IAM Certified Programmes
Five programmes, one per Career Stage — teaching and assessing the discipline of administrative management at the point in a career where it is being done.
The Framework
The five Certified Programmes
Each programme aligns to a membership tier or grade. Taken in sequence, each taught programme completes within two months, and all five can be completed within nine months. A single registration lasts eighteen months and covers every programme and role option started within it.
| Programme | Career point | Size | Duration | Shape |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials Foundation | Workforce tier (Affiliate) | 20 PLH | Four weeks | Four core modules, one a week; applied assessment |
| Practitioner | Stage 1 — Associate (AInstAM) | 40 PLH | Eight weeks | Four core modules, one a fortnight; applied assessment |
| Professional | Stage 2 — Member (MInstAM) | 48 PLH | Eight weeks | Four core modules, one a fortnight; applied assessment |
| Strategic Professional | Stage 3 — Fellow (FInstAM) | 56 PLH | Eight weeks | Applied assessment with a professional discussion for every candidate |
| Strategic Leader | Stage 4 — Senior Fellow (SFInstAM) | 56 PLH | Eight weeks | Not taught: a leadership portfolio and a strategic case assessment |
One Design
Four core modules, taught at your level
The four taught programmes share one design. What changes between them is not the shape but the pitch: the same four core modules are taught at the level of responsibility the candidate actually carries, and assessed against what the Professional Standards expect at that Career Stage.
Domains 1 & 3
Operations and Digital
How administrative work is designed, run and improved, and how technology, data, automation and information security serve it.
Domains 2 & 4
People and Communication
Writing, speaking, stakeholders and relationships; working with, developing and leading others.
Domains 5 & 6
Finance and Governance
Money, procurement and value; compliance, risk, records and the control environment.
Domain 7 + Ethics & CPD
Strategy and the Profession
Strategy and change; professional ethics; continuing development and the pathway ahead.
Two modes, one standard. Every programme runs online across its published weeks, or face-to-face as a contact block of two to four days followed by workplace application and a return session. Both modes are assessed against the same rubric to the same standard — and the certificate never states which mode was taken.
Credential the Role You Do
The IAM Role Mastery Series
Twelve courses in four families, each running through three bands — Support, Management, and Leadership. A band describes the scope of the role, not the seniority of the person. Take a role course alone, or add one inside a Certified Programme and leave with two credentials — the second carrying your chosen job title as a designation.
| Family | Support band | Management band | Leadership band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administration | Administrative Support Practice | Office and Administration Management | Business Operations and General Management |
| Executive and Private Office | Executive and Private Office Support | Executive and Private Office Management | Executive and Private Office Leadership |
| Governance, Records and Information | Records and Information Administration | Governance and Board Support | Corporate Governance and Directorship |
| Projects, Operations and Change | Project Support and PMO Practice | Operations Management and Process Improvement | Change and Programme Leadership |
The roles each course serves
Each course is built around a whole job. These are the roles it is written for; the full A–Z of job titles, including titles that mean different things in different places, is in the Role Mastery Catalogue on the IAM Portal.
| Band | Course | Roles served |
|---|---|---|
| Support | Administrative Support Practice | Administrative Assistant · Office Administrator · Business Support Officer · Virtual Assistant · Administration Officer |
| Support | Executive and Private Office Support | Personal Assistant · Executive Assistant · Executive Secretary · Assistant Private Secretary · Confidential Secretary · Personal Secretary |
| Support | Records and Information Administration | Records Officer · Document Controller · Registry Clerk · Archives Assistant · Governance Administrator |
| Support | Project Support and PMO Practice | Project Support Officer · Project Coordinator · PMO Analyst · Project Administrator |
| Management | Office and Administration Management | Office Manager · Administration Manager · Business Support Manager · Practice Manager · Head of Administration |
| Management | Executive and Private Office Management | Senior Executive Assistant · Executive Business Partner · Private Secretary · Head of the Private Office · Executive Office Manager · Diwan Manager |
| Management | Governance and Board Support | Governance Officer · Board Secretary · Assistant Company Secretary · Clerk to the Board · Committee Clerk |
| Management | Operations Management and Process Improvement | Operations Manager · Business Improvement Manager · Continuous Improvement Lead · Project Manager · Service Delivery Manager |
| Leadership | Business Operations and General Management | Head of Operations · Director of Operations · General Manager · Director of Corporate Services · Chief Administrative Officer · Chief Operating Officer |
| Leadership | Executive and Private Office Leadership | Chief of Staff · Principal Private Secretary · Head of the Executive Office · Chef de Cabinet |
| Leadership | Corporate Governance and Directorship | Company Secretary · Board Secretary · Director of Governance · Non-Executive Director · Trustee |
| Leadership | Change and Programme Leadership | Programme Director · Head of Transformation · Change Manager · Portfolio Director · Head of PMO |
Which IAM Certified Programme opens which band
| IAM Certified Programme | Role Mastery bands it opens | Role courses available (from the table above) |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials Foundation Programme | Support | Administrative Support Practice · Executive and Private Office Support · Records and Information Administration · Project Support and PMO Practice |
| Practitioner Certified Programme | Support and Management | All four Support-band courses, plus Office and Administration Management · Executive and Private Office Management · Governance and Board Support · Operations Management and Process Improvement |
| Professional Certified Programme | Management | Office and Administration Management · Executive and Private Office Management · Governance and Board Support · Operations Management and Process Improvement |
| Strategic Professional Certified Programme | Management and Leadership | All four Management-band courses, plus Business Operations and General Management · Executive and Private Office Leadership · Corporate Governance and Directorship · Change and Programme Leadership |
| Strategic Leader Certified Programme | Leadership | Business Operations and General Management · Executive and Private Office Leadership · Corporate Governance and Directorship · Change and Programme Leadership |
Where the programmes lead
Graduation with the Institute
Choose your programme
Enter at the level appropriate to your current competence — progression through the sequence is typical, not required. Our team will advise on the right starting point.