What is a Certified Management Accountant?

Certified Management Accountants are more than just accountants. CMAs provide employers with the ideal balance of three essential and interdependent business disciplines: accounting, management and strategy. Supported by six functional and four enabling competencies, CMAs do more than measure value – they create it. This powerful combination of skills defines the CMA’s unique value to an organization and makes the CMA the designation of choice.

The CMA Competency Map and Framework identifies the competencies CMAs acquire, hone and ultimately master over the course of their careers to perform in the CMA territory.

CMAs are able to apply the best contemporary and emerging accounting practices in a wide array of business functions including strategic planning, sales and marketing, information technology, human resources, finance, and operations. They bring a strong market focus to strategic management and resource deployment, synthesizing and analyzing financial and non-financial information to develop total business solutions. They identify new market opportunities and maximize shareholder value.

Recent graduates are hired as Financial Analysts, Business Analysts and Accountants. These positions are excellent springboards for advancement to fulfilling lucrative careers in senior management. CMAs more advanced in their careers often hold Manager, Controller, or Management consultant roles. Ultimately, many CMAs attain CFO, Vice President, President and CEO status. Currently, half of all CMAs in British Columbia are at the senior management level in their organizations. Of course, many also choose a more entrepreneurial path to lead successful ventures of their own.

CMAs are also employed in diverse industries and sectors – such as manufacturing, government, consulting, technology, and communications – but the opportunities do not stop at our borders. An ever-rising percentage of CMAs are finding employment in the global community as highly respected players on the world stage.

Become a CMA and see how much more it can do for your career.

What is the difference between the 3 major accounting designations in Canada – CMA, CA, CGA?

Picture accounting as a wide spectrum of services with public accounting, audit and tax on one end, and accounting in industry and government on the other. The Chartered Accounting (CA) designation focuses on tax and audit. The Certified General Accounting (CGA) designation provides general, technical instruction in financial and management accounting, tax and audit.

The Certified Management Accounting (CMA) designation provides a foundation in accounting, management and strategy; using both financial and non-financial information to direct tactical and operational decision-making in industry and government.

What is the difference between a CMA and an MBA?

A Masters in Business Administration (MBA) is a general strategic management degree. A CMA is a designation that provides strategic financial management foundation. As such, a CMA relative to an MBA has a greater focus on the financial aspects of business decision-making.

Another differentiation is that an MBA is an academic degree that is earned at a specific point in time for mastering a specific level of knowledge. A CMA is a designation that attests to an individual’s mastery of, and ongoing competence in, a particular profession. In addition, a member of a professional designation must abide by their professional body’s Rules of Professional Conduct.