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Holly Chase, an assistant professor in ��Ӱֱ�� State College’s Business Department, recently fulfilled the requirements necessary to earn the Certified Managerial Accountant (CMA) designation.

Granted by the Institute of Managerial Accountants (IMA), the CMA has been “the global benchmark for management accountants and financial professionals” for nearly 50 years because CMAs “can explain the ‘why’ behind numbers, not just the ‘what,’” according to IMA’s website.

To earn a CMA, a person must have at least six years of experience in a managerial accountant capacity, possess at least a bachelor’s degree, and pass two parts of the certification exam. Each part encompasses 100 multiple choice questions and two essay exams.

Reflecting on earning her CMA, Chase said, “I feel accomplished to finally have some recognition for all of my career experience in the field. I really enjoyed taking a deep dive into the academic portion of managerial accounting.”

Chase, who is the curriculum coordinator of ��Ӱֱ�� State’s accounting program, noted that she is currently working toward earning the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation to help round out her knowledge of accounting. This, she said, would also help her to improve the design of the accounting program’s curriculum and give students more information on what works for them.

As an educator and curriculum coordinator, helping students to learn about the opportunities available in accounting is a key priority for Chase.

“Oftentimes when people hear about accountants, they only know of the CPA, which is focused on public accounting and working for small businesses and individuals,” Chase said. “What students often don’t hear about – I know I didn’t – is the alternative: using accounting to make decisions from within a company. Managers use accounting in conjunction with data analytics and ERP systems to make decisions within the company to help them control finances, make more profits, and drive competitive advantage. One of my goals is to make accounting students aware of the various opportunities available to them.”

��Ӱֱ�� State also helps accounting students earn IMA scholarships to obtain review material and take the credentialing exam at little or no cost to them. This helps students achieve credentialing, which sets them apart from their peers.

Another advantage of studying accounting at ��Ӱֱ�� State is being in an accredited program. Earlier this year, the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) granted first-time accreditation to eight programs within ��Ӱֱ�� State’s Business Department. These programs include business administration (AS), marketing (AAS), sport management (AS), accounting (AAS), financial planning (BBA), technology management (BBA), business administration (BBA), and sport management (BBA).