Accreditations

The Master of Science in International Financial Management is an ACCA and CIMA accredited programme and the Lucerne School of Business is an IMA endorsed school.

ACCA Accreditation

The MSc in International Financial Management is an ACCA accredited programme. ACCA is one of the largest accounting associations in the world. Its mission is to facilitate greater careers and opportunities in accountancy, finance and management through a qualification which are highly recognised and recommended around the world. In order to receive this qualification, students normally need to pass 13 exams. Because of an optimal preparation during their studies, students of the MSc in International Financial Management can benefit from some exemptions which means to pass less exams. ACCA will allow the exemptions of four exams including Accountant in Business (AB), Management Accounting (MA), Financial Accounting (FA) and Financial Reporting (FR)

Facts & Figures
  • Organization: an ACCA course is organised by the global Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
  • Focus: Accounting
  • Exemptions for MSc IFM graduates: 4 exams (AB, MA, FA, FR)

CIMA Accreditation

CIMA is the world’s largest professional body of management accountants and therefore enjoys a widely recognized reputation. Its aim is to help people succeed in management accounting, in both the public and private sector. The CIMA Professional Qualification consists of operations, management and strategy levels and validates skills in areas ranging from risk management and financial strategy to management accounting. To receive this qualification, students normally need to pass 15 exams. However, graduates of the MSc in International Financial Management are qualified to join CIMA through an accelerated route, the CIMA Master’s Gateway Assessment. Once this assessment has been successfully passed, 11 exemptions will be granted.

Facts & Figures
  • Organization: CIMA is organized by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK.
  • Focus: Management Accounting
  • Exemption: 11 exams, if Master’s Gateway Assessment passed

IMA Endorsed School

The CMA® is the globally recognised certification in the area of management accounting from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). The fact that the MSc IFM received this accreditation signifies that all graduates have completed a study programme which is in line with the requirements of the CMA® qualification. This big advantage helps IFM students to increase the probability of a successful by the CMA® exam. In addition, current IFM students can (if nominated by the school) benefit from the CMA® scholarship programme. With a scholarship students can do the preparation and subsequently the CMA® examination at almost no cost.

Facts & Figures
  • Organization: CMA is approved and sponsored by the Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA). The ICMA is affiliated with the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
  • Focus: Management Accounting
  • Exemption: No exemptions but the IFM curriculum meets the educational quality standards required to prepare for the CMA® designation.

EXPERTsuisse

Graduates of the IFM master’s programme striving for a Swiss Certified Public Accountant (Swiss CPA) certification can apply at the Swiss Federal Examination Board for a reduction of 1,200 productive working hours. To benefit from this dispensation, EXPERTsuisse requires students to complete the IFM master's programme successfully and to collect 30 ECTS points in accounting. Our curriculum covers these 30 accounting ECTS points.

Facts & Figures
  • Organization: EXPERTsuisse – the Swiss Expert Association for Audit, Tax and Trusts
  • Focus: Financial Accounting
  • Exemption: 1,200 productive working hours

Accreditations