Submit an Application for CISA Certification
Once a CISA candidate has passed the CISA certification exam and has met the work experience requirements, the final step is to complete and submit a CISA Application for Certification. A minimum of 5 years of professional information systems auditing, control or security work experience (as described in the CISA job practice areas) is required for certification. Substitutions and waivers of such experience, to a maximum of 3 years, may be obtained as follows:
- A maximum of 1 year of information systems experience OR 1 year of non-IS auditing experience can be substituted for 1 year of experience.
- 60 to 120 completed university semester credit hours (the equivalent of an 2-year or 4-year degree) not limited by the 10-year preceding restriction, can be substituted for 1 or 2 years, respectively, of experience.
- A bachelor's or master's degree from a university that enforces the ISACA-sponsored Model Curricula can be substituted for 1 year of experience. To view a list of these schools, please visit www.isaca.org/modeluniversities. This option cannot be used if 3 years of experience substitution and educational waiver have already been claimed.
- A master's degree in information security or information technology from an accredited university can be substituted for 1 year of experience.
Exception: 2 years as a full-time university instructor in a related field (e.g., computer science, accounting, information systems auditing) can be substituted for 1 year of experience.
As an example, at a minimum (assuming a 2-year waiver of experience by substituting 120 university credits), an applicant must have 3 years of actual work experience. This experience can by completed by:
- 3 years of IS audit, control, assurance or security experience
OR
- 2 years of IS audit, control assurance or security experience and 1 full year non-IS audit or IS experience or 2 years as a full-time university instructor.
It is important to note that many individuals choose to take the CISA exam prior to meeting the experience requirements.
This practice is acceptable and encouraged although the CISA designation will not be awarded until all requirements are met.
The work experience for CISA certification must be gained within the 10-year period preceding the application date for certification or within 5 years from the date of originally passing the exam. The CISA Application for Certification is available atwww.isaca.org/cisaapp. Note that candidates have 5 years from the passing date to apply for certification.