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Understanding Your CMAA Education Credits

Understanding Your CMAA Education Credits
Photo courtesy of Art Barajas, CCM

While education can take many forms, for certification purposes, CMAA education is defined as a structured experience that enables the purposeful growth of the individual in the club management field in a manner that can be assessed by CMAA. Credits are given for CMAA/CMI-endorsed educational programs and for CMAA-approved equivalents. At least one-half of the total Education credit requirement MUST come from CMAA-sponsored educational programs.

The general rule is that one Education credit is awarded for each full hour of instruction. Fractional credits are awarded for chapter education programs (i.e., if a session is 90 minutes, attendees receive 1.5 credits). When computing credits, time for breaks, meals and other non-instructional activities is excluded.

Chapter Education Credits

Responsibility for the assessment of programs of four hours or more falls jointly on the local chapter and the Club Management Institute through the National Headquarters Education Department. To receive full credit for a chapter educational program of four hours or longer, the program must be approved in advance by the Education Department at the National Headquarters. Programs of four hours or more for which prior approval has not been granted are subject to a three-credit limitation. Requests for approval should indicate:

  • Date and location of program;
  • Hours of instruction (excluding time for breaks and meals);
  • Subject or title of program;
  • Speaker(s), along with biography information;
  • Outline of presentation; and
  • Method of testing (if the program is to qualify as a workshop).

The request for approval may be submitted by mail or fax in letter form or by using the Chapter Education Meeting/Workshop Request Form found in the Chapter Officer and Director’s Handbook. The form is also available from the National Headquarters upon request or on the CMAA Web site at www.cmaa.org/prodev/sp_guide/workform.htm. Programs of more than eight hours of instruction in one day will not be approved.

Workshops

To satisfy the workshop requirements for certification purposes, an educational program must consist of at least six hours of instruction (excluding meals and breaks) covering one club-specific topic, and must include an examination or other assessment of learning at the conclusion of the program. If the program is not from the list of CMI-approved workshops (found in the CMAA Guide to Speakers and Workshops online at www.cmaa.org/prodev/sp_guide/index.htm),  advance approval is required to qualify as a workshop.

Other educational programs that are considered as workshops for certification purposes include CMAA Wine Society workshops, Assistant Club Manager Conferences, Leadership/Legislative Conferences, the CCM Review Course, the Educational Institute Certified Hospitality Educator workshop, all BMI programs not required for certification and the CMAA World Conference (when over and above the one required Conference). All workshops, regardless of length, will count as one workshop.

Allied Association Education Credits

Successful participation in programs with specified allied associations earns Education credits for CMAA members. However, these credits do not count toward the 15 Education credits requirement for Active membership status or the CMAA/CMI Education credits requirement for certification, the Certification Maintenance Requirement, Honor Society or MCM eligibility. Allied association credits are limited to a maximum of 10 credits per week. The following allied associations are currently recognized:

  • American Culinary Federation
  • American Hotel & Lodging Association
  • American Junior Golfers Association
  • American Society of Golf Course Architects
  • Association of Golf Merchandisers
  • Association Mexicana de Gerentes de Clubes de Golf, A.C.
  • Association of College and University Clubs
  • Association of Private Club Directors
  • Canadian Professional Golfers Association
  • Canadian Society of Club Managers
  • Club Chefs Association of America
  • Club Management Association of Southern Africa
  • Club Managers Association of Australia
  • Club Managers Association of Europe
  • Club Managers Association of Hong Kong
  • Club Managers Association of Singapore
  • Club Secretaries’ and Managers’ Association of Great Britain
  • Community Association Institute
  • Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional  Education (CHRIE)
  • Foodservice Consultants Society International
  • Golf Course Builders Association of America
  • Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
  • Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals
  • International Association of Golf Administrators
  • International Food Service Executives Association
  • International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association
  • International Military Community Executives Association
  • Ladies’ Professional Golf Association
  • National Association of Catering Executives
  • National Association of Club Athletic Directors
  • National Club Association
  • National Golf Car Manufacturers Association
  • National Golf Course Owners Association
  • National Golf Foundation
  • National Restaurant Association
  • National Spa and Pool Institute
  • PGA TOUR
  • Professional Golfers’ Association of America
  • Recreation Managers’ Association of Great Britain
  • Sommelier Society of America
  • United States Golf Association
  • United States Professional Tennis Association
  • United States Tennis Association
  • United States Sailing

Members who attend allied association educational programs should apply for credits by submitting a Petition for Allied Association Credits. This form is found in each CMAA Yearbook and is available from National Headquarters upon request or online at www.cmaa.org/prodev/lifetime/index.htm. It can also be found here. A copy of a certificate of completion for an allied association program will serve in lieu of the instructor’s signature on the petition form.

Other Education Credits

(Accredited College or University)

  • For full-time attendance in a non-hospitality program, participants are awarded 20 credits per academic year (two semesters or three quarters).
  • For full-time attendance in a hospitality program, participants are awarded 35 credits per academic year.
  • Degree recipients are awarded 10 credits per degree. Attainment of a degree is not a requirement to receive credits for college-level coursework.
  • Credits for part-time enrollment or individual college courses are awarded on the basis of one CMAA Education credit for every three college credit hours earned based on the semester system.
  • Credits for graduate-level college coursework are awarded as follows: 30 credits per academic year (two semesters or three quarters) in a non-hospitality program and 45 credits per academic year in a hospitality program. Because it is unlikely that members would be able to enroll in a full-time advanced degree program, 10 to 12 graduate semester credit hours are considered the equivalent of a full-time semester course load in determining the number of credits to be awarded.
  • Credits for individual graduate-level courses taken without completion of an advanced degree program are awarded on the basis of one CMAA Education credit for every two graduate semester credit hours earned.
  • A maximum of two years in a Master’s program and three years in a Doctoral program will be accepted. Graduate coursework and degrees may be used in the certification process for the CCM or the MCM, but not for both.
  • For teaching entire college courses, Other Education credits are awarded on the basis of four credits per semester credit hour.

Other Certification Programs

CMAA recognizes the value of hospitality-related certifications and credentials. Ten Education credits are awarded for the following:

  • Certified Engineering Operations Executive (CEOE)
  • Certified Food and Beverage Executive (CFBE)
  • Certified Food Executive (CFE)
  • Certified Food Manager (CFM)
  • Certified Food-service Professional (CFSP)
  • Certified Hospitality Accounting Executive (CHAE)
  • Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE)
  • Certified Hospitality Housekeeping Executive (CHHE)
  • Certified Hospitality Supervisor (CHS)
  • Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP)
  • Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA)
  • Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE)
  • Certified Military Beverage Executive (CMBE)
  • Certified Military Club Executive (CMCE)
  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
  • Certified Rooms Division Executive (CRDE)
  • Fellow of Professional Club Managers (FPCM)
  • Food-service Management Professional (FMP)
  • Master Hotel Supplier (MHS)
  • Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
  • American Culinary Federation Educational Institute (one certification only)
 
         
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