These Are The Best Business Analyst Certifications
Whether you're just entering the field of Business Analysis (BA) or have worked as a Business Analyst for years, certification is something you're going to want to consider at some point during your career.
While it's unlikely to make-or-break an employer's decision to hire you outright, the certification process itself can provide valuable training and experience to business analysts of all levels. Additionally, it can help to formalize the experience that you already have, making it easier for you to market yourself to potential employers.
There are several options for certification available to you, which can make it difficult when it comes to deciding which to pursue. Fortunately, we've compiled a list of all the certifications available to you as a Business Analyst, along with their requirements, benefits, and drawbacks. Many of these require a certain number of years in the industry in order to go after, which may help you narrow down the options based on your own current level of work experience.
What Are The Options?
As far as Certifications go, what are your options as a Business Analyst?
- Masters Certificate
- PMI-PBA®
- ECBA™
- CCBA®
- CBAP®
- CBATL®
In the following sections, we'll go through these options and talk about the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Masters Certificate
What Is It?
The Masters Certificate in Business Analysis is an academic certificate that typically requires you to complete a number of courses within a specified period of time. Many are marketed toward recent college graduates who have just completed their bachelors or associates degrees. Others are geared more toward Business Analysts already in the field, and are specifically structured to help you complete some of the other certificates mentioned in this article (like the CBAP or the CCBA).
What Are The Requirements?
These differ largely by the organization offering the certificate. Some schools require an undergraduate degree before allowing a student to go after the certificate; many schools offer a certificate with technically no requirements whatsoever, but they tend to recommend spending a few years in the industry in lieu of a degree (due to the knowledge required to pass associated courses and exams).
PMI-PBA®
What Does That Stand For?
Project Management Institute - Professional in Business Analysis
What Is It?
The PMI-PBA is a certificate offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The certificate is conferred upon the completion of a 200 multiple choice question exam, but maintaining the certificate requires you to get 60 professional development units (PDUs) every 3 years.
What Are The Requirements?
From the official PMI website, the requirements for the PMI-PBA are as follows:
- Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate's degree or
- 7,500 hours of business analysis experience
- 2,000 hours working on project teams*
- 35 contact hours of education in business analysis
OR
- Bachelor's degree or the global equivalent
- 4,500 hours of business analysis experience
- 2,000 hours working on project teams*
- 35 contact hours of education in business analysis
*Project experience can include your business analysis experience. A current PMP® or PgMP® will satisfy this requirement but is not required for the PMI-PBA.
ECBA™
What Does That Stand For?
Entry Certificate in Business Analysis.
What Is It?
A certification targeted at Business Analysts who are just entering the field. This certification requires no industry experience, only that you've had 21 hours of professional development in the last 4 years. According the IIBA's official FAQ, the term ‘professional development' refers to "refers to the hours performing activities to better enhance your current BA knowledge" (IIBA). The certificate is conferred upon successful completion of 1 hour long test containing 50 multiple choice questions.
What Are The Requirements?
From the official IIBA website, the requirements for the ECBA are as follows:
- No previous BA work experience required
- 21 hours of professional development in the last 4 years
- Agreement with the ECBA™ Code of Conduct
CCBA®
What Does That Stand For?
Certification of Capability in Business Analysis.
What Is It?
The CCBA is the second level of BA certification offered by IIBA, following the ECBA. It is conferred upon successful completion of a 3 hour long test made up of 130 multiple choice questions.
What Are The Requirements?
From the official IIBA website, the requirements for the CCBA are as follows:
- Requires a minimum of 3,750 hours of work experience in the last 7 years
- Of this: a minimum of 900 hours in each of 2 of the 6 BABOK® Guide Version 3 Knowledge Areas or a minimum of 500 hours in each of 4 of the 6 BABOK® Guide Version 3 Knowledge Areas
- Minimum of 21 hours of Professional Development in the last 4 years
- Two references from a career manager, client or Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) recipient
- Agreement with the CCBA® Code of Conduct
CBAP®
What Does That Stand For?
