- You are here:
- Home »
- Blog »
- CMA Steps »
- CMA Exam Exemption on Requirements at a Glance
CMA Exam Exemption on Requirements at a Glance
If you’re looking for a CMA exam exemption, be warned. After all, the CMA exam requirements are pretty simple: A bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
Most candidates in the US can meet this CMA requirement. But in places where university degrees are less prevalent, the IMA offers a CMA exam exemption and partial recognition of local professional qualifications. In this way, the IMA makes meeting the CMA education requirements a little easier.
Here is a list of major countries and their associated professional accounting qualifications for your reference. Please refer to the complete list in the link at the bottom of this post.
CMA Exam Requirement Exemptions
Holders of these certifications either don’t require a bachelor’s degree to take the CMA exam or have alternate paths to meet the education requirement:
Australia
- Chartered Accountant (CA), Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia
- Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA), Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants
Bangladesh
- Associate (ACMA), Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh
- Fellow (FCMA), Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh
Canada
- Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
France
- DCG, le diplôme de comptabilité et de gestion (Diploma of Accounting and Management)
Germany
- Geprüfter Bilanzbuchhalter / Geprüfte Bilanzbuchhalterin
India
- Associate or Fellow, Institute of Cost Accountants of India
- Chartered Accountant (CA), Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Intermediate, and Final levels
- Institute of Company Secretaries of India, Executive and Professional levels
Ireland
- Chartered Accountant (CA), The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland
Japan
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA), The Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Certified Public Tax Accountant, The Japan Federation of Certified Public Tax Accountants
- Association Securities Analyst, Chartered Member of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan
Kenya
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK)
Pakistan
- Associate or Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan
- Associate or Fellow (ACMA or FCMA), Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan
People’s Republic of China
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA), The Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Qualified Accountant (QA) or Senior Qualified Accountant (SQA), The National Accountant Assessment & Certification Center (Semi-Senior and Senior levels only)
Saudi Arabia
- Fellowship, Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants
Scotland
- Chartered Accountant (CA), The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
Sri Lanka
- Associate or Fellow (ACMA or FCMA), CMA Sri Lanka
Switzerland
- Diplomierte Expertin/ Experte in Rechnungslegung und Controlling
Taiwan
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA), The Securities and Futures Bureau of Financial Supervisory Commission
United Kingdom
- Associate or Fellow (ACCA or FCCA), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
- Chartered Accountant (CA), Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales
- Chartered Member, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
- Chartered Public Finance Accountant (CPFA), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
- The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)
United States
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), CFA Institute
- Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Institute of Internal Auditors
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
- Certified Treasury Professional (CTP), Association of Financial Professionals
Are There Ways to Waive One Part of the CMA Exam?
No, not that I know of. Since there are only two parts in the current version of the CMA exam, it is hard to expect waivers.
For Your Further Reading
About the Author Stephanie Ng
I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley) and the publisher of this and several accounting professional exam prep sites.