Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
REGULATIONS OF
CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS
OF ONTARIO
REGULATIONS RESPECTING
CANDIDATES PURSUING THE CMA DESIGNATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Hold CTRL and click on section name)
Section
200
General Requirements for all CMA Programs
300
Pre-Professional Program
400
Strategic Leadership Program
500
Combined CMA Master’s Programs
700
Executive Program
900
Sponsored Professor Program
1000
Professional Advanced Standing Agreements
1100
Mutual Recognition Agreements
1200
Practical Experience
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
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Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
200 General Requirements for all CMA Programs
The following regulations are applicable to all students or candidates in the CMA
Program.
201
Candidate’s Responsibility
It is the responsibility of each candidate to be familiar with the information contained in
these Regulations and the applicable candidate handbook(s). Exceptions to the
Regulations based on ignorance or unfamiliarity with any regulation will not be
considered. If a regulation is not clear to you or you are not sure how it may apply, you
are advised to contact any of the CMA Ontario accreditation department staff.
202
Code of Professional Ethics
CMA students and candidates are required to abide by CMA Ontario’s Professional
Misconduct and Code of Professional Ethics Regulation. The manner in which students
or candidates conduct their professional activities reflects on CMA Ontario and affects
the level of respect accorded the profession. This professional attitude applies to the
conduct expected of all students and candidates. Students or candidates who do not abide
by the Code of Professional Ethics may not be accepted into CMA membership.
Any candidate found committing plagiarism, cheating, or other ethical infractions will at
minimum be required to successfully complete the CMA Ontario Ethics course at the
candidate’s expense in order to continue on in the CMA Program. CMA Ontario reserves
the right, at CMA Ontario’s sole discretion, to defer candidates or discontinue candidates’
registration with CMA Ontario for these infractions.
203
CMA Program Eligibility
The CMA Program combines formal academic training with practical experience in the
domain of the management accountant.
Individuals must have acquired a degree from a Canadian academic institution or a
university degree equivalent to a Canadian university degree. CMA Ontario retains the
sole right to determine whether an institution qualifies as accredited (accepted by
international standards) or accepted by international standards based on research from
available resources.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 2
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Applicants with a degree obtained outside Canada must include with their application, an
assessment of their degree by either:
• the applicable CMA Canada Provincial/Territorial Partner; or
• a recognized Canadian comparative education service.
Applicants are required to submit officially translated transcripts in English or French to
accompany their application. Transcript documentation submitted becomes the property
of CMA Ontario and will be used for an evaluation, which may include labeling the
documentation with CMA identifiers. Candidates that wish for their documentation to
remain intact or to be returned to them are required to make the request to CMA Ontario
when the transcript documentation is submitted and will be reviewed on a case by case
basis.
While a copy of a transcript is sufficient for assessment purposes, students or candidates
must submit official, original, final transcript(s) prior to certification. International
candidates that would experience undue hardship by providing an official, original, final
transcript are permitted to have their documentation submitted to the CMA Ontario
Accreditation office and have the original documentation visually verified by CMA
Accreditation staff. Candidates that require a visual verification can either come into the
CMA Ontario Accreditation office personally for visual verification or can submit their
documentation with a postage paid, self-addressed envelope in order to have their
documentation returned to them.
Courses completed through accredited universities or through an approved college degree
will be accepted towards the CMA prerequisites.
Candidates transferring credits from a college or non-university institution into a postsecondary degree program cannot receive more than eight of the seventeen CMA
prerequisites as transfer credits. A minimum of eight of the seventeen CMA prerequisites
must be completed through the degree program itself. The following CMA prerequisites
must be completed through a university or college degree program and cannot be
transferred in:
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Intermediate Management Accounting
Advanced Management Accounting
Intermediate Financial Accounting
Advanced Financial Accounting
Taxation
Corporate Finance
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 3
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
The following prerequisites completed through the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants (AICPA), Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and its affiliates
(CICA), Certified General Accountants Association of Canada and its affiliates
(CGAAC), Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMAP),
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of
Management Accountants (CIMA), Certified Practising Accountant Australia (CPA
Australia), and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) will be
accepted as equivalents by CMA Ontario. Only courses completed through the above
designations will be considered. Transfers and exemptions of prerequisites within these
designations will not be considered.
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Introductory Financial Accounting
Introductory Management Accounting
Economics
Statistics
Taxation
Internal Control
Information Technology
Individual courses completed through all other professional bodies or other institutions
will not be accepted.
Candidates have five years from their point of qualification into the CMA Program to
complete the full program and receive their designation. Points of qualification include:
Strategic Leadership Program
Date of passing the Entrance Examination
Combined CMA Master’s Program
Entry into the Master’s Program at the
university
Executive Program
Entry into the CMA Executive Program
Professional Advanced Standing
Starting date of the Strategic Leadership
Program
Sponsored Professor Program
Entry into the CMA Executive Program or
starting date of the Strategic Leadership
Program dependent on the track of the
candidate.
Mutual Recognition Agreement
N/A
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 4
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Please note: not all programs are offered every year/intake. Programs are subject to
change.
For internationally educated students the CMA prerequisites Taxation, Canadian
Business Law and Advanced Financial Accounting, where required, must be completed
through an accredited Canadian institution or as part of the CMA Accelerated Program
due to Canadian specific content.
204
Mature Student Policy
Students who do not have a recognized post-secondary degree, but who have been
working in the accounting field for at least seven years, at a minimum Professional
Proficiency (as assessed by CMA Ontario), are eligible to apply as a Mature Student.
Potential students must submit:
•
•
•
•
Practical experience report(s) for assessment
Résumé outlining current and past positions
Any university or college transcripts from prior education for assessment
Three letters of reference
1) from employer which identifies support in the pursuit of the designation
2) from a CMA, preferably a colleague
3) a personal reference
Eligible prerequisites are all introductory and management courses from prior college or
university education. Any outstanding prerequisites, including all advanced level
Entrance Examination prerequisite courses, must be completed through a recognized
post-secondary institution, through degree program, or through the CMA Accelerated
Program. Once eligible, mature students must achieve the minimum grade required in
the Entrance Examination at which time they would qualify for the CMA Strategic
Leadership Program. Candidates that have entered their master’s program as a mature
student can use the completion of their master’s degree as their degree requirement.
Mature Student Status is not applicable for those candidates entering the Executive
Program, Sponsored Professor Program or through a Mutual Recognition Agreement or
Professional Advanced Standing Agreement.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
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Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
205
Approved: September 29, 2012
Suitable Professional Demeanour and Team Participation
If a candidate is not, in CMA Ontario’s sole judgment, maintaining a suitable level of
professional demeanour in the program, and/or is deemed not to be meeting the team
participation requirements of the program, they may be subject to one or more possible
sanctions.
Observation and evaluation of professional demeanour includes, but is not limited to,
consideration of personal and professional behaviour in the setting of the interactive
sessions and/or other team components of the program, including work within a smallteam environment. Without limitation, examples of behaviours not meeting the
expectations of professional demeanour and team participation would include offensive
or lewd behaviour and/or language, behaviour that disrupts session or team functioning,
behaviour that does not demonstrate active participation in the interactive sessions and/or
team assignments, and not showing appropriate and reasonable flexibility with fellow
team members for scheduling and setting meetings and calls.
A candidate not meeting the program’s expectations of professional demeanour, ethical
behaviour and/or team participation may also be removed from candidate status and
deemed ineligible to continue his/her pursuit of the designation.
206
Small Group Dissolution or Expulsion
Part of the rigour of the CMA Program is that candidates are expected to work together
and comprehend that part of the experience reinforces that in their careers they will work
with people of different backgrounds, goals and work styles.
In cases of group conflict, therefore, CMA small groups are expected to work together to
make reasonable efforts to resolve their issues. If the group itself is unable to resolve any
issue, they must involve, as a group, moderators in these discussions prior to requesting
transfer to a different group, expulsion of a group member, or group dissolution.
In cases where the team and moderators cannot resolve an issue, transfer, expulsion and
dissolution decisions are to be at the sole discretion of CMA Ontario.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 6
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
207
Approved: September 29, 2012
Human Rights Code
CMA Ontario is aware of the constructive discrimination provisions of the Human Rights
Code. Nothing in CMA Ontario’s practical experience requirement, or in its effect upon
individuals when applied to them, shall act to deprive individuals of their right to
accommodation without undue hardship in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights
Code. Human rights complaints can be submitted to the Corporate Secretary & Registrar
of CMA Ontario.
208
Test Behaviour
Students or candidates are expected to act as professionals at all times during tests. Please
note the following instructions regarding test writing conduct:
209
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Students are expected to confirm the place and time of scheduled tests.
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Students or candidates are expected to come prepared with a pencil, eraser, pen,
approved calculator and identification, to write each test. Candidates may be
asked to remove other items at the invigilator’s discretion.
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Any form of collaboration between parties related to cheating - be it copying from
another paper, or allowing copying from a test paper - will result in an automatic
mark of zero on the test for both parties.
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Students or candidates caught with a cheat sheet or who do not stop writing their
tests when requested by the test invigilator will receive a mark of zero on their
test.
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Unethical behaviour of this nature may be addressed under Section 24 of CMA
Ontario’s Bylaws: Discipline of Members, Complaints Committee.
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Certified Management Accountants of Ontario has provided the invigilators and
instructors full authority with respect to test writing conduct. Any violations of
said conduct will be reported to CMA Ontario for action.
Time Limit & Activity Requirement
Students are required to pursue the CMA designation by regularly taking courses through
a recognized post-secondary institution or baccalaureate program or successfully
completing the Accelerated Program. Candidates must receive a prerequisite credit
within 12 months of the last enrolment or new prerequisite earned toward the CMA
Program. Failure to complete any prerequisite credit within 12 months of the last
enrolment may result in Inactivation of registration with CMA Ontario as a student or
candidate.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 7
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Candidates must complete all aspects of the CMA Program within five years of their
point of entrance into the program (see Section 203 “CMA Program Eligibility” for
definition of point of entrance).
210
Appeals
Candidates may appeal any decision made by CMA Ontario Accreditation upon
reasonable grounds. To proceed with an appeal, candidates are required to submit, in
writing, a summary of the decision being appealed, the candidate’s appeal case, as well as
all supporting documentation pertaining to the decision in question to the appropriate
Program Advisor. Appeals pertaining to transcript evaluations or practical experience
will be reviewed and a decision will be returned to the candidate in writing within six
weeks.
211
Plagiarism
As CMA candidates, group work completed must be unique work performed by each
group independently and individual assignments must be unique work performed by each
candidate independently.
The CMA Program websites use Turnitin plagiarism detection software for all
assignments posted by candidates onto the site. Several years of submitted assignments
are stored in the database from candidates across Canada. The software also scans the
Web for other sources of content. If any notices of plagiarism are reported by the CMA
Canada markers or CMA Ontario moderators, either independently or with the assistance
of this software, CMA Ontario will be notified for further investigation and will be in
contact with the affected candidate’s group. Each case is reviewed individually, and may
result in the deferral or removal of the candidate(s) from the CMA Program. This policy
applies both to the candidate that used someone else’s assignment and also the student
who knowingly let someone use their assignment.
