What does the Chartered Institute of Marketing do? What is a CIM Qualification?

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) was founded in 1911 and offers the widest and most highly regarded portfolio of professional courses to help marketing professionals be better marketers. The CIM has over 30,000 members, including more than 3,000 registered Chartered Marketers and works with 130 study centres in 36 countries plus exam centres in 132 countries.

CIM offers training courses and professional qualifications, ranging from foundation to postgraduate to master’s degree level (EQF Level 7). In 1992, the EU declared CIM’s flagship qualification as the “preferred professional marketing qualification through member states”.

CIM qualifications offer a great balance of theory and practice. Most of the assessments focus on both theory and its practical application to your own organisation.

CIM qualifications are the most requested marketing qualifications by employers and in marketing job specifications.

35% of marketing leaders have a CIM qualification – the most common after a university degree (46%). (Hays).

And acccording to the CIM’s own Marketing Rewards Survey (which is published annually by leading pay and benefits consultancy Croner) the average Chartered Institute Marketing member earns around 10% more than a non-qualified member over the course of their career.

A CIM Level 3 qualification is perfect for candidates looking to start working in a marketing role or people who might be new to a marketing role.

A CIM Level 4 qualification is ideal for marketing executives with some experience and understanding of marketing. Maybe they’ve completed a degree with a marketing module and gained at least one year of practical working experience.

CIM Level 6 qualifications are for marketing managers looking to improve their strategic understanding so should ideally have 2-3 years industry experience in the industry and/or a CIM qualification gained at Level 4.

CIM Level 7 are Masters level qualifications and the standard for experienced marketers with at least 5 years’ experience in marketing and team management who are keen to develop their leadership skills.

Depending on which level and which type of qualification you choose (i.e. an Award, Certificate, or Diploma), CIM courses will vary in the time they take you to complete. In reality, they are usually completed between 9-18 months as most involve completing three modules of study and some assessment work and some students are able to dedicate more time in a shorter time frame than others.

CIM is recognised as the gold standard in marketing best practice and combined with Chartered Marketer CPD status holds the very best in the marketing industry to a higher standard. It is the most requested qualification on job specification and as well as ensuring companies have better quality marketing professionals in place, it supports qualification holders in improving their salary and conditions.

Liz Hopkins, director of Michael Page Marketing (leading recruiter), comments

“My perception would be that the CIM qualification is respected, and particularly if someone doesn’t have a marketing / business related degree, then it helps to formalise some theory to back up practical experience.”

Gaining a CIM qualification means you have submitted yourself to a learning experience and independent third party assessment to gain an internationally recognised qualification. It demonstrates a commitment to learning, a commitment to marketing best practice, an ability to multi-task and will open up opportunities to be considered for next level positions in a wide variety of marketing roles – supported of course with practical experience too.