Certified Business Analysis Professional.
What Is It?
The CBAP is the third level of certification offered by IIBA, following the CCBA. It is conferred upon completion of a 3 and ½ hour long test consisting of 120 multiple choice questions.
What Are The Requirements?
From the official IIBA website, the requirements for the CBAP are as follows:
- Requires a minimum of 7,500 hours of work experience in the last 10 years
- Of this: a minimum of 900 hours in each of 4 of the 6 BABOK® Guide Version 3 Knowledge Areas
- Minimum of 35 hours of professional development in the last 4 years
- Two references from a career manager, client or Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) recipient
- Agreement with the CBAP® Code of Conduct
CBATL®
What Does That Stand For?
Certified Business Analysis Thought Leader.
What Is It?
The CBATL is the final level of certification offered by IIBA, following the CBAP. No official guidelines are listed on the related IIBA page as far as testing is concerned.
What Are The Requirements?
Similarly, the official IIBA website has considerably murkier instructions for this particular certification as opposed to the others on this list. The website writes that this certification is to recognize "business analysis professionals who have over 10 years of experience and are considered industry Thought Leaders" in the following ways:
- whose expertise in the BA field is well sought after
- who advance the BA profession
- who give back to the community
- who contribute to the evolution of the BA practice
Final Thoughts
Which Certifications Should You Go For
As far as Business Analyst certification goes, it's not so much the piece of paper itself as it is the experience of getting it. The website Bridging the Gap, which offers BA certification courses and advice, writes that there's no "silver bullet" certificate that will make emplyers look at you more fondly. Instead, the biggest factors in a hiring manager's mind are "your career experiences, transferable skills, and current employment situation."
What is useful about any possible BA certificate is found in the way that the process of getting the certificate contributes to any of the things stated above. As with any other item on your resume, you want to be thinking about how the certificate itself can be used to help frame or formalize experience that you already have.
For example, the Masters Certificate typically requires hours of training and classes, much of which you can point to specifically and use the possession of the certificate itself as proof of the fact that you have practical, applicable knowledge of Business Analyst skills. Contrast this with the ECBA, which is targeted specifically at either recent college graduates who have yet to enter the field, or to current Business Analysts who have not been in the field for very long.
In the case of the ECBA, it might not be enough to mention to certificate on its own without providing any context for the kind of practical knowledge that having the ECBA proves that you possess. On its own, all that the ECBA really shows is that you have the ability to successfully pass a test. It's still good to have it on your resume, but rather than let it stand on its own, use the certificate as an excuse to mention some of the skills that the ECBA tests for specifically, and what kind of experiences prepared you for the test.
The same is true for the other certificates as well. They all indicate that you possess some kind of specialized knowledge of the industry, but unless you provide the context of how you'll be able to transfer that experience into something that will be beneficial to your new employer, any certificate you have will be fairly meaningless.
Are Any of Them Worth It?
The essential answer here, as frustrating as it is, is that it depends. For the certifications that require years of industry experience, odds are that your work experience itself will suffice for the companies to which you're applying.
If you're just starting out, it's possible that getting a Master's Certificate or passing the ECBA will give you a leg up on some of your less experienced competition, but the truth is that no hiring manager will look at those certifications the same way as any other. Some may see it as impressive, but others might discount it and be left wondering what sort of transferable skills you're actually bringing to the table.
So, when you're deciding which (if any) BA certifications to go after, the biggest things to consider are:
- your own current level of industry experience
- the amount (and quality) of training or knowledge the certification will provide you
- your ability to use whatever certification you get to frame the knowledge that you possess in a way that makes you a more attractive candidate to successful employers
For tips on how to craft your Business Analyst resume, see our resume guide.
For all other related questions about Business Analyst positions, check out our detailed guide to becoming a Business Analyst.