CMA Canada has developed a National Plagiarism Policy Statement and this is set out
below in the context of the CMA Program.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 8
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Guidelines on Plagiarism in the CMA Program
Introduction
Researching information from published materials and sharing ideas with other
candidates are legitimate approaches to learning and both approaches are required
in the CMA program. However, all assignments and presentations must reflect
original work and responses, with references to other sources correctly cited.
The following information and policies about plagiarism have been approved by all
the partners of CMA Canada and will be strictly enforced.
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism consists of presenting (or misrepresenting) any part of another person’s
work as one’s own. In the context of the CMA Program, this applies to all
assignments, online discussions, business application reports, oral presentations,
and Board Reports.
Plagiarism can include phrases, paragraphs, passages or ideas taken from any book,
website, article, encyclopedia or other reference material, another candidate’s or
CMA Program group’s paper (past or present), anything found on the Internet, or
any group discussions (when preparing an individual assignment), that have not
been correctly credited to the source.
CMA Canada’s Position of Plagiarism
CMA Canada and its partners consider any instance of plagiarism, as defined
above, to be cheating and a form of intellectual theft.
By submitting their work through the CMA Program’s websites or presenting it in
the context of a program session or formal presentation, candidates consent to their
work undergoing plagiarism detection reviews using plagiarism detection software
and to their submitted work being retained in a confidential database for
comparison with other work submitted by candidates.
Penalties
Suspected instances of plagiarism will be immediately reported to CMA Canada
and/or its partners. The provincial partners will review each case individually and
based on the outcome will assess strict penalties and disciplinary measures.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 9
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Where a candidate has been found to have committed plagiarism or violated the
Professional Misconduct and Code of Professional Ethics, the candidate will be required
to attend the CMA Ontario Ethics course at the candidate’s expense before continuing in
the program.
CMA Ontario reserves the right, at CMA Ontario’s sole discretion, to defer candidates or
discontinue candidates’ active status with CMA Ontario for these infractions.
212
Application for CMA Membership
An Application for CMA Membership (formerly the certified membership application)
will be made available to all eligible candidates in June.
To be considered for membership with CMA, candidates must have successfully
completed all requirements for the CMA program path in which they are enrolled in full
and includes the practical experience requirement.
As well, candidates must have paid all outstanding fees and have submitted the proper
documentation by the specified due date.
Candidates will require a CMA to sponsor the Application for CMA Membership. The
sponsor must be a CMA certified member in good standing who can attest to the
candidate’s suitability for consideration for CMA membership.
To maintain membership and the right to use the CMA designation, the CMA
membership fee must be paid annually and members must comply with Continuing
Professional Learning and Development (CPLD) requirements.
213
Continuing Professional Learning and Development (CPLD)
Upon certification, members are required to fulfill Continuung Professional Learning and
Development (CPLD). Additional information about CPLD is available at:
www.cmaontario.org/cpld
214
Candidate Transfers
Candidate transfers to another province are subject to the approval of the receiving
province. Students or candidates moving from Ontario to another province should submit
a written request to CMA Ontario’s office including their name, candidate number and
the new address and telephone numbers. They will be advised of their transfer eligibility.
Candidates transferring into Ontario must contact their host (current) provincial/territorial
partner to request a transfer.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 10
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
215
Approved: September 29, 2012
Registration Deletions
Students or candidates may be deleted from registration with CMA Ontario for the
following reasons without notice.
Time Limit & Activity Requirement
Failure to complete all requirements of the CMA designation within five years of
eligibility. Candidates must receive a prerequisite credit within 12 months of the last
enrolment or new prerequisite earned toward the CMA Program. Failure to complete any
prerequisite credit within 12 months of the last enrolment may result in Inactivation of
registration with CMA Ontario as a student or candidate.
Non-payment: Non-payment of the annual registration fee or any outstanding
accounts with CMA Ontario.
Failure: Three unsuccessful attempts at any single one of the following
components of the CMA Program:
 CMA Entrance Examination
 CMA Case Examination
 CMA Board Report
Unprofessional Conduct: Failure to abide by the Code of Professional Ethics.
All necessary documentation including but not exclusive to the submission of
official, original, final transcripts and practical experience.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 11
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
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Approved: September 29, 2012
Reinstatement after Deletion
Reinstatement is not automatic. Requests will be considered in accordance with the
policies in place at the time of application for reinstatement. A letter should be submitted
to the accreditation department together with the required supporting documentation and
reinstatement fee. The letter should include: name, address, prior candidate number, year
of deletion, and be accompanied by your transcripts and a résumé. Reinstatements will
be reviewed and a decision will be returned to the candidate in writing within 6 weeks.
Should changes to the program take place while a candidate is awaiting reinstatement,
additional requirements may need to be fulfilled in order to qualify for additional
attempts at the CMA Entrance Examination. Candidates being assessed for reinstatement
may be required to repeat some aspects of the program.
All requests for reinstatement must be accompanied by the applicable fees, which are not
tax deductible.
217
Appeal Process of Policy and Regulation Administration
Students or candidates whose progress may be affected by the policies and regulations
established by CMA Ontario may apply to CMA Ontario for consideration of their case.
Such appeals may include, but are not exclusive to:
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Extensions on Strategic Leadership Program assignment due dates
Missed interactive sessions
Additional time required on CMA tests or examinations
Additional attempts at CMA tests or examinations
Requests should be addressed to the accreditation department and should briefly outline
the nature of the request and be accompanied by any supporting documentation.
Employment-related obligations will not be considered.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 12
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
218
Approved: September 29, 2012
Fees
To maintain active status, students and candidates are required to submit an annual
registration fee upon receipt of their invoice (where applicable). This fee is tax
deductible as a tuition fee. The fee covers the period of July 1 to June 30 and is nonrefundable. Students or candidates who have not submitted the fee will have their status
inactivated without notice.
Strategic Leadership Program students who pass the June Entrance Examination will be
invoiced in August for the difference between the pre-professional student fee and the
accreditation student fee. Payment is due immediately upon receipt of the invoice.
Candidates who pass the October Entrance Examination will be invoiced in December for
the difference between the pre-professional student fee and the accreditation student fee.
This amount will be pro-rated to reflect that half of the year has concluded. Payment is
due immediately upon receipt of the invoice.
Year Two candidates who have not submitted their fees by July 30 will not have their
assignments marked and will not be able to attend the next interactive session. They may
also have their status inactivated without notice.
Upon submission of the Application for CMA Membership, Strategic Leadership
Program candidates are required to pay the difference in annual fees from accreditation
candidate to CMA membership. Candidates in the Combined CMA Master’s Program,
Executive Program, Sponsored Professor Program, or Mutual Recognition Agreement are
required to pay the CMA membership fee in full.
All requests for an official transcript of CMA credits must be accompanied by the
applicable fees, which are not tax deductible, and will require three weeks for the request
to be processed.
219
Food Allergies
CMA Ontario and its catering services will take every necessary precaution to prevent
cross contamination regarding food allergies or food sensitivities. However, CMA
Ontario assumes no liability should there be an allergic reaction of any kind.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 13
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
220
Approved: September 29, 2012
Use of the CMA Designation
The CMA designation and the terms “CMA” and “Certified Management Accountant”
can only to be used by CMA Members in good standing. Nobody other than a Member
may use these terms either alone or in combination with any other words. Students and
candidates are not considered Members.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 200: General Requirements for All CMA Programs
p. 14
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
300 – Pre-Professional Program
Please click here to review the General Requirements for all CMA Programs. All
students and candidates are required to be familiar with both the General Requirements
for all CMA Programs regulations as well as those regulations pertaining to the program
in which they are currently pursuing the designation.
301
Accelerated Program Eligibility
To be eligible for the Accelerated Program, students must have an eligible postsecondary degree or have qualified as a CMA mature student and have completed the
following CMA prerequisites with a minimum grade of 60% in each required course
prior to commencement of the program:
 Introductory Financial Accounting
 Introductory Management Accounting
 Economics
 Statistics
Canadian Business LawAll 5 prerequisite(s) required for the Accelerated program
can be fulfilled through the online learning courses offered through Certified
Management Accountants of Ontario (CMA Ontario). These courses are for use towards
the CMA Ontario program only and may not be recognized at the university level or for
the future CMA Ontario Public Accounting Program under development.
To register for the Introductory Management Accounting online learning course offered
through Certified Management Accountants of Ontario, students must have fulfilled the
Introductory Financial Accounting prerequisite first.
Candidates that have not yet completed all of the necessary courses to qualify for the
CMA Accelerated Program can apply for conditional enrollment. Candidates can be
considered for conditional enrollment if they are currently enrolled in the final courses
required to satisfy all of the pre-requisites for the CMA Accelerated Program and are
expected to have the final grade for all enrolled courses prior to the start date of the
Accelerated program. Candidates that register for the CMA Accelerated Program under
Conditional Enrollment must complete all enrolled courses with a minimum grade of
60% for undergrad or 70% for master’s level courses. Failure to achieve the minimum
required grade in the enrolled courses will result in an immediate removal from the
Accelerated Program eligibility list subject to the graduated refund policy in effect at the
time of the grade submission.
Students must successfully pass the CMA Accelerated Program (with a minimum 60%
final grade in each segment) to be eligible to write the Entrance Examination.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 15
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
The program is available by full-day Saturday or Sunday lectures in selected centres, or
by online learning. The program is divided into two segments: Segment 1 covers Weeks
1-11 and Segment 2 covers Weeks 12-22.
A 14 month option of the Accelerated Program is now offered on weekday evenings, or
by on-line learning, which is approximately at half the pace of the regular program.
The program fee includes all course material.
A successful attempt at the CMA Accelerated Program is valid for three years after which
students may be required to take additional courses through an accredited (accepted by
international standards) eligible post-secondary degree should the prerequisite courses for
the program change or if there has been significant content change for the CMA
competencies.
302
Accelerated Program Evaluation
Student evaluation is based on performance in each segment, which is evaluated on the
basis of one three-hour test, one four-hour test, and the completion of weekly quizzes in
each segment. In addition, students must complete six (6) mandatory management studies
quizzes.
Students must complete the following management studies quizzes within Segment 1 of
the program: Marketing, Human Resources, Operations Management and Information
Technology. Students must then complete the Internal Control and Strategic Management
quizzes, within two weeks of Test 4 (the final Accelerated Program test in Segment 2).
To successfully pass the Accelerated Program and qualify for the Entrance Examination,
students must achieve a minimum grade of 60% in each segment as well as successfully
complete all of the management studies quizzes.
After enrolling, students are provided with access to an interactive web-based learning
environment. This website contains detailed lesson notes, reinforcement problems with
solutions, pre-recorded online lectures, and related materials. Those enrolled in the online
learning option can pose specific questions on the material to an instructor via an online
discussion forum, while lecture students will be able to attend classes and ask questions
directly to their instructor or via the online discussion forum for their class. Additionally,
all students will be provided with a Financial Accounting Primer to review prior to
beginning the program to assist in reinforcing the Introductory Financial Accounting
material. Students who request the complimentary English language support program are
provided with the CMA ESL lecture ready primer.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 16
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
The lesson notes and related reinforcement problems and solutions have been designed to
assist students in managing their own time in order to develop a good understanding of
the topics. It is recommended that students allow for a minimum of 20 hours of study
time, on average per week, in addition to the in-class and/or online lecture viewing time.
