Certification Versus Certificate Programs

The field of business, much like the field of medicine, has a number of specialty areas for which corresponding certifications have developed over time. Many of these certifications have established a solid track record in educating and advancing the practitioners of those specialties and are highly regarded within their respective business subfields. A number of these certifications, while not licensed except for CPA, have become a de facto standard and requirement for their specialty. These certifications were developed by private organizations outside of traditional academic institutions such as business schools, colleges, and universities.

Many academic institutions and corporate universities offer various certificate programs that cover similar topics as certification programs. In contrast to certification programs, certificate programs are often more limited in scope, are mostly local in nature, and do not incorporate testing. As a result, there is much variation with certificate programs, in terms of program length, education, experience, examination (testing), code of ethics, and continuing education requirements.

The private organizations offering the specialty certifications have consistent standards in terms of education, experience, examination (testing), code of ethics, and continuing education requirements and are generally national or international in scope and recognition. These standards are part of the certification process in which a person is elevated to a certified professional status in a given field. A certificate program cannot do the same.

Please note that the terms “certificates” and “certifications” are two different things where the latter is more inclusive than the former. The CBM is the only generalist professional certification available since it is based on an MBA curriculum. The following table compares the business certificate programs with the CBM Certification program: