Master of Financial Technical Analysis (MFTA) Program IFTA's Master of Financial Technical Analysis (MFTA) replaces DITA III. It requires a university-style research paper. It is intended to be a severe test of professionalism in the global arena. There are two submission dates per year, at the beginning of May and the beginning of October.   Prerequisites MFTA is opened to all holders of the Certified Financial Technician designation or equivalent (currently CMTA from the NTAA and Dip.TA from AATA) who are members of IFTA-affiliated Societies (IFTA Colleagues). On receipt of applications, confirmation will be sought from the candidate's local Society that the applicant is a properly accredited and fully paid-up member or associate member of that Society before further processing takes place. For those IFTA Colleagues who do not have the formal qualifications outlined above, but who either have other certification and/or many years experience working as technical analysts, the Accreditation Committee has developed an "alternate path" by which candidates with substantial academic or practical work in technical analysis can bypass the requirement for the CFTe. In general, there are three categories of applicants for the Alternate Path. It is open to IFTA Colleagues who: Have technical analysis certification other than CFTe (such as CMT, STA Diploma) PLUS three years experience as a technician Have financial certification other than CFTe (such as CFA, CPA, MBA) PLUS five years experience as a technician Have experience only (eight years minimum) Candidates in these or very similar circumstances may apply for the "Alternate Path", which is a prequalification procedure. If approved, they may register for the MFTA and send in their research proposals. Cost Cost of the thesis program is US $900. Registration Please submit the MFTA application for Session 1 or Session 2 (see Timelines & Schedules below) by the appropriate deadline date. Program Details In order to complete this level and receive your Diploma, you must write a research paper of no less than three thousand, but generally no more than five thousand words. Charts, Figures and Tables may be presented in addition, but should not constitute the bulk of the paper. Your paper must meet the following criteria: It must be original It must develop a reasoned and logical argument and lead to a sound conclusion supported by the tests, studies and analysis contained in the paper The subject matter should be of practical application, and It should add to the body of knowledge in the discipline of international technical analysis. The first and most important step for a candidate is to submit an outline of the proposed paper to IFTA at admin@ifta.org, standing in lieu of the Chairman of the Accreditation Committee. Care should be taken to ensure that this Summary is sufficiently detailed to enable the Committee to determine whether or not the proposed paper meets the above criteria. Failure to submit a sufficiently detailed or well thought-out outline, or departure from the outline after it has been approved, could mean wasted time and effort. It is anticipated that most candidates for MFTA will have some academic background, and this should convey the high standard against which these papers will be judged. Papers which do not meet the professional requirements of the Committee will be rejected, with reasons, and candidates may either start again or revise their paper and resubmit it the following year. This will be viewed as a fresh application. Alternately, candidates who are dissatisfied with their mark may elect to have their paper referred to the Accreditation Committee for review. The fee payable for review will be communicated at the time the application is made. Candidates should note, however, that due to other pressures and the fact that the Committee members are in several countries, the review process can take several months. If the Committee confirms the original result this may mean that you miss the opportunity to submit another paper in the following year. Copyright of all submitted Papers will be held by IFTA, although any application by the writer to publish the work in other areas will generally be regarded favourably, on condition that due reference is made to IFTA's copyright. The Journal Committee of IFTA may, in its absolute discretion, choose to publish particularly meritorious papers, either edited or unedited, in the IFTA Journal or any other IFTA publication, and any Paper or part thereof may be posted on the IFTA website. Each candidate is deemed to have given their permission for the publication, in whole or in part, of her or his Paper. Timelines & Schedules There are two MFTA sessions per year, with the following deadlines: Session 1: May 2: Outline should be submitted to the Accreditation Committee (via IFTA Headquarters) no later than this date. Response to the outline will normally be made no later than June 1 in the same year. May 2: Application form and payment must be received separately by IFTA Admin Office October 15: Your completed paper must be emailed so as to reach IFTA no later than October 15 of that year. Delivery must be in electronic form (via e-mail), in the required format, by that deadline. Papers received after October 15 will not be accepted, and candidates will need to re-enroll (and pay a second registration fee) for MFTA the following year. If you are applying to the program via the Alternate Path, you must submit the Alternate Path pre-application by February 28, and then follow the requirements above. Session 2: October 2: Outline should be submitted to the Accreditation Committee (via IFTA Headquarters) no later than this date. Response to the outline will normally be made no later than November 1 in the same year. October 2: Application form and payment must be received separately by IFTA Admin Office March 15: Your completed paper must be emailed so as to reach IFTA no later than March 15 of the following year. Delivery must be in electronic form (via e-mail), in required format, by that deadline. Papers received after March 15 will not be accepted, and candidates will need to re-enroll (and pay a second registration fee) for MFTA the following year. If you are applying to the program via the Alternate Path, you must submit the Alternate Path pre-application by July 31, and then follow the requirements above. For more information on this Diploma please e-mail admin@ifta.org. Please note that fees and conditions may be subject to change without notice.