303
Accelerated Program Tests
It is mandatory that students write all four Accelerated Program tests on their scheduled
date at the supervised test centre they are assigned. Students (whether taking the program
by lecture or online learning) who miss a test for any reason must contact the CMA
accreditation office in writing, no later than the Monday following the missed test to
appeal for accommodations to be made. Appeals are considered on a case by case basis.
Only those students with legitimate reasons for missing a test will be considered.
Students who miss a test for any reason that is not accepted on appeal will be assigned a
mark of zero for that module, and his or her performance in the CMA Accelerated
Program will be deemed incomplete and necessitate re-taking the entire program.
Location confirmations for the tests will be posted to the Accelerated Program website
one week prior to each test.
Two to three weeks after each test, lecture students will have test books returned in class,
while online students test books will be returned via regular mail. CMA Ontario does not
return Scantron forms or test question papers.
Distance learning tests are marked by a professional marker using a template of solutions
and marking key. Should a student disagree with the marking, a re-mark may be
requested. The original test should be returned to the CMA office within 14 days of
receipt, outlining the student’s concerns, and payment of $56.50. The re-mark will be
returned to the student with appropriate commentary within two (2) weeks. If a student’s
mark changes, the re-mark fee will be refunded. Note that the student’s final grade on the
test will be the re-mark mark, even in the event that that mark is lower than their original
grade.
Students are required to arrange personal and professional commitments around CMA
Accelerated Program test dates. Students will not be admitted to the examination room
after an Accelerated Program test has been in progress for 30 minutes.
The following is a list of materials that can be taken into an examination room for use
during the examination:
 Pens, pencils, erasers, and rulers
 Texas Instruments TI BA II Plus calculator (provided to all students as part of
their program materials when they register for the Accelerated Program)
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 17
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
All other materials are prohibited.
Students must have a soft lead pencil with them when writing the test to enable them to
record their answers to the multiple-choice questions on a Scantron answer sheet.
Examination material issued to students at the beginning of and during the test (i.e.,
question paper and test writing booklet) cannot be removed from the examination centre.
Students must submit all required test to the test invigilator before leaving the exam
room. Any work done on the question paper will not be marked.
Any texts, lesson notes, cell phones, reading material, briefcases, etc., will not be allowed
into an examination room. All formulae needed to write the test will be supplied as part
of the test question paper.
Accelerated Program test papers will not be returned or available for review once the
student has submitted it for marking.
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Accelerated Program – Program Cancellation
Program cancellations are accepted only when the request is postmarked no later than the
third week of the program - no cancellations will be considered after this date. Requests
for cancellations must be submitted in writing. Students who are unable to continue the
program due to extenuating circumstances may request a deferral of the program.
Deferrals are considered on a case by case basis.
The graduated refund reduction for which students will be eligible is set out in the PreProfessional Handbook. All cancellations are subject to the administration fee, even if a
student is cancelling in advance of the enrolment deadline date. Program material cannot
be returned for credit.
Should students not continue in the program, an incomplete status will be added to their
file. An incomplete status will necessitate re-taking the entire program.
Students should consider the instructions regarding inactivity (see Pre-Professional
Handbook) prior to cancelling the program. Cancellation in one offering requires readmission to the next available offering only, or completion of an eligible post-secondary
credit within six months if not continuing with the Accelerated Program option.
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Repeating the Accelerated Program
Students who fail their first attempt at the program by receiving a final grade of less than
60% on Segment 1 and/or Segment 2 may take a re-write test for each failed segment.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 18
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Re-write tests are made available to students on the scheduled re-write dates for their
current program as well as the following year’s program. Students also have the option of
re-taking the entire program. A student must show a reasonable attempt at each test
within the initial enrolment in order to be eligible for re-testing. Attendance at the
commencement of the test writing, with a minimum of 2/3 of the test questions attempted
is required.
Students will not be permitted to register for the Entrance Examination until they have
successfully passed the required segment test(s). The segment re-write mark replaces the
marks for the two tests in the segment and the weekly quiz grade (if lower than the
segment re-write grade), but will not affect management studies quizzes completion.
Candidates are permitted a maximum of two attempts at each CMA Accelerated Program
segment rewrite test module. If a candidate is unsuccessful in two attempts at a particular
segment rewrite test, candidates are required to retake the failed segment through the
Accelerated Program distance learning option before taking additional testing.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 19
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
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Approved: September 29, 2012
Entrance Examination Eligibility
To be eligible to write the Entrance Examination, students must have completed all of the
prerequisite studies indicated on their transcript evaluation by the examination date, or
have successfully completed the Accelerated Program.
Candidates that have not yet completed all of the necessary courses to qualify for the
CMA Entrance Examination can apply for conditional enrollment. Candidates can be
considered for conditional enrollment if they are currently enrolled in the final courses
required to satisfy all of the pre-requisites for the CMA Entrance Examination and are
expected to have the final grade for all enrolled courses prior to the date of the Entrance
Examination. Candidates that register for the CMA Entrance Examination under
Conditional Enrollment must complete all enrolled courses with a minimum grade of
60% for undergrad and 70% for master’s level courses. Failure to achieve the minimum
required grade in the enrolled courses will result in an immediate removal from the
Entrance Examination eligibility list subject to the graduated refund policy in effect at the
time of the grade submission. Candidates that fail to submit final grades for enrolled
courses used for conditional enrollment may not receive their Entrance Examination
grade.
Students must write the Entrance Examination at the first scheduled offering after
registering with CMA Ontario and becoming eligible by completing the required
prerequisite studies or the Accelerated Program.
Activity regulations require that successful Fall Accelerated Program students write
the Entrance Examination in June, and that Winter students write in October. Only
upon written approval from CMA Ontario may students defer the Entrance
Examination to a later sitting. Failure to enrol for the corresponding Entrance
Examination sitting without prior deferral approval from CMA Ontario will result in an
unsuccessful attempt at the Entrance Examination.
All students sitting for the CMA Entrance Examination are required to first complete the
CMA Entrance Examination Preparation Program.
307
Entrance Examination Materials
The following is a list of materials that can be taken into an examination centre for use
during the examination:
 Pens, pencils, erasers, and rulers
 One of the following financial calculators: Texas Instruments TI BA II Plus
(including the professional model), Hewlett Packard HP 10bII (or HP 10Bii),
Hewlett Packard HP 10bII+ or the Sharp EL-738C.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 20
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
All other materials are prohibited.
Students must have a soft lead pencil with them when writing the examination to enable
them to record their answers to the multiple-choice questions on a Scantron answer sheet.
Examination material issued to students at the beginning of and during the examination
(i.e., question paper, supplement of formulas and tables, envelope and answer paper)
cannot be removed from the examination centre. Students must submit all required
examination material in their envelope along with their answer paper and return the
envelope and all unused answer paper to the presiding officer. Any work done on the
question paper, supplement formulas or unofficial answer sheets will not be marked.
Any texts, lesson notes, reading material, briefcases, etc., will not be allowed into an
examination centre. All formulae needed to write the examination will be supplied as part
of the examination question paper.
308
Entrance Examination Admittance
A detailed booklet outlining examination procedures and regulations will be posted online for all students registered to write the Entrance Examination two weeks prior to the
examination sitting, along with his or her location details.
Students will not be admitted to the examination room after the Entrance Examination
has been in progress for 45 minutes.
309
Repeat Entrance Examinations
Students are allowed three attempts at the Entrance Examination. Upon a third
unsuccessful attempt at the CMA Entrance Examination candidates will be inactivated
and are required to either complete, at CMA Ontario’s discretion, either the CMA
Accelerated program or the Advanced Management Accounting, Advanced Financial
Accounting, Financial Management, and Taxation pre-requisites through a recognized
post-secondary institution degree program and wait one year before being eligible to
apply for reinstatement into the program. Reinstatement is not automatic and requests
will be considered in accordance with the policies in place at the time of application for
reinstatement. Should changes to the program take place while a candidate is awaiting
reinstatement, additional requirements may need to be fulfilled in order to qualify for
additional attempts at the CMA Entrance Examination. Candidates being assessed for
reinstatement may be required to repeat some aspects of the program.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 21
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Students that are unsuccessful on their fourth attempt at the CMA Entrance Examination
will be removed from the program and will be ineligible to qualify for reinstatement.
Students who are unsuccessful on the Entrance Examination, must attempt the rewrite
within 13 months of the first attempt.
310
Current Entrance Examination Syllabus Requirement
The Entrance Examination is held twice each year, in mid-June and mid-October. The
Entrance Examination is four hours in duration and is comprised of approximately 120
multiple choice questions.
The pass mark for the CMA Entrance Examination is 60%. Students must pass the
Entrance Examination to proceed into the Strategic Leadership Program.
311
Accredited University Programs
Students who have graduated from a CMA accredited university program, have
completed all 17 of the CMA prerequisites within that program with a minimum grade of
60% for undergraduate program or 70% for a graduate level program, and have a CGPA
greater than or equal to 75% will be exempted from the Entrance Examination. Those
students who receive a waiver of the Entrance Examination, due to their success in an
accredited university program or professional advanced standing, are eligible for the
Strategic Leadership Program. The waiver is valid for three years from students’
graduation date, or professional advanced standing approval date. Failure to use this
waiver within the three-year period will require students to complete the Entrance
Examination.
For students to receive the waiver from the CMA Entrance Examination, no more than
eight of the seventeen prerequisites required for eligibility for the CMA Entrance
Examination can be transferred into an accredited program from an outside program.
Students that have received advanced standing or transfer credits into a CMA accredited
program are required to submit the transcripts from the original institution at which the
transferred courses were taken and the grades for these courses will be used in the
calculation of the CGPA.
The following CMA prerequisites must be completed through the CMA accredited
program and cannot be transferred in:
Intermediate Management Accounting
Advanced Management Accounting
Intermediate Financial Accounting
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 22
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Advanced Financial Accounting
Taxation
Corporate Finance
Students who received a waiver of the Entrance Examination due to their CMA
accredited university program are eligible for the Strategic Leadership Program. The
waiver is valid for three years from students’ graduation date. Failure to use this waiver
within the three-year period will require a student to complete the Entrance Examination.
Students who receive a waiver from the Entrance Examination due to their Professional
Advanced Standing (PAS) are eligible for the Strategic Leadership Program. The waiver
is valid for three years from the time that it is granted. Failure to use this waiver within
the three-year period will require students to complete the Entrance Examination.
312
Preparing for the Entrance Examination
To assist students in thoroughly preparing for the Entrance Examination, a number of
programs are available:
 Accelerated Program
 Entrance Examination Preparation Sessions – Part of the Entrance
Examination program
 Entrance Examination Study Guide – Part of the Entrance Examination
program
CMA Ontario offers a Preparation Program via lecture classes or online learning for
students enrolling for the Entrance Examination. The Preparation Program consists of
five (5) review sessions and an opportunity to write two (2) mock examinations at a
supervised test centre. The Entrance Examination Preparation Program is provided to all
students writing the CMA Entrance Examination.
