Valuable Credential Opportunities for Contemporary Accounting Professionals

While the CPA is the only accounting credential to provide its holder with a licensed designation in the United States, many other credentialing opportunities exist in specialty areas such as management accounting, information technology, internal auditing, financial services, business valuation, fraud examination, and forensic accounting. The article summarized the various professional organizations and their respective credentialing opportunities. Since that article's publication, credentialing opportunities have continued to increase, thus making the process of researching the numerous professional organizations and the requirements of their various credentials all the more onerous for busy accounting professionals. Professional Organizations and Credentials U.S.-based organizations that provide credential opportunities for accounting professionals include the AICPA, the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA), the ISACA (previously known as the Information Systems Audit Control Association), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB). Part 3 topics include governance and business ethics; risk management; organizational structure, including business processes and risks; communication; management and leadership principles; information technology and business continuity; financial management; and the global business environment.