Chicago Booth CIMA® Education Program

The Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program provides learnings that go beyond test preparation and covers important investment concepts at an in-depth level. Our approach provides you with clear instruction, real-world examples, ample practice, and access to a curriculum designed for success.

Program highlights:

• A combination of live online, on-demand, and in-person (optional) instruction.
• A personalized study schedule, reading list, and checklist to keep you on a successful path.
• On-demand lectures strategically released to optimize your learning process.
• A strong team of Chicago Booth faculty and experienced practitioners have designed and will deliver the program.

A true hybrid program, the Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program offers a combination of live online preparation and review sessions, on-demand recorded content sessions, and a recommended workshop.

1. Online, live instruction (required)

These sessions are recorded for offline viewing, but we highly recommend you attend these live sessions to stay on our recommended study schedule.

• Foundations: We start the program with four live online foundation sessions which cover the nuts and bolts of what you need to know to progress through the program. We will develop the theories and work through practice problems together.
  
  
• Weekly review and practice problem solving: In these sessions, we will review the main concepts covered in the weekly recorded lectures, connect the current to prior lectures, apply the concepts in real-time through practice problem solving, provide answers to your questions, and keep your study on track.

2. On-demand instruction (required)

• Watch video lectures taught by a mix of tenured faculty and practitioners who are experts in their field. These videos capture each instructor’s unique style and are formatted into a series of short, digestible segments for maximum impact.

3. Workshop (recommended): Your choice of in-person instruction or online instruction

• For additional test prep, you have the option to attend the Chicago Booth Certification Exam Prep Workshop as a free add-on to the Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program. You will review exam topics, connect topics to the formula sheet, and perform practice problems. This session is a supplement, not a substitution, for our CIMA Education Program.

Booth Community

You'll receive access to a private LinkedIn group for CIMA past participants.

CE Credit

This program is approved for 28 hours of CE credit for CFP® certification. The Investments & Wealth Institute is a CE Quality Partner of CFP Board and the sponsor of the education.

*INVESTMENTS & WEALTH INSTITUTE® is a registered mark of Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. (“IMCA”) doing business as The Investments & Wealth Institute (“The Institute”). CIMA® and CERTIFIED INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT ANALYST® are registered certification marks of IMCA d/b/a The Institute. As described in the CIMA Candidate Handbook, completion of an executive education program offered through a Registered Education Provider does not result in attainment of the CIMA certification nor does it award use of the certification marks.  Completion of an executive education program results in a candidate becoming eligible to sit for the CIMA Certification Exam and thereafter to complete the remaining steps for certification.

CIMA certification is beneficial for experienced financial professionals from a variety of backgrounds and business models, including financial advisors, investment consultants, analysts, wealth management professionals, national and regional broker-dealer representatives, and bank/trust employees. The Booth program is open to CIMA candidates in good standing.

Investments & Wealth Institute Scholarship Fund
Investments & Wealth Institute helps eligible individuals who are passionate about growing their career through advanced education. To learn more, please visit the Investments & Wealth Institute website.

Foundations: Modules 1-4 (live online and recorded)

• Time Value of Money
• Calculating Realized Returns
• Statistics
• Probability, Risk, and Return

Course Content: Modules 5-12 (on demand)

• Module 5: Portfolio Theory
• Module 6: Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), Multifactor Models
• Module 7: Behavioral Finance, Market Efficiency, Market Anomalies
• Module 8: Performance Measurement, Tax Efficient Strategies, Socially Responsible Investing
• Module 9: Applied Economics, Global Capital Markets History and Valuation
• Module 10: Fixed Income
• Module 11: Alternative Investments
• Module 12: Hedge Funds, Portfolio Construction and Consulting Process

Weekly Review and Problem Solving Sessions (live online and recorded)

• Held once per week during Modules 5-12

Chicago Booth Final Assessments (online)

• Candidates must pass five final quizzes and a final exam online before taking the CIMA Certification Exam
• The quizzes are accessible after all materials from Modules 1-12 have been completed
• The final exam is accessible after all five final quizzes have been passed

Recommended: Chicago Booth Certification Exam Prep Workshop (your choice of live online or in-person instruction)

• A free add-on to the Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program
• Intensive review for the CIMA Certification Exam
• Workbooks are mailed prior to the workshop

Learn more about the benefits of CIMA by attending an online information session.
All sessions are held at 10am CT: 

Booth Info Session: Introduction to the Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program
Join Kathleen Fitzgerald, Chicago Booth Clinical Associate Professor of Strategic Management, to learn more about the CIMA curriculum and the Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program experience. You’ll have an opportunity to interact with faculty and prospective participants.

Dates coming soon.