The sessions will be held in selected centres across the province provided sufficient
enrollment exists. While online students will not attend lecture classes, they are expected
to attend a test centre to write the two mock examinations. Copies of mock examinations
may be mailed to students who are unable to attend the scheduled sitting upon request;
however shipping of mock examinations will be at the candidate’s expense
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 23
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
313
Approved: September 29, 2012
Entrance Examination Deferral
Entrance Examination deferrals will only be granted in extenuating circumstances at the
discretion of CMA Ontario.
Normal employment related obligations (i.e., month and year-ends, tax season, special
projects) are not considered valid reasons for a deferral.
If a deferral is granted, no additional time is added to a students’ time limit for
completing the program.
Applications for deferrals must be submitted in writing and must be supported by the
appropriate documentation.
Students who are granted a deferral after the cancellation deadline are not eligible for a
refund. The Entrance Examination fee is not transferable to the next Entrance
Examination, for example, from a June to an October sitting.
314
Entrance Examination Cancellations
Cancellations of the Entrance Examination and/or Preparation Sessions, when an appeal
for deferral has been approved and confirmed in writing by CMA Ontario, are accepted
for refund only when the request is postmarked no later than two weeks after the
enrolment deadline. Any cancellations granted after this date will not be eligible for a
refund, regardless of the circumstance, and fees may not be transferred to another sitting.
315
Refundable Fees
Students cancelling out of the Entrance Examination in accordance with the cancellation
policy are entitled to a refund of the examination fees, less the applicable administration
fee.
All cancellations are subject to an administration fee, as specified on the application
form, even if students cancel in advance of the enrolment deadline date.
316
Time Limit for Attempting the Entrance Examination
Students must attempt the Entrance Examination at the first scheduled offering after
registering with CMA Ontario and completing the prerequisite studies, unless a written
deferral request has been approved by CMA Ontario.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 24
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
317
Approved: September 29, 2012
Entrance Examination Results
Results are available online approximately four to six weeks after the examination is
written, and are also posted on the CMA Canada web site, www.cma-canada.org, and are
accessible only by students. Under no circumstances will results be released by
telephone.
A mark of 60% must be attained in order for students to have achieved a pass in the
Entrance Examination.
A successful attempt at the CMA Entrance Examination is valid for three years.
318
Experience
Please click here for details about Practical Experience Requirements.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 300: Pre-Professional Program Requirements
p. 25
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
400 – Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
Please click here to review the General Requirements for all CMA Programs. All
students and candidates are required to be familiar with both the General Requirements
for all CMA Programs regulations as well as those regulations pertaining to the program
in which they are currently pursuing the designation.
401
Strategic Leadership Program Eligibility
The Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) is an accreditation requirement which begins
after completion of or waiver of the CMA Entrance Examination. The two-year Strategic
Leadership Program includes work-related assignments marked nationally, interactive
sessions, a Case Examination, a Board Report, plus monitored practical experience.
402
Study Format
The Strategic Leadership Program is a two-year program divided into two (2) phases: the
Development Phase which consists of three (3) modules of largely independent study and
the Application Phase which consists of three (3) modules of largely group work. Over
the two-year period there is an orientation session, six two-day interactive sessions and a
final day to present the Board Report. While CMA Ontario recommends beginning the
Strategic Leadership Program immediately following the successful completion of the
Entrance Examination, candidates may defer starting the program for one year.
The orientation session is held in late September or early October for the Fall intake of
candidates and in January for the Winter intake of candidates. Attendance at all sessions
is mandatory.
Upon enrolment, candidates are registered to a group consisting of 25-30 candidates and
progress through the two-year program with the same group and two moderators assigned
to the group. During the interactive sessions, candidates discuss problems and cases both
in small groups (4-6) and in the large group, with presentations to the full group.
Candidates are expected to be able to discuss the issues, share their views and insights
and provide relevance to the topics through personal experience in their individual
organizations.
Each of the modules requires approximately 75 hours of preparation. To develop a
candidates’ integrative, analytical and report writing skills, a variety of assignments are
incorporated into the program.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 26
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
403
Approved: September 29, 2012
Assignment Submissions
During the individual Development Phase (Year One), there are approximately two
assignments per module submitted to a national marking team for marking and feedback.
Other assignments during the module consist of online discussions, Business Application
Reports (BAR), preparation for and participation during the interactive session as
evaluated by the moderators.
It is required that candidates ensure that their assignments have been successfully posted
on the CMA Canada Professional Programs website, as CMA Ontario will assume no
responsibility for assignment posting errors. Submission of the assignments and reports is
mandatory. Failure to submit an assignment may result in sanctions up to and including a
deferral of candidates’ studies until the next year. Late reports will be subject to penalties
such as having to complete another assignment or assessment reductions. Candidates who
submit an assignment substantially after the deadline may be subject to a late marking fee
as well as a “Below Expectations” assessment. Candidates who receive an assessment of
“Below Expectations” on two reports will be required to perform remedial work
including re-submitting the assignment to the moderator or possible deferral. Please note
only one (1) Word format file and one (1) Excel file is to be submitted to the website for
the report.
Candidates who submit two (2) late assignments or reports may be required to defer their
studies and restart the program. This ability to restart the program is conditional upon
their eligibility to defer the program and still remain in compliance with the time limit
policy as stated in section 203. Candidates who submit an unacceptable report will be
required to re-submit the report, which will not be marked. Any decision on deferral is at
the sole discretion of CMA Ontario.
Candidates experiencing difficulty in submitting a report may request an extension to the
due date. Extensions are only granted in unusual circumstances. Employment related
obligations (e.g., month and year-ends, tax season, special projects) will not be
considered.
Candidates must submit in writing a request to CMA Ontario Candidate Support
Representatives at least 48 hours before a due date to request an extension. If an
extension is warranted, supporting documentation may be required. Permission to submit
one (1) report or assignment late affects only that report.
Reports due before an interactive session must be submitted to be eligible to attend that
session. Candidates who are ineligible to attend an interactive session will be contacted
by CMA Ontario.
The moderators will evaluate the totality of assignments and interactive session
participation for each module, and will provide an overall module assessment. If any
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 27
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
interactive session is deemed to be “Below Expectations”, at the discretion of CMA
Ontario, candidates will either be deferred for one year (candidates will continue the
following year from the beginning of the SLP year in which they were deferred) or will
be given the opportunity to complete an additional assignment that will be marked
provincially. In addition, candidates will have to achieve a grade of “Meets
Expectations” or “Above Expectations” to continue in the program.
404
Interactive Session Participation
Candidates who do not attend either an entire, complete session or make acceptable
alternative arrangements with CMA Ontario to attend another offering will be required to
defer their studies and re-start the program the following year. This ability to return to the
program is conditional upon the eligibility to defer the program and still remain in
compliance with the time limit policy. If alternative arrangements are required,
candidates should contact CMA Ontario at least three weeks prior to the session.
In the Development Phase (Year One), candidates who request to attend a different SLP
session than the one in which they are registered will be charged a session transfer fee.
Given the small group work required in Year Two of the program, sessions transfer will
not be permitted for Interactive Sessions 4, 5 or 6. All session transfers are at the sole
discretion of CMA Ontario.
405
Module Assessments
Module assessments will be uploaded to the CMA Canada Professional Programs website
by the moderators within two weeks of each module’s completion once the session
survey has been submitted. The module assessment indicates candidates’ performance on
the written assignments as well as the interactive session.
407
Fees
The total fee for the two-year program includes all study materials, marking of
assignments and reports and applicable meals while attending the interactive sessions.
The non-refundable fee will be payable in four installments. Invoices will be sent four
weeks prior to the installment due date. An administrative fee will be assessed on each
installment not received or post-marked by the due date. Audits of failed Case
Examinations or Board Reports are not included in the regular fee and these requests will
be charged an additional fee. Likewise, re-writing the Case Examination after a failed
attempt is also subject to an additional fee.
Cheques should be made payable to Certified Management Accountants of Ontario.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 28
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Candidates who have not submitted the installments by the due dates will not be allowed
to attend the next interactive session and may be deleted from registration with CMA
Ontario as a student or candidate.
408
Expenses
Candidates are responsible for all travel, accommodation, dinner, parking and other
personal expenses incurred to participate in interactive sessions or other meetings.
409
Material
All readings, reports, and assignments are to be downloaded from the CMA Canada
Professional Programs (CPP) website at www.cma-cpp.com.
CMA Ontario encourages candidates to evaluate all aspects of the Strategic Leadership
Program – session content, delivery and moderators. Evaluation sheets for each
interactive session are completed electronically on the CPP website at the completion of
each module. Each evaluation sheet must be submitted by the Tuesday following the
session in order for session grades to appear when they are available.
Evaluations are reviewed by CMA Ontario to identify areas requiring improvement.
Many issues relating to session format and moderator performance are handled
immediately. Moderators receive a summary of the evaluations after each session.
410
Deferrals
Candidates who voluntarily decide or are required to defer the program for one year will
be required to continue in the program from the beginning of the year in which they were
when they deferred (SLP Year One or SLP Year Two). This deferral is conditional upon
their eligibility to defer the program and still remain in compliance with the time limit
policy.
Candidates who defer their studies should be aware that they may have to repeat part or
the entire program if the Strategic Leadership Program competencies change
significantly.
All deferrals of the program are at the discretion of CMA Ontario. Candidates who wish
to defer the program to a future intake must present their request in writing to CMA
Ontario. Deferral requests must be made at one of the following times:
 Prior to the application deadline for the Development Phase (Year One)
 Prior to interactive session 4 for the Application Phase (Year Two)
 The May Case Examination may defer to write the August Case Examination
for SLP Year One Fall intake candidates. Candidates will not be required to
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 29
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario

Approved: September 29, 2012
repeat the entire first year of the program if they defer the Case Examination,
but may be required to attend a preparation session
All other deferral requests will be reviewed by CMA Ontario and only granted
for medical and other significant hardship and evaluated on a case by case
basis.
Deferrals do not extend the time limitations of the program, so candidates must be aware
of the time limit when considering deferral.
411
Withdrawals
Candidates who withdraw will be advised of the year from which they must continue. All
of the modules will have to be repeated as candidates may only enter the program at the
commencement of Year One or Year Two. Candidates who withdraw from the Strategic
Leadership Program will receive a refund of the Strategic Leadership Program fees only
for the portion of the program not completed
All refund and deferral requests must be made in writing to the attention of the
accreditation department, CMA Ontario.
Cancellation and deferral refunds, if any, are dependant on when candidates withdraw
from the Strategic Leadership Program or any related re-write during the specified time
frame. Please refer to the Strategic Leadership Candidate Handbook for details on the
graduated refund levels. The refund schedule takes into account the committed fixed
costs of each Strategic Leadership Program group (such as moderator and facility costs)
when deciding to run a particular number of groups.
CMA Ontario will honour the date the written request for cancellation or deferral is
received by CMA Ontario only. Refunds are issued only when all charges
outstanding on candidates’ account have been paid.
The Strategic Leadership Program consists of two elements that all candidates must pass:
the CMA Case Examination and the Board Report
412
Case Examination
To be eligible to write the Case Examination, candidates must have achieved “Meets
Expectations” or above for each of the three modules in the Development Phase.
