Certification is one of the main reasons why IMC USA and more than 40 other management consulting institutes around the world exist. After you join IMC USA, you are strongly encouraged to pursue certification as evidence of your commitment to management consulting as a profession.
The Certified Management Consultant™ (CMC®) certification is awarded by the IMC USA to consultants who have met global standards of performance that includes professional standards in technical competency, ethics, consulting competencies, professional behavior, client and project management, and personal conduct.
IMC USA has earned the
prestigious International Organization for Standardization (ISO) ISO/IEC
17024:2003 accreditation for its Certified Management Consultant™ (CMC®)
certification process. It is only the second institute to gain ISO recognition which further substantiates the high professional
standards and ethics IMC USA has set as a benchmark for its certification
process and the CMC®.
Here are some of the requirements for the CMC®:
Experience: Three years in practice as a full-time consultant, with engagement management responsibility.
Education: A degree from a four-year college or significant experience consulting to management.
References: Five satisfactory references from officers or executives of client organizations.
Engagements: Written summaries of five client assignments and a presentation to a panel.
Application: Written responses to an engagement case study, and a presentation to a panel.
Competence: A qualifying written examination and an oral review. You must demonstrate your professional competence, that you are current in your areas of specialization, that you have applied your experience, and that you have an understanding of the management consulting process and a common body of consulting knowledge.
Ethics: A written examination and oral interview on the IMC Code of Ethics and ethical aspects of consulting.
There is no requirement for membership in any professional association or to attend any specific course to apply for the CMC®; IMC USA awards the CMC® to members and non-members. Your CMC® certification fee is determined by your IMC USA member status. There are substantial advantages to joining IMC USA: networking, professional training at member rates, discount and Chapter activities.
Certified Members are eligible to participate in the CMC Network, a collaboration between CMCs to learn from each other at a senior level. The CMC Network convenes in person and virtual learning and networking events and affords CMCs the opportunity to team with each other for business development.
The CMC® is a registered certification mark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Version 14.2 5/25/2012 for IMC USA members and non-members, including a list verifiable activities that earn renewal points since July 1, 2009. CDP point instructions updated.
The principle of reciprocity is that a consultant who has been awarded CMC by a full member of ICMCI should have their CMC recognised by all other members of ICMCI, without the need for further testing or assessment, unless these additional requirements have been registered with ICMCI.
Multi-Stream IMC USA Application: 2.3 1/18/2013 Requires either diploma AND transcript OR letter for University verifying the degree 2.2.2 10/3/2013 Clarified where candidates can find policies, CMC Annual Charge 2.2.1 9/1/2012 Certified Management Consultant TM now (R), minor style edits, Part III Q5 "Led Team Project" 2.2.0 6/23/2011 Format update, checklist updated, point count tables simplified, file size reduced 2.1.0 1/25/2011 Replaced Part III question 4 and reordered questions 4 and 5 2.0.1 11/8/2010 corrected Word "tracing changes" automatically enabledes