IFTA’s Master of Financial Technical Analysis (MFTA) represents the highest achievement and recognition by peers in the Technical Analysis community. The MFTA requires an original body of research. It is intended to be a rigorous demonstration of professionalism in the global arena of Technical Analysts. There are two submission dates per year, in May and October.
Prerequisites
The MFTA is open to individuals who have attained the Certified Financial Technician (CFTe) designation or its equivalent, including:
- Chartered Member of the Nippon Technical Analysts Association (CMTA) from the Nippon Technical Analysts Association (NTAA)
- Diploma in Technical Analysis (Dip.TA) from the Australian Technical Analysts Association (ATAA)
- Certified ESTA Technical Analysts Program (CETA) from the Egyptian Society of Technical Analysis (ESTA)
- Member of the Society of Technical Analysts (MSTA) from the Society of Technical Analysts (STA)
For those IFTA Colleagues who do not have the formal qualifications outlined above, but who have other certifications and/or many years of experience working as a technical analyst, 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, and prequalify for the MFTA.
There are three categories of applicants for the alternate path. It is open to individuals who have:
- A certification such as Chartered Market Technician (CMT), PLUS three years experience as a technical analyst; or
- A financial certification such as Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), Masters in Business Administration (MBA), PLUS five years’ experience as a technical analyst; or
- Have a minimum of eight years of experience as a technical analyst
Candidates in these or very similar circumstances may apply for the “alternate path”. If approved, they may register for the MFTA and send in their research proposals.
Cost
IFTA Member Colleagues
$950 US
Non-Members
$1,200 US
Program Details
In order to complete the MFTA and receive your Diploma, you must write a research paper of no less than three thousand and 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
- It should add to the body of knowledge in the discipline of international technical analysis.
- It must meet all of the guidelines set forth in the MFTA/IFTA Journal Style Guide.
The first and most important step for a candidate is to submit an outline of the proposed paper to IFTA at [email protected], 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 that 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. Alternatively, 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 is in accordance with the IFTA Journal Author’s Grant of Rights:
Author’s Grant of Rights
The author(s) grants to the publisher exclusive first worldwide publication rights in the work, and further grants a non-exclusive license for other uses of the work for the duration of its copyright in all languages, throughout the world, in all media.
The publisher agrees to publish the article in the IFTA Journal and may publish it on the IFTA website.
The publisher shall include a notice in the work stating “Copyright [author(s)’s name(s)]. Readers of the article may copy it without the copyright owner’s permission only if the author(s) and publisher are acknowledged in the copy, and the copy is used for educational, not-for-profit purposes.”
Author(s)’s Ownership of Copyright
Copyright in the work remains with the author(s).
Warranty of Authorship
The author(s) warrants to the publisher that the article is original and that he/she is/are the sole author(s) and has the full power to make this agreement. The author(s) indemnifies the publisher against any losses and other expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, after the final judgment of any claim or action against any of all of these warranties.
Publication Agreement
A copy of the Publications Agreement signed by the author(s) must accompany each submitted application/paper.
Creative Commons License
The submitted paper may be published on the IFTA website. The publisher, therefore, requires that the author(s) place his/her submission under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). Author(s) must include a statement with the submitted paper affirming that the paper is covered by this license. Should an author(s) choose a different licensing method, the author(s) must provide the publisher with information on the license at the time of submission.
Timelines & Schedules
Session 1:
Application and outline submission until May 2.
Paper submission until October 15.
- May 2: Application, outline, and fee deadline. Response to the outline will normally be made no later than June 1 in the same year.
- October 15: Paper submission deadline. Delivery must be in electronic form (via e-mail), in the required format. 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:
Application and outline submission until October 2.
Paper submission is until March 15.
- October 2: Application, outline, and fee deadline. Response to the outline will normally be made no later than November 1 in the same year.
- March 15: Paper submission deadline. Delivery must be in electronic form (via e-mail), in the 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.