The Case Examination is a four-hour examination that tests candidates’ ability to apply
the six functional competencies (Strategic Management, Performance Measurement,
Performance Management, Financial Resource Management, Risk Management and
Governance, and Financial Reporting) and the four enabling competencies (Problem-
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 30
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Solving and Decision-Making, Leadership and Group Dynamics, Professional and
Ethical Behaviour, and Communication) by demonstrating integrative thinking and
problem solving skills. Forty-eight hours before the Case Examination, candidates will
be given a document that provides background on a fictitious company and at the outset
of the examination, additional information will be provided that will form the heart of the
Case Examination.
Candidates who wish to write the Case Examination by laptop will utilize SecureExam
software. Instructions and details regarding this software will be provided in advance. A
SecureExam user’s guide will be available in the reference section of the CMA Canada
Professional Programs website. SecureExam is permitted on PC-based computers only.
Please note that any Apple, PowerPC, Macintosh (MAC) laptops are not permitted even
if the laptop can run Windows.
Candidates must achieve 60% to pass the Case Examination and must pass the Case
Examination to move to the second year, or the Application Phase. Unsuccessful
candidates will be deferred until the next available sitting of the Case Examination.
Strategic Leadership Program candidates that have been unsuccessful in the CMA Case
Examination will be required to participate in a mandatory prep session before being
permitted to make an additional attempt at the CMA Case Examination. Candidates can
take the CMA Case Examination a maximum of three times. Upon a third unsuccessful
attempt at the CMA Case Examination candidates will be inactivated and are required to
either complete, at CMA Ontario’s discretion, either Year One of the CMA Strategic
Leadership Program or the Advanced Management Accounting, Advanced Financial
Accounting, Financial Management, and Taxation pre-requisites through a recognized
post-secondary institution degree program and wait one year before being eligible to
apply for reinstatement into the program. Reinstatement is not automatic and requests
will be considered in accordance with the policies in place at the time of application for
reinstatement. Should changes to the program take place while a candidate is awaiting
reinstatement, additional requirements may need to be fulfilled in order to qualify for
additional attempts at the CMA Case Examination. Candidates being assessed for
reinstatement may be required to repeat some aspects of the program.
Students that are unsuccessful on their fourth attempt at the CMA Case Examination will
be removed from the program and will be ineligible to qualify for reinstatement.
413
Board Report and Presentation
The last requirement of the program is a group Board Report designed to review and
integrate the topics in the Strategic Leadership Program. The Board Report is to be
10,000 words, plus exhibits. A period of more than two months will be given to complete
the written report.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 31
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
The written report will be graded by CMA Canada. A presentation based on this report
will be made to a panel of CMAs. The presentations will be scheduled over several
weekends in June and are included on the Year Two Strategic Leadership Program
schedule as outlined on the CMA Canada Professional Programs website. As the dates
and times for the presentations are not flexible, candidates should not schedule other
activities for those days.
Candidates will be assigned a group of three to six candidates to work with on the Board
Report. This will be the same group as that which candidates have been with throughout
the Development Stage of the Strategic Leadership Program.
Candidates must obtain a grade in excess of 60% on a combination of the written Board
Report and Presentation and is broken down as follows:
Written Report
Presentation
70 percent
30 percent
There will also be peer evaluation to ensure that all candidates made a positive
contribution to the Board Report and group work during the year. Candidates who do not
make a suitable commitment may be deferred from certification and required to repeat
the entire second year of the program and the Board Report the following year. For
instance, if a group passes the Board Report but peer feedback and evidence provided by
teammates attests that a teammate(s) did not share adequately in the project, that
candidate can still be deferred from certification and will be assigned to another team to
repeat the Board Report the following year. Although, the Board Report is a group
project, all group members must do their part to earn the CMA designation.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 32
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
414
Approved: September 29, 2012
Board Report Failure
Candidates who fail the CMA Board Report may be required to repeat elements of the
program in the following year. Candidates will be advised which elements must be
repeated. Candidates can complete the CMA Board Report a maximum of three times.
Upon a third unsuccessful attempt at the CMA Board Report candidates will be removed
from the program and will be ineligible to qualify for reinstatement.
SLP candidates who have been unsuccessful in the CMA Board Report will be required
to participate in a mandatory prep session before being permitted to make an additional
attempt at the CMA Board Report.
Candidates who do not complete all requirements of the Strategic Leadership Program
including practical experience within five years of entering the Strategic Leadership
Program will have their status inactivated (see Strategic Leadership Program Candidate
Handbook at:
http://www.cmaontario.org/multimedia/Ontario/attachments/SLP%20Handbook%202010-2011.pdf).
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 33
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
415
Approved: September 29, 2012
Practical Experience
Please click here for details about Practical Experience Requirements.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 400: Strategic Leadership Program (SLP)
p. 34
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
500 – Alternate Delivery Programs
Please click here to review the General Requirements for all CMA Programs. All
students and candidates are required to be familiar with both the General Requirements
for all CMA Programs regulations as well as those regulations pertaining to the program
in which they are currently pursuing the designation.
501
Eligibility
Individuals who, at an earlier time, failed the CMA Entrance Examination will only
become eligible to apply for the CMA designation through Combined CMA Master’s
Programafter a waiting period of five (5) years.
Combined CMA Master’s Programs
The CMA designation can be obtained concurrently with the awarding of the master’s
degree, or upon completion of the required CMA evaluations post degree within a threeyear period. To be eligible to apply for the CMA designation, candidates must
successfully complete a master’s program in accordance with the completion
requirements set by the university. Candidates must achieve a minimum grade of 70% on
each CMA required course.
Combined CMA Accredited Master’s Programs
All CMA accredited Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates must achieve a
minimum grade of 70% on each CMA required course and a 75% overall average on the
CMA required courses in order to qualify for the waiver of the CMA Entrance
Examination. The waiver is valid for three years from students’ graduation date from the
CMA accredited program. Failure to use this waiver within the three-year period will
require students to complete the Entrance Examination.
Please refer to the Combined CMA Master’s Program candidate handbook for a list of
accredited programs and requirements.
CMA for MBA Program
CMA for MBA candidates must be eligible for the Strategic Leadership Program (SLP).
This may require candidates to complete the CMA Accelerated Program and the CMA
Entrance Examination prior to enrolment in the CMA for MBA program. Please contact
CMA Ontario to discuss this process. These candidates also complete four (4) courses
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 500: Combined Masters Programs
p. 35
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
through Wilfrid Laurier University prior to qualifying to write the Case Examination and
Board Report.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 500: Combined Masters Programs
p. 36
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
502
Approved: September 29, 2012
Evaluation
Evaluations include:
• Accelerated Program : Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates may be
required to complete and pass the Accelerated Program with a minimum passing
mark of 60%.
• Entrance Examination: Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates must write
and pass the Entrance Examination with a minimum passing grade of 60%.
Combined CMA Accredited Master’s Program candidates may be granted a
waiver through completion of a CMA Canada accredited academic institution
degree program with a CGPA of 75% or its equivalent.
• Both Combined CMA Master’s Program and Combined CMA Accredited
Master’s Program candidates are required to complete a mandatory preparation
session before completing the CMA Case Examination or Board Report (this
preparation session is included as part of the Wilfrid Laurier Combined CMA
Master’s Program).
• Case Examination: Both Combined CMA Master’s Program and Combined CMA
Accredited Master’s Program candidates must write and pass the Case
Examination with a minimum pass mark of 60%.
• Board Report: Both Combined CMA Master’s Program and Combined CMA
Accredited Master’s Program candidates must write and pass the Board Report
with a minimum pass mark of 60%.
503
Assignment Submission
In the Combined CMA Master’s Program, there is typically one assignment (the Practice
Case Examination) which is submitted for marking and feedback. Other assignments
consist of preparation for and participation during the preparation program sessions.
Assignments are based on independent work on the assigned case at the end of the Case
Examination Preparation Program. All assignments must be submitted to the CMA
Canada Professional Programs website no later than 4:30 p.m. on the due date.
It is required that candidates ensure that their assignment has been successfully posted on
the CMA Canada Professional Programs website, as CMA Ontario will assume no
responsibility for assignment posting errors. Submission of the assignment is
mandatory. Failure to submit an assignment will result in a deferral of candidates’
studies until the next year. Late reports will not be marked.
Please note only one (1) Word format file and one (1) Excel file is to be submitted to the
website for the report.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 500: Combined Masters Programs
p. 37
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Candidates experiencing difficulty in submitting a report may request an extension to the
due date. Extensions are only granted in unusual circumstances. Normal employment
related obligations (i.e., month and year-ends, tax season, special projects) will not
be considered.
Candidates must email CMA Ontario’s Candidate Support Representatives at least 48
hours before a due date to request an extension. If an extension is warranted, supporting
documentation may be required. Permission to submit an assignment late affects only that
report.
504
Case Examination
Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates who have been unsuccessful in the CMA
Case Examination will be required to participate in a mandatory prep session before
being permitted to make an additional attempt at the CMA Case Examination.
Candidates who do not attend either a complete CMA Case Examination or CMA Board
Report preparation session or do not make acceptable alternative arrangements with
CMA Ontario to attend another offering will be required to defer their studies and
continue in the program from that point in the next offering. If alternative arrangements
are required, candidates should contact CMA Ontario at least three weeks prior to the
session. This deferral is conditional upon their eligibility to defer the program and still
remain in compliance with the time limit policy.
As the schedule for the program is published well in advance, it is a candidates’
responsibility to arrange personal activities around these deadlines. Candidates who wait
until after a missed deadline to re-schedule will be charged an administrative fee.
Candidates can take the CMA Case Examination a maximum of three times.
subsequent attempt may be granted upon appeal.
A
Candidates who, at an earlier time, failed a CMA Canada qualifying examination
(Entrance Examination) are eligible to pursue the designation through this route but are
still only allowed three attempts of the Case Examination in total.
505
Board Report and Presentation
The Board Report is a group Board Report designed to review and integrate the required
CMA Canada program content. The Board Report is to be 10,000 words, plus exhibits. A
period of more than two months will be given to complete the written report. Candidates
will normally be expected to complete the CMA Canada Board Report by the first week
of June.
The written report will be graded by CMA Canada.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 500: Combined Masters Programs
p. 38
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
A presentation based on this report will be made to a panel of CMAs. The presentations
will be scheduled over several weekends in June. As dates and times for presentations
are not flexible, candidates should not schedule other activities for those days.
Candidates will be assigned a group of four to six candidates to work on the Board
Report by the CMA Ontario office.
Board Report: Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates must obtain a grade in
excess of 60% on a combination of the written Board Report and Presentation and is
broken down as follows:
Written Report
Presentation
70 percent
30 percent
Candidates who do not receive a pass mark of 60% for the Board Report are required to
repeat this element of the program again. In addition, Combined CMA Master’s Program
candidates that have been unsuccessful in the CMA Board Report will be required to
participate in a mandatory preparation session before being permitted to make an
additional attempt at the CMA Board Report. Candidates can complete the CMA Board
Report a maximum of three times. A subsequent attempt may be granted upon appeal.
Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates must successfully complete the master’s
program prior to the awarding of the CMA designation.
Candidates evaluated by CMA Ontario to be at Advanced Proficiency (formerly CS3) or
higher have an opportunity to apply for the Executive Phase of the Combined CMA
Master’s Program. Accepted candidates must successfully complete the three-module
Application Phase before enrolment in the Board Report process.
