Professional Certification
Professional certification is a necessary credential for a professional accountant. Many firms require some kind of professional certification of their employees if advancement is to be offered. The SOA does not provide a specific exam preparation course. The SOA curriculum is considered rigorous enough that only a limited amount of review is needed to pass professional examinations, if the student program is carefully selected by the student. There are several certifications available for accountants. Some of these certifications are described below:
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Many SOA students are interested in taking and passing the CPA exam. The knowledge obtained through SOA program courses is very useful in passing this exam. SOA students generally do very well on the CPA exam and have a success rate much higher than the national average.
Since most states have different educational and practical experience requirements, students should contact individual state boards for these requirements. Information for individual states can be obtained through the CPA website: www.aicpa.org/states/index.htm
Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Financial Management (CFM)
Students may elect to take the CMA and/or the CFM exams in addition to or instead of the CPA exam. These exams are administered by the Institute of Management Accountants. More information may be obtained at www.imanet.org.
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
Students in the Professional Accountancy specialty may elect to take the CIA exam in addition to or instead of the CPA exam. Like the CPA exam, the CIA exam is offered twice a year in May and November. More information can be obtained by visiting their website: www.theiia.org.
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Information can be obtained at www.cfenet.com.
