Gaining a professional certification/designation has proven to be an effective way to boost your career. Below is a list of professional certifications/designations embedded in our curricula. You're encouraged to reach out to the faculty contact for the credential you are interested in to find out more details.
Certifications & Designations
An actuary applies mathematics, statistics, and financial theory to estimate the financial impact of risk and uncertainty, developing policies to help clients and businesses minimize costs. While actuaries are commonly employed in the insurance and finance sectors, they also work in other fields where managing financial risk is essential. They are in high demand, with low unemployment and high job satisfaction.
Becoming an actuary requires earning professional designations, such as Associate or Fellow, from the Society of Actuaries (SOA) or the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). Rider University offers coursework that prepares students for several SOA or CAS actuarial exams, as well as for the Validation by Educational Experience (VEE) requirements, which are part of the pathway to achieving an Associate designation.
Coursework that prepares students for actuarial exams includes:
- Probability (P) Exam: MTH 340 Probability & Statistical Analysis I
- Financial Mathematics (FM) Exam: MSD 350 Financial Mathematics
- Statistics for Risk Modeling (SRM) Exam: MSD 330 Predictive Modeling and Applications
Coursework that qualifies for VEE includes:
- VEE Accounting and Finance: ACC 201, ACC 220, FIN 220 (FIN 300), FIN 309
- VEE Applied Statistics: MSD 320, MSD 325
- VEE Corporate Finance: FIN 220 (FIN 300), FIN 309
- VEE Economics: ECO 200 and ECO 201
- VEE Mathematical Statistics: MTH 341
Targeted Students
Any students who aspire to become an actuary.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Lan Nygren at lnygren@rider.edu
The ARM™ Certification is offered by The Institutes®, the leading professional organization on risk management and insurance. Rider’s 3-course Certificate in Risk Management and Insurance prepares students for the ARM designation and can lead to a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation which is akin to a Master’s of Insurance. Refer to the academic catalog page for more details about the certificate. To review the requirements for the ARM Certification, go to The Institutes.
Targeted Students
Students aspiring to work in Risk Management and Insurance
Faculty/Staff Contact
Dr. Katerina Tsakiri at ktsakiri@rider.edu
CFA designation is the premier designation for investment management professionals. Finance courses at Rider help students prepare for the CFA level 1 exam. Finance majors should enroll in the Concentration in Investment Analysis to ensure completion of necessary foundational course work.
Targeted Students
Finance majors who wish to pursue a career in investment management.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Jason Chiu at cchiu@rider.edu
The Institute of Internal Auditors
The CIA designation is the only globally recognized internal audit certification. This exam is more auditing-specific than the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam.
Targeted Students
Accounting majors, MBA students, MAcc students.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Devon Baranek at dbaranek@rider.edu
Institute of Management Accountants
The CMA designation is one of the prominent certifications in the accounting profession and targets management accountants and financial professionals interested in corporate environments. Critical practice areas demonstrated by this exam include budgeting and forecasting, planning and analysis, risk management and internal controls and performance management. Finance majors should enroll in the Concentration in Financial Management to ensure completion of necessary foundational course work.
Targeted Students
Accounting and finance majors, MBA students.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Betsy Haywood Sullivan at msullivan@rider.edu,
Finance Majors: Jason Chiu at cchiu@rider.edu
National Association of State Board Accountancy
The CPA designation is the highest standard of competence, and a symbol of achievement and assurance of quality in the accounting profession. It is required by most public firms when moving from senior accountant to manager. The test consists of four exams that test your accounting knowledge in financial accounting, tax, business law, and auditing.
Targeted Students
Accounting majors, MAcc students.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Marge O'Reilly at oreillyallen@rider.edu
Facebook Blueprint offers several courses to help design ads and promote your business, including the basic layout, segmentation, and ad design.
Targeted Students
Marketing (required for digital concentration) and business analytics majors/minors.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Anubha Mishra at amishra@rider.edu
Students in MKT 367 complete 3 certificates from Google Analytics Academy: Google Analytics for Beginners, Advanced Google Analytics, and Google Analytics for Power Users. These certifications help students learn about the basic layout of GA, data collection process and analysis of the data using various marketing tools. The power users practice analyses to track and identify areas for business improvement.