506
Fees
Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates must pay the program registration fee
upon application to the program. Component fees are to be paid upon registration for
each individual component (e.g. CMA Case Examination). Refunds are subject to the
policies in place for each individual component.
Annual candidate fees are waived for Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates for
the first two years that they are in the program only. Candidates must begin paying the
annual candidate fees once the two year time limit has expired.
Combined CMA Master’s Program registration fees are non-refundable. Combined CMA
Master’s Program registration and component fees are subject to change.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 500: Combined Masters Programs
p. 39
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Airfare, accommodations and meals for Combined CMA Master’s Program will be each
participant’s responsibility. Meals are not provided during the preparation sessions.
Entrance Examination Preparation Program fee is not included in the Entrance
Examination component fee. Candidates are required to participate in the Entrance
Examination Preparation Program and must pay the associated fee. The Case
Examination and Board Report preparation sessions are included in the component fee.
Audits of Entrance Examination, Case Examination and Board Reports are not included
in the component fee and these requests will be subject to an additional fee.
To remain in good standing, candidates who have not completed all the Combined CMA
Master’s Program components within the first two years are required to submit an annual
registration fee upon receipt of the invoice. Fees cover the period of July 1 to June 30 and
are tax deductible as tuition fees.
Candidates who have not submitted their fees by July 30 will have their active status
inactivated without notice.
507
Deferral
Candidates who voluntarily or are required to defer the Combined CMA Master’s
Program for one (1) year will be required to continue in the program in the following year
from the point of deferral. This deferral is conditional upon their eligibility to defer the
program and still remain in compliance with the time limit policy
Candidates who defer their studies should be aware that they may have to repeat part or
the entire program if the Combined CMA Master’s Program components change
significantly.
Candidates who withdraw from the Combined CMA Master’s Program will be subject to
cancellation and administration fees.
Please be aware that for candidates who defer their studies, the Combined CMA Master’s
Program component payments made to date may be applied to their new component
enrollment after the deferral period is completed.
Candidates must be aware of the time limit when considering deferral.
Cancellation requests are subject to the notification deadlines and administrative fees of
each component.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 500: Combined Masters Programs
p. 40
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
All refund and deferral requests must be made in writing to the attention of the
accreditation department of CMA Ontario.
508
Refunds
Candidates must notify the CMA Ontario office in writing of their intention to withdraw.
Date of receipt of the letter, email or fax will constitute the withdrawal date.
No refunds will be given after the commencement of the program.
509
Experience
Please click here for details about Practical Experience Requirements.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 500: Combined Masters Programs
p. 41
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
700 – Executive Program
Please click here to review the General Requirements for all CMA Programs. All
students and candidates are required to be familiar with both the General Requirements
for all CMA Programs regulations as well as those regulations pertaining to the program
in which they are currently pursuing the designation.
701
Executive Program Eligibility
The CMA Executive Program was designed for senior level executives working at Career
Stage 3 and 4 of the CMA Competency Map who work in strategic financial leadership
positions. The CMA Executive Program intake is currently in stasis.
Individuals who, at an earlier time, failed a CMA Entrance Examination are not eligible
for consideration for entry into the CMA Executive Program for a period of five years.
Applicants for the CMA Executive Program must have a minimum of five years of
practical experience in a strategic financial leadership position at an Advanced
Proficiency (formerly Career Stage 3 or 4) as described in the CMA Competency Map.
Employer references will be checked to verify the accuracy of the information provided
for practical experience.
It is recognized that individual applicants often have unique strengths, not fully
recognized in the above, and those strengths can be given special consideration in the
admission decision. The following criteria are considered:
 Senior management experience;
 References;
 Previous academic experience; and
 Results of a personal interview, should one be requested by CMA Ontario.
Individuals who satisfy the above criteria will be eligible for admission into the CMA
Executive Program and will not be required to write the CMA Entrance Examination and
Case Examination.
Upon successful completion of the CMA Executive Program, applicants will be eligible
to apply for certification as a CMA.
While CMA Ontario recommends beginning the CMA Executive Program immediately
following admission into the program, candidates may defer commencing the program
for one year and will be required to pursue the program in the following year. Deferral
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 700: Executive Program
p. 42
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
applications must be submitted in writing before the enrolment deadline. Candidates who
do not complete the CMA Executive Program within three years of program admission
date will have their active status inactivated.
The CMA Executive Program is an integrated program and, with few exceptions,
candidates will be required to complete a Foundation Phase and an Application Phase.
The Foundation Phase requires candidates to demonstrate a thorough understanding of
the CMA Competency Map at Knowledge Acquisition. To satisfy this requirement, the
program will have a minimum of 120 contact hours in addition to individual assignments
and team work. As of March 2011, the Foundation Phase of the CMA Executive
Program will be offered in online learning or lecture format. The lecture format of the
program will run from January to June.
Candidates must obtain a “Meets Expectations” or “Above Expectations” on each
assignment and if the assignment is “Below Expectations” it must be re-worked and resubmitted.
The Application Phase is made up of three modules designed to cover the CMA
competencies at a minimum of Professional Proficiency (formerly CS2) and will
integrate the six functional and four enabling competencies. To satisfy this requirement,
the program will have a minimum of 100 contact hours in addition to individual
assignments and team projects. Individual and group learning activities will engage
candidates in the application of topics under discussion and develop their teamwork,
negotiation and presentation skills. This phase is made up of three separate week-long
sessions that will take place in October, January, and March.
In recognition that candidates in the CMA Executive Program will be at Advanced
Proficiency (formerly CS3) in most competencies on entry into the program, the
interactive session discussion of each component will reflect the senior management
experience of candidates enrolled in the program, although the assignments and Board
Report will be evaluated at Professional Proficiency (formerly CS2).
At the completion of the program, candidates will complete the Board Report in June.
The Board Report is a group evaluation of four to six individuals and must be passed to
be eligible to apply for the CMA designation.
Attendance is mandatory for all sessions. Non-attendance may result in deferral.
702
Application Process
Key information to be provided to CMA Ontario in addition to the application document
includes:
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 700: Executive Program
p. 43
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario





Approved: September 29, 2012
Complete and official academic transcripts
Information on any prior CMA Ontario membership
Three references – business, non-business, and CMA member
Full employment history to assess progression along with the position
reported to for each employer
The names of contacts to confirm employment history
CMA Executive Program applications are to be submitted to the CMA
Provincial/Territorial
Partner
where
prospective
candidates
reside.
The
Provincial/Territorial Partner will be responsible for evaluating and approving/declining
the application. Thus, candidates must reside in Ontario to apply for the Executive
Program in Ontario, and the same holds true for all other provinces and territories.
CMA Ontario will review applications to verify that:
 The university or baccalaureate degree requirement has been met.
 The practical experience requirement has been met.
703
Evaluation
Candidates must meet, on a continuing basis, program expectations as defined by the
CMA Competency Map. Subject to CMA Ontario staff approval, candidates may resubmit assignments to meet this standard.
The program will consist of CMA Ontario evaluation and CMA Canada marking. All
components of the program are mandatory.
Participants will be evaluated on their participation at each interactive session.
Business Application Reports (BAR) will be marked by CMA Canada. The evaluation of
the participants at the interactive sessions will be the responsibility of the moderator,
under the guidance of CMA Ontario.
704
Assignment Submissions
During the Foundation Phase, there are assignments during each module which consists
of preparation for interactive sessions, participation during the interactive sessions, and
post-session assignments which are evaluated by the moderators.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 700: Executive Program
p. 44
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
In the Application Phase, there are approximately two group assignments submitted to a
national marking team for marking and feedback. Other assignments during the module
consist of preparation for interactive sessions, participation during the interactive
sessions, and group presentations, which are evaluated by the moderators. All
assignments must be submitted to the CMA Canada Professional Programs website no
later than 4:30 p.m. on the due date.
It is strongly recommended that candidates ensure that their assignment has been
successfully posted on the CMA Canada Professional Programs website, as CMA Ontario
will assume no responsibility for assignment posting errors. Submission of the
assignments is mandatory. Failure to submit an assignment may result in a deferral of
your studies until the next year. Late reports may be subject to assessment reductions.
Please note only one (1) Word format file and one (1) Excel file is to be submitted to the
website for the report.
Candidates experiencing difficulty in submitting a report may request an extension to the
due date. Extensions are only granted in unusual circumstances. Normal employment
related obligations (i.e., month and year-ends, tax season, special projects) will not
be considered.
Candidates must email the CMA Ontario accreditation department at least 48 hours
before a due date to request an extension. If an extension is warranted, supporting
documentation may be required. Permission to submit a report or assignment late affects
only that report.
The moderators will evaluate the totality of assignments and interactive session
participation for each module, and will provide an overall module assessment. If any
interactive session is deemed to be “Below Expectations”, at the sole discretion of CMA
Ontario, candidates will be deferred for one year.
In addition, candidates will have to achieve a grade of “Meets Expectations” or “Above
Expectations” to continue in the program.
705
Interactive Session Participation
Candidates who do not attend either a complete session or do not make acceptable
alternative arrangements with CMA Ontario to attend another offering will be required to
defer their studies and continue in the program from the beginning of the phase in the
next offering. If alternative arrangements are required, candidates should contact CMA
Ontario at least three weeks prior to the session. This deferral is conditional upon their
eligibility to defer the program and still remain in compliance with the time limit policy.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 700: Executive Program
p. 45
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
As the schedule for each year of the program is published well in advance, it is
candidates’ responsibility to arrange personal business obligations around these
deadlines.
706
Candidate Evaluation
Candidates must meet, on a continuing basis, program expectations as defined by the
CMA Competency Map. Subject to CMA Ontario staff approval, candidates may resubmit assignments to meet this standard. The program will consist of CMA Ontario
evaluation and CMA Canada marking. All components of the program are mandatory.
Participants will be evaluated on their participation at each interactive session.
The evaluation of the participants at the interactive sessions will be the responsibility of
the moderators, under the guidance of CMA Ontario.
707
Board Report
The final evaluation will be the CMA Board Report. The Board Report will test material
covered in the CMA Executive Program. The Board Report is to be a maximum 10,000
words, plus exhibits. A period of more than two months will be given to complete the
written report. The written report will be graded by Certified Management Accountants
of Canada (CMA Canada). A presentation based on this report will be made to a panel of
CMAs. The presentations will be scheduled in June. As the dates and times for the
presentations are not flexible, candidates should not schedule other activities for those
days.
Candidates will prepare their reports in small teams and will be required to present their
report to a panel. The evaluation of the presentation will be the responsibility of CMA
Ontario, while the group report will be marked by CMA Canada. Candidates must pass
the Board Report. Candidates must obtain a grade in excess of 60% on a combination of
the written Board Report and Presentation and is broken down as follows:
Written Report
Presentation
70 percent
30 percent
Candidates who do not receive a pass mark of 60% for the Board Report are required to
repeat this element of the program again.
708
Failure
Candidates who fail the CMA Executive Program will be required to repeat some
elements of the program in the following year. Candidates will be advised which
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 700: Executive Program
p. 46
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
elements must be repeated.
Should the program not be offered, candidates must
transition to the CMA Strategic Leadership Program.
709
Time Limit
CMA Executive Program candidates have three years to complete the program after
acceptance into the program.
