When one applies to become a candidate in the CIDA program, the candidate agrees to abide by the terms and conditions of the CIDA program administered by the Investment Training and Consulting Institute Inc. and any professional organization co-sponsoring the CIDA exam in the future. These terms and conditions apply to eligibility, exam confidentiality, ethics and continuing professional development. CIDA candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements:

Education: CIDA candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college-level institution. Written proof of completion of degree must be furnished on request. Educational performance may be taken into consideration when a non-degree candidate has completed 80 percent of the academic requirements. Applicants who do not possess a bachelor’s degree should submit related educational/professional information with the application for review by ITCI’s certification committee. Information submitted should be sufficiently detailed to enable the Certification Committee to determine equivalency.

Character Reference: CIDA candidates must exhibit high moral and professional character and must submit a character reference signed by a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), a CIDA or the candidate’s supervisor.

Work Experience: Two years of acceptable audit experience is required before the CIDA designation can be awarded. Acceptable work experience must include at least one-year of extensive audit activities in the investment and\or derivative areas. This required experience can be accrued while the CIDA candidate is studying for the exam or after successful completion. Acceptable work experience must be verified by a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), a CIDA or the candidate’s supervisor.

Ethics: CIDA candidates agree to abide by the Code of Ethics established by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). The Code of Ethics is available on the IIA’s Web site: www.theiia.org or by contacting the IIA’s Customer Service Center.

Continuing Professional Education: Upon certification, CIDAs will be required to maintain the knowledge, audit skills and stay informed of current developments in the investments and derivatives areas. CIDAs must acquire 15 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) per year in this highly specialized area and will report these hours annually to ITCI. To acknowledge the study time required to successfully pass the CIDA exam, the CPE requirements are waived for the year the exam is passed.  See the CPE Requirements page for further information.