Work Experience
When you apply for CFA membership, you enter your work experience descriptions as part of your application.
Your work experience determines your eligibility for membership and impacts whether you are recommended for affiliate membership or regular membership.
To be recommended for regular membership you must have completed four years (48 months) of qualifying work experience.
If you have not accrued 48 months of qualifying work experience, you may still apply for membership and will be considered for affiliate membership status.
Entering your work experience as part of your application:
- Job titles are not sufficient; you must include specific details about your job responsibilities
- Once you submit your application, you cannot subsequently update the work experience attached to that application
- Subsequent changes to your work experience will only be considered when you upgrade your membership status
Regular membership work experience criteria:
- Four years (48 months) of qualifying work experience in ...
- A full-time position consisting of ...
-
Qualifying activities, such
as:
- Evaluating and applying financial, economic, or statistical data involving securities or other investments, or producing work that adds value to the process
- Supervising persons who practice such activities
- Teaching such activities
Work experience accrual criteria:
- May be accrued while you're in the CFA Program, after you've passed all three exam levels, or in previous positions
-
At least 50 percent of your work experience
must be::
- Directly involved in the investment decision-making process
- Engaged in responsibilities and/or producing a work product that informs or adds value to that process
- Summer, part-time, and internship positions do not qualify
- Managing your own investments does not qualify
See sample work experience descriptions.
View list of sample job titles.
Learn more about the types of membership and membership requirements.