Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply certification or qualification, is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications that use post-nominal letters are an acknowledgement of educational achievement, or an agency appointed to safeguard the public interest.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United States, the CPA is a license to provide accounting services to the public. It is awarded by each of the 50 states for practice in that state. Additionally, almost every state has passed mobility laws to allow CPAs from other states to practice in their state. State licensing requirements vary, but the minimum standard requirements include passing the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination, 150 semester units of college education, and one year of accounting related experience.
Certified Management Accountant (CMA) is a professional certification credential in the management accounting and financial management fields. The certification signifies that the person possesses knowledge in the areas of financial planning, analysis, control, decision support, and professional ethics. There are many professional bodies globally that have management accounting professional qualifications. The main bodies that offer the CMA certification are:
- Institute of Management Accountants USA;
- Institute of Certified Management Accountants (Australia); and
- Certified Management Accountants of Canada.
CISSP is an independent information security certification granted by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, also known as (ISC)².
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program is a postgraduate professional certification offered internationally by the American-based CFA Institute to investment and financial professionals. It has the highest level of global legal and regulatory recognition of finance-related qualifications.
The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) is a professional organization of accountants.
A clinical research associate (CRA), also called a clinical monitor or trial monitor, is a health-care professional who performs many activities related to medical research, particularly clinical trials. Clinical research associates work in various settings, such as pharmaceutical companies, medical research institutes and government agencies. Depending on the jurisdiction, different education and certification requirements may be necessary to practice as a clinical research associate.
The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation is a professional certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in the United States, and by 25 other organizations affiliated with Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB), the owner of the CFP mark outside of the United States. The certification is not a government designation, nor an accredited degree, and is owned by the for profit Kaplan Corporation in the United States.
The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) is a nonprofit, non-advocacy membership association founded in 2000. It provides a forum for privacy professionals to share best practices, track trends, advance privacy management issues, standardize the designations for privacy professionals, provide education and guidance on career opportunities in the field of information privacy. The IAPP offers a full suite of educational and professional development services, including privacy training, certification programs, publications and annual conferences. It is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Certification is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit. Accreditation is a specific organization's process of certification. According to the U.S. National Council on Measurement in Education, a certification test is a credentialing test used to determine whether individuals are knowledgeable enough in a given occupational area to be labeled "competent to practice" in that area.
The Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) sets standards for academic program accreditation, personal certification and professional development for educators and industry professionals involved in integrating technology, leadership and design. Its primary mission is faculty, students and industry professionals dedicated to solving complex technological problems and developing the competitive technologist and applied engineering workforce.
Following is a partial list of professional certifications in financial services, with an overview of the educational and continuing requirements for each; see Professional certification § Accountancy, auditing and finance and Category:Professional certification in finance for all articles.
Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) are standardized tests used to assess the competencies of prospective teachers according to Florida's Sunshine State Standards. FTCE refers to 47 different exams: four General Knowledge sub-tests, one Professional Education exam, and 42 Subject Area examinations.
Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) is a professional certification administered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in the United States. Passing the exam results in licensure as a health information technician. To be eligible, an individual must achieve an associate degree approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) or graduate from a foreign association that has a reciprocity agreement with AHIMA. The health information technician is responsible for organizing comprehensively and accurately the medical record of each patient. They ensure that all the necessary forms are present, properly identified, signed and filed. Health information technicians are able to translate complex data into understandable, interesting and simplified information for the general public. They take the medical records produced by the health care provider and translate them into a code that identifies each diagnoses and procedure utilized in treating the patient. RHIT's can further their career advancement by completing a CAHIIM-accredited Baccalaureate degree in health information management, and take a national credential exam in health information administration as a certified Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA).
The Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM) is a US-based, non-profit, educational institute and certification body affiliated with the James Madison University College of Business, that provides education and certification in management to managers, supervisors and leaders working in all industries. It was founded in 1974.
Certified Financial Manager (CFM) was a finance certification in financial management. The credential was earned through work experience, examination, and continuing education. The program was established by Institute of Management Accountants in June 1996, and 4,940 financial professionals earned the CFM designation. The CFM exams were discontinued December 31, 2007.
The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) is a non-profit and non-governmental, professional association serving the construction management industry. The Association was formed in 1982. Current membership is more than 14,000, including individual CM/PM practitioners, corporate members, and construction owners in both public and private sectors, along with academic and associate members. CMAA has 29 regional chapters.
The International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)², is a non-profit organization which specializes in training and certifications for cybersecurity professionals. It has been described as the "world's largest IT security organization". The most widely known certification offered by (ISC)² is the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.
Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) was founded in 1985 in Colorado to provide investment consulting and wealth management credentials and educational offerings for its members. IMCA is both a certification organization and a membership association.
The National Grants Management Association (NGMA), formerly the National Assistance Management Association, is a professional association, based in the United States, dedicated to the profession of grants management. Founded in 1978, NGMA now has over 1,500 members.