Targeted Students
Marketing (required for digital concentration) and business analytics major.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Anubha Mishra at amishra@rider.edu
In today’s data-driven business environment, Microsoft Excel is a critical application that should be in the toolbox of every business student. Gaining the Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate (Office 2019) certification is a great way to demonstrate your competency in the fundamentals of Excel skills. Many of the necessary skills are taught in the freshman-level Information Systems Essentials (CIS-185), which is a required technology course for business majors. Excel is also integrated in numerous courses from a variety of business-related majors and minors, including Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, and Supply Chain Management.
Targeted Students
All business students
Faculty/Staff Contact
Dr. Drew Procaccino at procaccinod@rider.edu
The PMP Certification is created by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading authority on project management to recognize project managers who have gained project leadership experience and expertise. Rider's 7-week 3-credit graduate course PMBA 8314 Project Management will earn students the 35 hours of education they need to qualify to sit for the PMP certification exam through the PMI. To review PMI's requirements for the PMP certification, go to PMI.org.
Targeted Students
Graduate business students interested in gaining expertise in project leadership and management
Faculty/Staff Contact
Dr. Morteza Mashayekhi at mmashayekhy@rider.edu
Students who successfully complete the designated courses of CIS 315, CIS 360, and GSC 385 with SAP content develop significant skills using SAP products that can be applied in practice. Students develop a hands-on understanding of technology-enabled business process integration, business data mining, and strategic thinking.
Targeted Students
All business students.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Chirag Surti at csurti@rider.edu
Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
SCPro Fundamentals provides a certification in the basic fundamentals of supply chain and its related functional elements from procurement through delivery to the customer. It is designed to assist the professional in understanding the basic elements of a supply chain and how they are linked to move products and services in an integrated chain throughout the business.
Targeted Students
Global supply chain management majors.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Robert Murray at rmurray@rider.edu
SAS Global Certification Program
The SAS Base Programming Certification Exam is for those interested in becoming a SAS professional. The test will emphasize: knowledge on reading and creating data files, manipulating and transforming data, combining SAS data sets, etc.
Targeted Students
All business students, undergraduate and graduate, especially business analytics majors and graduate business students pursuing the business analytics concentration or certificate.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Dr. Katerina Tsakiri at ktsakiri@rider.edu
The SIE is a designation offered through The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) that is part of the Series 7 exam required by most financial firms. Students are recommended to complete this certification prior to graduation. Finance majors should enroll in the Concentration in Private Wealth Management to ensure the proper course work is completed.
Targeted Students
Juniors, Seniors, and graduate business students with an interest in working in financial services or financial advising.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Finance Majors: Mitchell Ratner at ratner@rider.edu
The SHRM is the international professional association for the Human Resource Management field. The SHRM-CP credential provides recognition in industry that the holder has the knowledge and skill set to add value with respect to an organization's management of its people.
Targeted Students
Students may register for the exam if they are a senior enrolled in our Human Resource Management major, and have 500 hours of relevant 'qualifying HR experience'.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Eugene Kutcher at ekutcher@rider.edu
Management and Strategy Institute
Six Sigma and Lean certification focuses on process improvements, project management, and data driven decision making. Students are invited to participate in a self-study program to earn Six Sigma Green Belt Certification through Management Strategy Institute (MSI). There is a $70 fee for training materials.
Targeted Students
Any undergraduate or graduate business student.
Faculty/Staff Contact
Kristin McCarthy at kmccarthy@rider.edu and Chirag Surti at csurti@rider.edu
Tableau Desktop Specialist certification can be obtained after passing an entry-level exam that focuses on foundational functionality and product comprehension. There is currently a $100 fee to take the exam.
Targeted Students
All business students, especially business analytics and information systems majors
Faculty/Staff Contact
Emre Yetgin at eyetgin@rider.edu