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Best executive director certifications
Executive director certifications allow job seekers to demonstrate their competency as an executive director to employers. However, not all executive director certifications provide the same value for job seekers.
The best certifications for an executive director are Certified Manager Certification (CM), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
Below is a list of the best executive director certifications. Obtaining an executive director certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.
20 best certifications for executive directors
20 best executive director certifications
1. Certified Manager Certification (CM)
The Certified Manager Animal Resources (CMAR) certification program is designed to raise competency and professionalism in the field of Animal Resources Management. The CMAR designation involves a series of four examinations: three exams arranged via an organization called the Institute for Certified Professional Managers (ICPM), and the Animal Resources Exam offered by AALAS. Obtaining the CMAR designation is a sign of professionalism in the field of animal resources management.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required?
2. Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Public Accountant candidates must pass a national exam certifiying that they are eligible to be licensed in the state(s) of their choosing. Information about state licensing requirements is made available in the Licensed Occupation tool.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required?
3. Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP)
IPMA-HR strives to encourage excellence in public sector human resources, promote continuous learning and develop the next generation of leaders. To that end, IPMA-HR offers two internationally recognized certification programs to the public HR community: the IPMA-CP and the IPMA-CS.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
4. Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
Train to be a certified nurse assistant working with other health care professionals to provide quality care for elderly or sick individuals in nursing homes and hospitals and at home.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required?
5. Certified Planning Engineer (CPE)
Our AAPM Global Board of Standards issues the CPE Certified Planning Engineer - Board Certification to qualified applicants who have met our commission requirements of: Education, Training, Experience, Industry Knowledge, Ethics, and Continuing Education.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
6. Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
The CMA (Certified Management Accountant) is the advanced professional certification specifically designed to measure the accounting and financial management skills that drive business performance.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 1 year(s)
7. Project Management Professional (PMP)
The PMP designation following your name tells current and potential employers that you have demonstrated a solid foundation of knowledge from which you can competently practice project management.To be eligible for a PMP Credential, you must first meet specific educational and project management experience requirements and agree to adhere to a code of professional conduct. The final step to becoming a PMP is passing a rigorous multiple-choice examination designed to objectively assess and measure your ability to apply project management knowledge in the following six domains: initiating the project, planning the project, executing the project, monitoring and controlling the project, closing the project, and professional and social responsibility. This computer-based examination is administered globally with translation aids in 10 languages.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
8. Program Management Professional (PgMP)
Project Management Institute's newest credential is specifically developed to acknowledge the qualifications of the professional who leads the coordinated management of multiple projects and ensures the ultimate success of a program. You will benefit from the many advantages of this new designation. Candidates earning this credential will be internationally recognized as professionals with the knowledge and experience to make and implement the important decisions and accomplish the strategic objectives that enhance business results.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
9. Professional Certified Marketer (PCM)
Being a top marketer means continually enhancing your skills as well as highlighting your accomplishments. The American Marketing Association's Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) program gives you a tangible, convenient way to do both. You can earn the PCM designation by passing a comprehensive exam covering the key areas of marketing. Developed with input from hundreds of marketing experts, the PCM program meets strict national professional certification criteria and standards for excellence in marketing.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
10. Certified Economic Developer (CEcD)
Economic development organizations need professionals who possess the expertise to combat new challenges that emerge in a constantly changing industry. The CEcD designation represents demonstrated competency in economic development wilth a high degree of knowledge, significant skills and considerable experience in the field.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
11. Certified in Public Health (CPH)
The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) offers the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential as the only voluntary core credential for public health professionals. The CPH designation demonstrates that an individual graduate from a CEPH-accredited school or program of public health has mastered foundational competencies in public health. CPH professionals raise the bar and enhance the public health profession through their exemplary academic and leadership skills.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
12. Certified Sales Professional (CSP)
The Certified Sales Professional (CSP) program gives a thorough understanding of consultative selling. From business creation to improved time and territory management; goal-setting to prospecting, and everything in between, attendees return to the territory with a renewed enthusiasm for selling.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
13. Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE)
The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence is a professional who leads and champions process-improvement initiatives' everywhere from small businesses to multinational corporations' that can have regional or global focus in a variety of service and industrial settings. A Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence facilitates and leads team efforts to establish and monitor customer/supplier relations, supports strategic planning and deployment initiatives, and helps develop measurement systems to determine organizational improvement. The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence should be able to motivate and evaluate staff, manage projects and human resources, analyze financial situations, determine and evaluate risk and employ knowledge management tools and techniques in resolving organizational challenges.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
14. Master Project Manager (MPM)
If you have 3+ years of Project Management Experience, you may apply for MPM™ Master Project Manager Board Certification.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
15. Certified Professional Counselor
You entered this field in order to help people. When was the last time that an organization came along to provide any real help to you? The mission of the American Board of Professional Counselors, ABPC program is to be the nation's leading advocate for counselors. ABPC will champion counselors' right to practice. We will work with you to protect your right to practice, increase parity for your profession, and provide you with the recognition that you so richly deserve.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 1 year(s)
16. Accreditation in Public Relations (PR)
APR certification proves you have successfully demonstrated competency in the knowledge, skills and abilities required to practice public relations effectively in today's business arena.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
17. Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
By earning the Senior Professional in Human Resources® (SPHR) certification you demonstrate that you have mastered the strategic and policy-making aspects of HR management as practiced in the United States. The credential is designed for the HR professional who plans, rather than implements, HR policy, focuses on the "big picture," has ultimate accountability in the HR department, has breadth and depth of knowledge in all HR disciplines and understands the business beyond the HR function and influences the overall organization.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
18. Programming in C# Certification
This exam is intended for developers with one or more years of experience programming the essential business/application logic for a variety of application types and hardware/software platforms using C#.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required?
19. Certificate in Public Financial Management (Cert PFM)
The ACCA Certificate in Public Financial Management (Cert PFM) is ACCA’s new and latest Public Sector qualification. Given the pace of change and size of expenditure in the public sector, it’s critical that finance professionals working in the sector have the right skills to deal with the challenges ahead. In response to demand from the public sector, we have developed the Certificate in Public Financial Management to help support and build strong public financial management. The ACCA Certificate in Public Financial Management will transform the finance capabilities of your organisation. By delivering the public finance knowledge, skills and ethical values needed by organisations like yours, our new Certificate will help you build financial capability and assess your employees. It introduces the essentials of public financial management. It provides a practical and broad-based knowledge of public financial management, teaching the foundations of public sector finance and ensuring finance professionals in the public sector have a core understanding of what is involved.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? No
- Renewal required? No
20. Certified Management Executive (CME)
The Executive Management Certification is the highest level of educational achievement offered by the NAHRO Professional Development System (NPDS). The certification builds upon the Operations level certifications and requires candidates to have significant levels of housing experience.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
What is the best certification for an executive director?
The best executive director certification is Certified Manager Certification (CM). The Certified Manager Certification (CM) is awarded by the Institute of Certified Professional Managers. The advanced certification is for more experienced employees as it often requires some work experience to acquire.
Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this executive director certification:
- To become a certified Certified Manager Certification (CM), you need to pass the exam.
- Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience.
- Renew certification every year.
What are some of the most in-demand certifications for executive directors?
The most in-demand executive director certification is Certified Public Accountant based on all active job postings. Having this executive director certification will give you access to more executive director jobs with higher salaries.
The most common combination of executive director certifications include: Certified Manager Certification (CM), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
Online courses for executive directors to earn certifications
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Basic to Advanced: Certification in Payroll, Compensation Benefits, Income Tax,Year Ending for Payroll & Human Resources...