IWI Webinar: An Overview of the CIMA® Certification
Join the Institute’s Program Enrollment Counselors, Gray Bullard and Kari Estes, and special guest Kathleen Fitzgerald, Chicago Booth Clinical Associate Professor of Strategic Management, as they discuss key finance topics and benefits of earning the Certified Investment Management Analyst® certification.

Dates coming soon.

Today’s complex and global financial world requires sophisticated solutions from competent, ethical advisors in retail and institutional capacities. Against this backdrop, CIMA certification signals that an investment professional has completed a rigorous program to achieve a high level of competency, professionalism, and investment expertise. Since April 2011, CIMA certification has been recognized as one of a handful of financial services credentials in the US to meet an international standard for personnel certification (ISO 17024) and earn accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). 

How do I earn CIMA certification?

• Step 1: Submit a certification program application, with fee, and pass a comprehensive background check performed by Institute staff. The application is valid for two years from the date it is accepted by the Institute. The application is reviewed to verify that the applicant meets the program requirements. Applicants will either be accepted into, or denied from, the program.
• Step 2: Complete the Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program and pass the Booth final assessments.
• Step 3: Pass the Certification Exam after successful completion of the executive education component. The Certification Exam is administered at local testing centers. A candidate may sit for this examination as often as necessary, but retesting fees apply, and there is a 30 day wait period between exam attempts.
• Step 4: Demonstrate a minimum of three full years of verified professional experience in financial services or related industry, pass a second background check, complete a license agreement and agree to adhere to the Institute’s Code of Professional Responsibility and Rules and Guidelines for the Use of the Marks.

If you have not yet begun the CIMA certification process or would like more information about the Investments & Wealth Institute's advanced certification qualifications, please contact the Institute directly at (303) 770-3377 or visit www.investmentsandwealth.org.

When can I take the CIMA Certification Exam?
Candidates who have completed the education program must sit for the Certification Exam within a 90 day scheduling window. If you are unable to sit for the exam in this specified window, a rescheduling fee is required to open a new 90-day exam scheduling window. You may sit for the exam as often as necessary, but retesting fees apply, and there is a 30-day wait period between exam attempts.

Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program

What materials are provided?
You will gain access to multiple resources including live online sessions, lecture videos and notes, online quizzes, numerous practice problems, and background readings including online access to two textbooks: Investments (12th ed.) published by McGraw-Hill and The Investment Advisor Body of Knowledge published by Wiley. Furthermore, after you have passed the Booth final exam, you will receive access to the Wiley CIMA^® Exam Review, an authorized partner of the Investments & Wealth Institute (IWI^®). This Certification Exam study resource is provided in addition to the Booth Certification Exam Prep Workshop sessions and materials that are included.

How do I join the live sessions online?
You will need to be able to access and use WebEx. These sessions are recorded for offline viewing, but we highly recommend you attend live to stay on our suggested study schedule.

How many hours of study per week can I expect?
There is a considerable amount of material covered in this course, and you can expect to spend an average of 10-15 hours of work per week. We provide you with a course checklist and roadmap for success as we move through the material. After successfully completing the program, you should also plan to spend additional time studying for the CIMA Certification Exam. The Chicago Booth CIMA Certification Exam Prep Workshop is designed to help you prepare for this exam.  In total, it takes most candidates 4-6 months to complete the certification process.

What if I don’t pass the Booth final exam online?
If you do not pass on the first try, you may take it again, but we recommend that you study for one week in between attempts. The maximum number of attempts is five. If you do not pass within five attempts, we will have a discussion about how to proceed.

How long will I have access to the course?
You have access to the program materials for one year from the course start date. We highly recommend, though, that you complete the course and the Certification Exam well before the one-year period. From our experience, the more time that passes after the education program finishes, the less likely it is that a candidate will complete CIMA certification. If you don't complete the education program within one year, you have the option to reenroll and pay a reduced tuition fee.

Will I receive a certificate of completion from Chicago Booth?
Yes, we will provide a certificate of completion after you have passed the Booth exam and successfully completed the Chicago Booth CIMA Education Program. In addition, we will provide a digital badge that serves as a certified online credential of your accomplishment and recognition of your achievement and can be shared among social networks, such as LinkedIn.

Is the education program approved for CE credit?
Yes, this program is approved for 28 hours of CE credit for CFP® certification. The Investments & Wealth Institute is a CE Quality Partner of CFP Board and the sponsor of the education.

I found the Booth course to be very beneficial, not just for passing the certification exam, but also for helping me understand investment management concepts better, which is directly applicable to my day-to-day job duties.

