Advance Your Career with ACoBS Certification Programs
Choose from four premier professional designations designed for HR professionals,CFOs, and benefits consultants who want to master every aspect of employee benefits management.
Explore Our Certification Programs
ACoBS offers four specialized designations covering medical, pharmacy, retirement, and voluntary benefits management — each built to enhance your expertise and credibility.
CMBS
Certified Medical Benefits Specialist
Gain deep insight into medical plan design, compliance, and cost management.
CPBS
Certified Pharmacy Benefits Specialist
Master PBM contracts, formulary management, and pharmacy cost containment.
RBMS
Retirement Benefits Management Specialist
Develop expertise in 401(k), pension strategies, and fiduciary compliance.
VBMS
Voluntary Benefits Management Specialist
Learn to design, communicate, and manage supplemental and voluntary benefits.
Curriculum Overview
Each designation has a distinct learning path. Browse summaries below and open the full syllabus for details.
CMBS — Medical
- Medical Plan Design & Cost Containment
- Utilization Management & Care Navigation
- Data Analytics & Reporting
- Governance, Fiduciary Duty & Compliance
CPBS — Pharmacy
- PBM Contract Analysis & Audits
- Formulary & Rebates Management
- Specialty Drug Management
- Transparent Benefit Design
RBMS — Retirement
- Plan Fundamentals & Compliance
- Fiduciary Standards & Governance
- Investment Strategy & Risk
- Participant Education & Optimization
VBMS — Voluntary
- Voluntary Product Design
- Employee Communication & Engagement
- Vendor Evaluation & Contracting
- Total Rewards Integration
Program Investment
Enroll once, gain lifetime access to program materials, updates, and certification renewals.
Best Value
Full Access Bundle
$7,195
Access all four certification programs and save even more
What Our Graduates Say
“I wanted to thank you very much again for your teachings and the CPBS training. