Nicholas "Nick" Spotanski, who is pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Eastern New Mexico University, recently passed the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exam. The CMA certification is considered the global benchmark for management accountants and financial professionals.

The CMA exam is split into two parts covering 11 competencies, with a 50 percent pass rate. It takes 12-18 months to complete both parts on average, with 150-170 recommended hours of study per part.

Nick, who was the recipient of a CMA scholarship and plans to graduate from ENMU in fall 2020, discusses his CMA experience:

What does it mean to you to pass the exam? How will passing the exam impact your career? 

I am overwhelmed with excitement to have passed the exam. This should give me a huge boost in my career and demonstrate to colleagues that I have a unique set of skills.

How did you prepare for the CMA exam?

Lots of studying.

What advice do you have for students interested in taking the exam? 

I would tell students to take the exam seriously and make the commitment to study hard if you want to succeed.

What is your current job? What do you hope to achieve in your career?

Manager of Financial Analysis and Business Intelligence in Kansas City, Missouri. I hope to achieve a level where I am a respected decision maker in the organization.

Why did you choose your field of study?

The MBA is a great next step to those studying business in school.

Why did you choose to attend ENMU? 

I am an online student in the MBA program. I decided to attend ENMU due to the curriculum in the program, and the excellent web platform with recorded lectures for online students.

What has been your favorite class at ENMU?

Naturally being an accountant, my favorite class so far has been ACCT 551 "Accounting for Managers."

Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska. I've been happily married for almost ten years. I have two girls, ages eight and five.