- Taylor Johnson, Investment Specialist, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

I wanted to report back and let you all know that I took the IWI exam today and PASSED. I truly appreciate you all, especially you Kathleen for the preparation. I found that the program 100 percent put me in a position to understand the material to pass the exam—very happy I went through the process at Chicago Booth.

- Lance N. Hill, CIMA®, RICP®, AAMS®, MBA, Vice President - Account Manager, PIMCO U.S. Global Wealth Management

I was very impressed with the Chicago Booth CIMA Education program. I found the material to be very relevant and helpful.  I thoroughly enjoyed all the video lectures, and all the professors did a fantastic job explaining very complex topics in a short time frame, breaking it down to the most important concepts in easy to digest segments. 

Kathleen is an amazing teacher. I've taken many classes in many different settings and it's rare to find a teacher as enthusiastic, caring, and knowledgeable as Kathleen. It was obvious from the beginning that she wanted us to all succeed and she wanted to make sure that we understood all the material, not just what we needed to know for the exam. She created a warm and welcoming environment—not an easy task in a remote learning setting. She was patient, kind, and funny—never once making anyone feel uncomfortable for asking a question.  She took the time to make sure we understood the material and how to apply it and has a knack for explaining difficult concepts!  Upon completing the program, I took and passed the CIMA exam. I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn in such an amazing environment with a wonderful group of talented and intelligent professors!

- Mary J. Thompson, CFP®, Founder, ReFrame Financial Planning

I had a great experience studying for the CIMA exam through the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Education Program. I was amazed at the quality of the content, the expertise of the professors, and the structure of the program. The online modules and videos made it easy for me to both stay on track and also work at my own pace. I encourage anyone who is taking the CIMA exam to consider Chicago Booth for your preparatory course.

- Logan Jones, CFP®, CIMA®, Financial Advisor, Everhart Advisors

I would definitely recommend this program to a colleague because I am a big believer in process and discipline, and if you follow the UC Booth process, attend live classes, complete the readings and videos, do the practice problems each week, you will pass the exam. UC Booth has discovered a formula for success and strikes a good balance between helping you understand the information from an academic perspective while knowing key focus areas for the exam.

Also, I felt the material was extremely relevant to working with clients and immediately applicable in my own job. It is great to have a class that you spend months with that has diverse experiences and roles within our industry. This allows us to network and build out lifelong connections after the program is over.

- Greg Goin CFP®, CIMA®, CLU®, CRPC® Advisory Solutions Director

The best part of the Booth program was the scope and thoroughness of the course. We covered a lot of material that I will be able to meaningfully utilize at our practice and in my role. The instructors were great and I thought that the hybrid model allowed for flexibility and studying at your own pace.

- Owen McCabe, Director, Astra Wealth Management Group

Chicago Booth’s history of achievement in the areas of finance and theory were the reason I choose Booth.

- John DeGroft, Senior Vice President, Merrill Lynch

The class was excellent and gave me ideas I can use to improve my business.

-Jeff Martin, President, KDM Investment

The rigor was exceptional. The challenge makes this a truly career/education enhancing building block. Wonderful to get exposure to U of C—professors/staff and curriculum.

- Cheryl Snook, AVP, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley

Robust curriculum, thoughtfully designed and masterfully taught. Thank you Chicago Booth! You have more than exceeded my expectations!

- Era Yoo, SVP, Northern Trust

This class was far above my expectations. This is a great value for the cost.

- Alicia Frye, Regional Business Consultant, Symmetry Partners

The University of Chicago has a well-planned approach to teaching the CIMA curriculum. All of the important concepts are covered in a clear, concise format. The professors really want to make sure you understand the material and go to great lengths to provide intuition behind some of the math concepts. The class is very interactive and the faculty make themselves easily accessible throughout the class. I strongly recommend this program to anyone considering attaining the designation.

- Todd Muentzer, CIMA®, ETF Specialist

This was a great overall experience. Kathleen does a great job presenting and reviewing the content. It was also beneficial to connect with other students preparing for the exam.

- Jon Maldonado, Financial Advisor, UBS Financial Services

My overall experience was excellent. Our instructor, Kathleen Fitzgerald, was spot on in her teachings, examples and stories. From the beginning, she laid out the course load and was honest with the amount of time required to successfully pass the executive program and CIMA certification exam. She took complicated academic topics and was able to relate them to real life scenarios to give us a better understanding of their application. Kathleen did a great job of making the program fun, entertaining and yet kept everyone focused on the task at hand. I highly recommend this program, and specifically Kathleen, to anyone looking to forward their education in the investment management business.

- Carlos Chacon, CIMA®, Senior Regional Sales Director, Victory Capital Management