Certified Management Accountants of Ontario (CMA Ontario) is the governing body for Ontario's Certified Management Accountants and CMA students. CMA Ontario protects the public interest by maintaining high standards of qualification and enforcing the CMA profession's rules of professional conduct. CMA Ontario works in partnership with the other provincial and territorial CMA bodies and with Certified Management Accountants of Canada to maintain national standards and programs.

Yes, it is. CMA Ontario has a mutual recognition agreement with the other CMA bodies across Canada and, therefore, an Ontario CMA designation is portable to all other provinces and territories in Canada.

No, you don't have to be a CMA to work in a management accounting position in Ontario. However, individual employers may require you to have the CMA designation or another accounting designation, particularly for mid- and senior-level positions. For some junior accounting jobs and for clerical accounting and bookkeeping jobs, you do not require an accounting designation.

Yes, you can work in the accounting field. However, you can't use the accounting designations CMA (Certified Management Accountant), CA (Chartered Accountant), or CGA (Certified General Accountant) unless you are an accredited member of the Ontario accounting body that awards the designation. Also, you cannot perform public accounting work in Ontario unless you have a CMA, CA or CGA designation and an Ontario licence to practise public accounting. Public accountants prepare financial statements for the use of third parties such as members of the public and investors and give opinions on the reliability of financial statements.

You cannot call yourself a Certified Management Accountant or CMA in Ontario unless you are a member of Certified Management Accountants of Ontario. However, you can work in the management accounting field.

CMA Ontario has agreements with several international accounting bodies. If you are a member of one of these accounting bodies and you have a recognized university degree, you may be eligible for a special path to qualify as a CMA in Ontario. See Your Path to Becoming a CMA.

Yes, there are. You do not have to have an accounting designation to work in the accounting field other than public accounting (see earlier question). However, individual employers may require you to have the CMA designation or another recognized accounting designation, particularly for mid- and senior-level positions. 

CMA Ontario will evaluate your university transcripts to determine if you have already completed each of the prerequisite studies topics. CMA Ontario will let you know which topics you have successfully completed and which topics you need to complete before you can write the CMA Entrance Examination.

CMA Ontario has mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) with three international accounting bodies: the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and CPA Australia (CPAA). CMA Ontario also has professional advanced standing policies for two other international accounting bodies: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMAP). If you are a member of CIMA, CIPFA, CPAA, AICPA or ICMAP and you have a recognized university degree, you may be eligible for an exemption from the CMA prerequisite studies. If you are not an eligible member of one of these accounting bodies, you are required to complete the CMA prerequisite studies to qualify as a CMA. See Choose Your Path.

CMA Ontario has mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) with three international accounting bodies: the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and CPA Australia (CPAA). CMA Ontario also has professional advanced standing policies for two other international accounting bodies: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMAP). If you are a member of CIMA, CIPFA, CPAA, AICPA or ICMAP and you have a recognized university degree, you may be eligible for an exemption from the CMA Entrance Examination. If you are not an eligible member of one of these accounting bodies, you are required to complete the CMA Entrance Examination to qualify as a CMA. See Choose Your Path.

CMA Ontario has mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) with three international accounting bodies: the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and CPA Australia (CPAA). If you are a member of CIMA, CIPFA or CPAA and you have a recognized university degree, you may be eligible for exemption from the CMA Strategic Leadership Program. If you are not an eligible member of one of these accounting bodies, you are required to complete the CMA Strategic Leadership Program to qualify as a CMA. See Choose Your Path.

No, you can’t be exempted from the practical work experience requirement. However, you may be able to count up to 12 months of prior work experience if the experience is verifiable and was gained in a qualifying position not more than three years prior to passing the CMA Entrance Examination. For your work experience to be verifiable, you must provide a letter describing your experience in detail, and the letter must be signed by your supervisor(s); you must also provide the current contact information for your supervisor(s) to CMA Ontario. Please note that members of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and CPA Australia (CPAA) who are eligible under a mutual recognition agreement must complete their practical work experience in Canada. See Choose Your Path.

No, you do not have to be a resident of Ontario to have your university transcripts evaluated or to qualify as a CMA. Learn more here or read below.

Before you send your university transcripts to CMA Ontario, you should contact the Accreditation Department first to find out if your university is recognized by CMA Ontario. If your university is not recognized by CMA Ontario, you will need to complete the CMA prerequisite studies through a recognized university.

If CMA Ontario is unfamiliar with your university or degree, CMA Ontario will provide you with information about how you can have your degree assessed by a recognized international academic credential evaluation service.

If your transcripts are not in English or French, you need to have them translated and certified by your university or by a certified translator. A certified translator is one who is a member of a professional translator's organization. The certified translator may be in Canada, your home country, or another country. To find a certified translator in Ontario see Contacts and Resources.

Your evaluation will be mailed within three weeks.

There is no charge for this service.

No, you don’t have to be employed in a management accounting job in Ontario before you can become a student member of CMA Ontario. The only requirements are that you have had your university transcripts evaluated by CMA Ontario and you meet CMA Ontario’s general admission requirements. Once CMA Ontario has evaluated your university transcripts, a membership application form will be sent to you to complete. As a student member of CMA Ontario, you will have access to resources to help you find employment within the management accounting field. See the next question for information about these resources.

As a student member of CMA Ontario, you will have access to resources to help you find a qualifying position in management accounting. These resources include:

• the CMA Employment Connection website, where you can post your résumé and view positions posted by employers
• CMA Ontario’s Member Services Centre; this centre can provide you with information to support your job search, such as industry and company profiles
• one-on-one employment search counselling and résumé critiquing services
• a career and networking fair held each fall in Toronto

In addition, communities throughout Ontario offer a variety of free or low‑cost programs to assist newcomers to find employment in their field. Find information about employment programs.

No, you don't have to pass an English language test to become a CMA in Ontario. However, to work in a qualifying management accounting position and to complete the CMA prerequisite studies, Entrance Examination, and Strategic Leadership Program, you will require excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

English upgrading classes are available through local school boards, community-based organizations, community colleges, and universities throughout Ontario. The Settlement.Org website links to information about language training available in Ontario communities. If your English skills are assessed as beginner or intermediate and you are a recent immigrant to Canada, you can take government-sponsored English classes through the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. In Ontario, you need to visit a YMCA Assessment Centre to have your language skills assessed and to register for classes. A list of these centres can be found on the Settlement.Org website.