

The Order does everything it can to help you find a practical work experience: a placement service to which you have access once you are registered with the Order, future CMA hiring partnerships with around twenty large employers, recruiting cocktails organized in Quebec's major cities, networking activities with employers and CMA professionals organized by CMA student committees, etc. You will have quite a variety of ways to find the right job for you.

You bet! The CMA designation is a Canadian designation that opens doors almost everywhere. For example, many companies, such as Cascades, Alcan and the Cirque du Soleil, have subsidiaries or operations abroad and they send Quebecers to work there. France, Senegal, Great Britain, United States, India, Mexico and Jamaica are a few of the countries that have CMAs. As a CMA, you can travel and get to know the world.