710
Deferral
Candidates who voluntarily decide or are required to defer the program for one year will
have their cases reviewed on a case by case basis with the alternative path(s) of the
candidate to the designation to be determined by CMA Ontario. This deferral is
conditional upon their eligibility to defer the program and still remain in compliance with
the time limit policy.
Candidates who withdraw from the CMA Executive Program will receive a refund of the
CMA Executive Program fees on a graduated basis as specified on the executive program
application.
711
General Completion Standards
The minimum national standard for successful completion of the Application Phase of
the CMA Executive Program is a cumulative average of 60% on all program components.
In addition, under CMA’s certification requirements, candidates must complete and
submit all required individual and team projects in full by the deadline date.
In assessing the progress of candidates within specific modules and throughout the
duration of the program, CMA applies the following completion standards and
definitions:
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 700: Executive Program
p. 47
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Incomplete Module:
 A module is deemed to be incomplete if candidates either do not attend the
interactive session in full or submit the required assignments. At CMA
Ontario’s sole discretion, candidates receiving an “incomplete” status on a
module may be ineligible to continue to the next module, and may be
withdrawn for a period of time specified by CMA Ontario (usually no more
than one calendar year), required to repeat the module or given additional
assignments as deemed appropriate by CMA Ontario to ensure the necessary
skills prior to moving on to the next module.
Incomplete Program:
 If candidates do not receive an evaluation equal to or greater than 60% on the
CMA Board Report, candidates will be required to re-submit program
components to be identified by CMA Ontario.
712
Program Fees
The total fee for the two-year program includes all study materials, marking of
assignments and reports and applicable meals while attending the interactive sessions.
The Foundation Phase online fee will be payable in full. The program fee will be payable
in three installments for the Foundation Phase Week 1 in December, February and March
of each year. The non-refundable fee will be payable in three installments for the
Application Phase Lecture Sessions in September, December and February of each year.
Invoices will be sent a minimum of four weeks prior to the installment due date. An
administrative fee will be assessed on each installment not received or post-marked by
the due date.
Fees include all breakfasts, lunches and coffee/juice breaks at each interactive session.
Airfare, accommodations and meals for the Foundation and Application Phases will be
each participant’s responsibility.
Audits of Board Reports are not included in the regular fees and requests of this nature
will be subject to an additional fee. Likewise, re-writes after a failed attempt at the Board
Report are also subject to additional fees.
While registered in the CMA Executive Program, all annual registration fees are included
in the Executive Program fees.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 700: Executive Program
p. 48
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
713
Approved: September 29, 2012
Refund Policy
Candidates must notify CMA Ontario in writing of their intention to withdraw from the
Foundation Phase or Application Phase of the program. Date of receipt of the letter, email
or fax will constitute the withdrawal date.
Program refunds will be given as follows:
 Foundation Phase: no refunds will be issued for withdrawal from the program
once the session commences.
 Application Phase: no refunds will be issued for withdrawal from the
program after the first day of the first interactive session.
714
Experience
The practical experience requirement of the CMA Executive Program is a program entry
requirement. Candidates must be in senior level positions working at Career Stage 3 and
4 of the CMA Competency Map who work in strategic financial leadership positions.
There are no exit experience criteria.
715
Material
All readings, reports and assignments will be couriered out to candidates within six
weeks prior to interactive session date.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 700: Executive Program
p. 49
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
900 – Sponsored Professor Program
Please click here to review the General Requirements for all CMA Programs. All
students and candidates are required to be familiar with both the General Requirements
for all CMA Programs regulations as well as those regulations pertaining to the program
in which they are currently pursuing the designation.
901
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Sponsored Professor Program, candidates must be currently
working full-time as a professor at an Ontario university (full professor or associate
professors may qualify), currently teaching at least one of the CMA Entrance
Examination prerequisite courses, must be involved with business case development and
analysis as part of their position or consulting within a business environment, and be
committed to continuing in the education field.
There are two paths to the CMA designation for full-time professors:
 Tenured or tenure-track faculty with more than 10 years of full-time employment
at a university may qualify to enter the Application Phase of the CMA Executive
Program when available. These faculty members must demonstrate a sustained
and ongoing commitment to the discipline of management accounting through
advanced research, teaching, significant senior consulting experience within a
business environment or program development.
 Full time professors with more than three years of full-time employment at a
university may qualify to go directly into the Strategic Leadership Program (SLP).
These faculty members must be involved in teaching management accounting at
the university level and demonstrate a sustaining and ongoing commitment to
teaching and to the discipline of management accounting.
Candidates who have been approved as sponsored professors will have the cost of the
applicable program (Executive Application Phase or Strategic Leadership Program), as
well as their yearly candidate fees covered by CMA Ontario for up to a three-year period.
Sponsored Professors must complete the Application Phase of the CMA Executive
Program or the entire Strategic Leadership Program, as determined by CMA Ontario, as
set out in the accreditation regulations.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 900: Sponsored Professor Program
p. 50
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
902
Approved: September 29, 2012
Application Process
In order to be considered for Sponsored Professorship, interested candidates must provide
the following information to CMA Ontario:
 A letter of intent expressing interest in becoming a Sponsored Professor including
an outline of their career plans in the education field.
 A letter from their immediate supervisor confirming their employment and the
courses they are teaching.
 Examples of the business case development and analysis they have participated in
(especially important for tenure/tenure-track candidates seeking acceptance to the
CMA Executive Program).
 A résumé and an official degree transcript from a post-secondary institution.
Letters of intent are to be submitted by prospective candidates to the
Provincial/Territorial Partner office in which prospective candidates reside. The
Provincial/Territory Partner will be responsible for evaluating and approving/declining
the application.
903
Time Limit
Sponsored Professors in the CMA Executive Program have three years to complete the
program after acceptance into the program.
Sponsored Professors in the CMA Strategic Leadership Program have three years to
complete the program after acceptance into the program
904
Deferral
Sponsored Professors taking the CMA Executive Program may defer for one year and
will be required to continue in the program in the following year from the point of
deferral.
Sponsored Professors taking the Strategic Leadership Program may defer for one year
and will be required to continue in the program in the following year from the point of
deferral.
905
Withdrawal
Sponsored Professors who withdraw from the CMA Executive Program or Strategic
Leadership Program are required to reimburse CMA Ontario for all costs of the program
incurred to date and may apply for re-instatement.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 900: Sponsored Professor Program
p. 51
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
906
Approved: September 29, 2012
General Completion Standards
The minimum national standard for successful completion of the CMA Executive
Program or the Strategic Leadership Program is a cumulative average of 60% on all
program components.
Sponsored Professors who do not receive a pass mark of 60% for the CMA Executive
Program or the Strategic Leadership Program are required to repeat specified elements of
the program as determined by CMA Ontario. If they are still unsuccessful in achieving a
pass mark of 60%, their status will be inactivated
In addition, under CMA Canada’s certification requirements, candidates must complete
and submit all required individual and team projects in full by the deadline date.
In assessing the progress of candidates within specific modules and throughout the
duration of the program, CMA Ontario applies the following completion standards and
definitions:
 Incomplete Module: A module is deemed to be incomplete if, candidates either do
not attend the interactive session in full or submit the required assignments. At
CMA Ontario’s sole discretion, candidates receiving an “incomplete” status on a
module may be ineligible to continue to the next module of the SLP, and may be
withdrawn for a period of time specified by CMA Ontario (usually no more than
one calendar year), required to repeat the module or given additional assignments
as deemed appropriate by CMA Ontario to ensure the necessary skills prior to
moving on to the next module.
 Incomplete Program: If candidates do not receive an evaluation equal to or greater
than 60% on the combined score for all the program components (i.e. interactive
sessions, management report, Report to the Board) , candidates will be required to
re-submit program components to be identified by CMA Canada.
907
Experience
See Section 901 (Eligibility) above (experience is an entrance requirement for the
Sponsored Professor Program. With the exception of the requirement that the professor
must remain in a teaching role up to graduation, there is no other exit experience
criteria.).
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 900: Sponsored Professor Program
p. 52
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
1000 – Professional Advanced Standing Agreements (PAS)
Please click here to review the General Requirements for all CMA Programs. All
students and candidates are required to be familiar with both the General Requirements
for all CMA Programs regulations as well as those regulations pertaining to the program
in which they are currently pursuing the designation.
1001
Eligibility
Members of an approved Professional Advanced Standing (PAS) organization who
immigrate to Canada or reside in a country where the CMA program is offered must
submit their application for exemption of the CMA Canada Entrance Examination to the
Territorial/Provincial Partner in the province or territory of the applicant’s residency or
the partner organization that has jurisdiction in that country. Professional Advanced
Standing details and applications can be found on the CMA Ontario website.
Criteria for evaluating individual Professional Advanced Standing applications:
 The individual must be a member in good standing of his/her respective
organization.
 The individual must have qualified as a professional accountant by completing the
program of the Professional Advanced Standing organization.
 The individual must be employed in a position in the domain of the management
accountant.
 The individual must have permanently relocated to Ontario/Canada.
 The individual must be a Canadian citizen or be legally entitled to work in
Canada.
 The individual must not have attempted and failed a CMA Canada qualifying
Examination.
 The individual must have no outstanding disciplinary charges.
1002
Evaluation
An applicant from a Professional Advanced Standing approved organization will be
required to complete the CMA Canada Strategic Leadership Program, successfully pass
the Case Examination and Board Report and fulfill the CMA Canada
Territorial/Provincial Partner practical experience requirements. Please see Section 400
for Strategic Leadership Program regulations.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1000: Professional Advanced Standing Agreements (PAS)
p. 53
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
1003
Approved: September 29, 2012
Experience
Please click here for details about Practical Experience Requirements.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1000: Professional Advanced Standing Agreements (PAS)
p. 54
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
1100 – Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs)
Please click here to review the General Requirements for all CMA Programs. All
students and candidates are required to be familiar with both the General Requirements
for all CMA Programs regulations as well as those regulations pertaining to the program
in which they are currently pursuing the designation.
1101
Eligibility
While the CMA Canada Board of Directors will approve Mutual Recognition
Agreements with other organizations, each individual seeking membership in CMA
Canada under a Mutual Recognition Agreement must formally apply to the
Territorial/Provincial Partner in which they reside. Mutual Recognition Agreement
details and applications can be found on the CMA Ontario website.
Mutual Recognition Agreement Program Requirements: Because of the variability in
entrance requirements between Mutual Recognition Agreements, individuals will be
assessed on their own merits and not necessarily be applied to the partnering organization
as a whole.
Members of approved mutual recognition partner organizations who immigrate to Canada
will be required to submit an application for membership with CMA Ontario.
Individual membership approval criteria to assess membership applications submitted by
members of approved organizations:
 The individual must be a member in good standing of his/her respective
organization.
 The individual must have a reference from an existing CMA member in good
standing.
 The individual must have qualified as a professional accountant by completing the
entire program of the Mutual Recognition Partner. If the individual completed
part of the program through a third organization and received advanced standing
with the Mutual Recognition Agreement Partner, CMA Ontario reserves the right
to accept or reject the application at its discretion.
 The individual must complete any practical experience requirements as detailed in
the individual Mutual Recognition Agreements.
 The individual must have permanently relocated to Ontario/Canada.
 The individual must be a Canadian citizen or legally entitled to work in Canada.
 The individual must have no outstanding criminal or disciplinary charges.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1200: Practical Experience
p. 55
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario

Approved: September 29, 2012
The individual must not have attempted and failed a CMA Canada qualifying
Examination.
CMA Canada will honour all disciplinary actions assessed against CMAs who have been
granted professional membership by a Mutual Recognition Partner and subsequently have
been disciplined by that partner organization. CMA Canada will initiate a disciplinary
review based on information provided by the Partner.
It would be expected that reciprocal actions would be assessed by partners whose
members have been assigned disciplinary actions by CMA Canada or its
Territorial/Provincial Partners.
Applicants seeking qualifications to become a designated member of CMA Canada will
be required to make application to CMA Ontario and will be required to provide the
following information to CMA Ontario:
 Officially translated documentation in English or French to accompany their
application
 An application sponsored by a CMA who is in good standing
 Details of the applicable practical experience requirement (where required)
submitted through the CMA Ontario online practical experience reporting tool
 A copy of applicant’s university transcript including proof of university degree (if
applicable)
 Proof of permanent residence in Ontario
 A letter from the mutual recognition partner confirming that applicants are a
certified member who is in good standing
Mutual recognition is an agreement between two professional organizations on the
criteria for allowing a professional member to transfer their membership to an alternate
professional body. The recognition occurs between organizations of two different
countries and it is exercised when a professional member permanently re-locates to a new
country.
Mutual Recognition Agreements are rarely established on an unconditional basis.
Members who wish to transfer from one organization to another will be evaluated based
on their background, education and work experience, such that it corresponds with
requirements established for membership criteria in the receiving organization. Mutual
Recognition Agreements are not uncommon; each Mutual Recognition Agreement is
unique as criteria for membership will vary from organization to organization.
While the CMA Canada Board of Directors will approve Mutual Recognition
Agreements with other organizations, each individual residing in Ontario and seeking
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1200: Practical Experience
p. 56
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
membership in CMA Canada under a Mutual Recognition Agreement must formally
apply to CMA Ontario.1200 – Practical Experience
Practical experience is an entry requirement of the CMA Executive Program, CMA
Sponsored Professor Program and Mutual Recognition Agreements (where applicable).
For regulations pertaining to the practical experience requirements of the CMA Executive
Program, please click here Executive Program. For regulations pertaining to the
practical experience requirements of the CMA Sponsored Professor Program, please click
here Sponsored Professor Program. For regulations pertaining to the practical
experience requirements of the CMA Mutual Recognition Agreements, please click here
Mutual Recognition Agreements. The regulations pertaining to the practical experience
requirements of the Strategic Leadership Program, Combined CMA Master’s Program
and Combined CMA Accredited Master’s Program are listed below.
Practical experience in the domain of the management accountant is an essential
component of the certification process.
The duration of work experience will be 24 months and all experience must be evaluated
by the CMA Ontario office. Candidates are to advise CMA Ontario of any position or
employer changes that are made while proceeding through the Program.
Candidates are required to achieve a minimum of 12 months of qualifying concurrent
experience while in the Strategic Leadership Program or Combined CMA Master’s
Program. Experience is considered concurrent if it occurs any time while candidates are
enrolled in the Strategic Leadership Program or within five years of beginning the
academic portion of the Combined CMA Master’s Program.
Practical experience is gained while an individual is a candidate of CMA Ontario and will
be approved and monitored as candidates progress through the Strategic Leadership
Program or the Combined CMA Master’s Program. All candidates must demonstrate
competency through verifiable work experience.
Candidates’ career path must reflect a progression of responsibilities indicating a
movement to a position applying management skills and principles. Candidates must be
able to apply the acquired knowledge and skills from the CMA Competency Map at an
overall Professional Proficiency (formerly Career Stage 2) in order to qualify for
certification. (See Strategic Leadership Program Handbook for more details.)
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1200: Practical Experience
p. 57
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
CMA Ontario is aware of the constructive discrimination provisions of the Human Rights
Code found in Section 11 of the Strategic Leadership Program Handbook. Nothing in
CMA Ontario’s practical experience requirement, or in its effect upon individuals when
applied to them, shall act to deprive individuals of their right to accommodation without
undue hardship in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. Candidates have the
right to lodge a human rights complaint should they believe that treatment has been
received contrary to these provisions.
1201
Reporting and Monitoring
To ensure conformity to the practical experience requirement, candidates are required to
submit completed practical experience reports at the program’s onset. The initial practical
experience report of a candidate in the Strategic Leadership Program must be submitted
no later than Interactive Session Two (2). Candidates failing to submit their practical
experience report without receiving a CMA Ontario pre-approved extension will be
charged an administrative fee of $350 + HST. Candidates must submit an additional
practical experience report whenever there is a significant change in responsibilities or a
change of employer. The initial practical experience report of a candidate in a Combined
CMA Master’s Program must be submitted before they will be permitted to register for
the CMA Case Examination, and Board Report. Candidates failing to submit their
practical experience report without receiving a CMA Ontario pre-approved extension will
not be permitted to proceed with the program. Employers are required to verify the
accuracy of the duties and responsibilities reported by all candidates.
Candidates’ practical experience must be validated by candidates’ immediate supervisor.
If an immediate supervisor is not available, an alternative acceptable validator is to be
determined by the CMA Ontario accreditation department on a case by case basis.
Practical experience reports are to be completed through the CMA online practical
experience reporting website located at https://apps.i-skillsuite.com/cma/
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1200: Practical Experience
p. 58
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
1202
Approved: September 29, 2012
Candidates on Maternity/Parental Leave
Candidates on maternity/parental leave while in the program are required to notify CMA
Ontario. Candidates will not continue to accumulate months of practical experience while
on maternity/parental leave. Normally, candidates are expected to return to the same
place of employment in the same or equal level position at the completion of their leave.
Deviations from this norm must be approved by CMA Ontario.
Proof of
maternity/parental leave will be required in the form of a letter from a direct supervisor or
human resources representative with applicable dates and signatures.
1203
Prior Experience
If required, one year of practical experience gained prior to starting the Strategic
Leadership Program or Combined CMA Master’s Program will be considered. This 12month period is valid from three years before candidates’ point of entry into the Strategic
Leadership Program or point of entry into the academic portion of the Combined CMA
Master’s Program. Candidates’ prior practical experience must be validated by either
candidates’ former immediate supervisor in the position being reported or candidates’
current immediate supervisor as candidates would have been hired into their current
position based on their prior knowledge gained through past positions. If an immediate
supervisor is not available, an alternative acceptable validator is to be determined by the
CMA Ontario accreditation department on a case by case basis.
1204
Unemployed Candidates
Candidates who are unemployed at the time of registration in the Strategic Leadership
Program or Combined CMA Master’s Program are still permitted to enroll. Unemployed
candidates are still required to submit a practical experience report based on their prior
experience (as per Regulation 1203 above). Candidates that are unemployed and possess
no applicable practical experience as determined by the CMA Ontario accreditation
department can apply for an extension to the deadline of the practical experience
submission by contacting the CMA Ontario Appeals Program Advisor. Candidates who
remain unemployed and will be unable to fulfill the twelve month concurrency
requirement of the Strategic Leadership Program will be required to submit a Business
Application Report (BAR) upon gaining applicable employment post-program in order to
fulfill concurrency. This must occur before the time period has expired.
1205
Completing the Practical Experience Requirements
Candidates who choose to begin the program should be aware that they must accumulate
24 months of required practical experience by the end of Year Two of the Strategic
Leadership Program otherwise they will not be eligible to graduate with their class.
Combined CMA Master’s Program candidates must accumulate the 24 months of
required practical experience as soon as possible following completion of their final
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1200: Practical Experience
p. 59
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
CMA requirement (Entrance Examination, Case Examination, or Board Report). These
candidates will be required to wait until the experience requirement is satisfied before
submitting an Application for CMAMembership. Candidates must satisfy all certification
requirements including the practical experience requirement within five years of entering
the Strategic Leadership Program or within five years of beginning the academic portion
(master’s program) of the Combined CMA Master’s Program. Applications for CMA
Membership are reviewed monthly.
1206
Evaluating Practical Experience
A candidate’s position is evaluated as being at Knowledge Acquisition, Professional
Proficiency, or Advanced Proficiency (formerly Career Stage 1, 2, 3, or 4) which
represents the proficiency at which the employee is primarily working in an organization,
from the most junior management accounting role to a more senior strategic role.
Candidates are evaluated at the proficiency that most accurately reflects the work
performed, and not a combination of proficiencies. Candidates will be advised of the
evaluation results through receipt of a PDF file automatically generated by the practical
experience reporting website once the evaluation has been completed. All practical
experience evaluations are subject to final approval at the time of Application for CMA
Membership.
Candidates are required to complete 12 months of concurrent experience. Experience is
considered concurrent if it occurs any time after candidates enter into their master’s
program or into the Strategic Leadership Program. Candidates who are unable to fulfill
the concurrency requirement for their practical experience must complete a Business
Application Report (BAR)
Business Application Report(s) is/are required for Combined CMA Master’s Program
candidates who are studying full-time at university and/or for candidates who have
gained practical experience through a co-op program. Reports are required to be
submitted to CMA Ontario by the end of their co-op term.
Practical experience is reported by candidates assessing their proficiency and answering
questions related to the six CMA Ontario functional competencies and the four enabling
competencies. There are two questions for each CMA competency. These questions are
designed to encourage candidates to write about specific examples from their positions.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1200: Practical Experience
p. 60
Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
Approved: September 29, 2012
Candidates are required to choose the appropriate Proficiencyfor each competency and
answer all the questions by using work experience examples that they have gained while
in their jobs. Experience gained from the Strategic Leadership Program does not qualify
as valid examples for this form. Candidates are encouraged to answer each question as
excessive amounts of unanswered or inadequately answered questions can result in report
rejection by CMA Ontario.
Candidates are also required to attach an up to date résumé as well as an organizational
chart showing the reporting structure of their positions to the report. Candidates are
encouraged to ensure that any attachments submitted are compatible with Microsoft
Office applications (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or they will not be reviewed.
Candidates are asked to check the file size to ensure that the document is of a reasonably
compact size (0.5 MB or less) or risk an error in the upload process.
Candidates are required to provide an email address and basic contact information for
their validator. The role of the validator is to ensure that the examples used by candidates
are verified. The validator is not required to comment on the Proficiency selected by
candidates.
If a practical experience report is rejected by CMA Ontario, candidates are required to
adjust the report before re-submitting to the validator for a second validation.
If candidates cannot contact their immediate supervisor to act as a validator, they must
contact the CMA Ontario accreditation department to discuss alternatives.
1207
Employer Participation
Throughout the Strategic Leadership Program, candidates will be required to complete
assignments requiring the application of program topics to their own organization. These
reports are kept confidential and will only be reviewed by the marker/moderator.
Information provided in the report will never be released without candidates’ permission.
Employers are encouraged to provide candidates with suitable experience opportunities to
satisfy the experience requirement. Employers helping their employees satisfy the
practical experience requirement will benefit from the development of high quality
employees.
Regulation Respecting Candidates Pursuing the CMA Designation
Section 1200: Practical Experience
p. 61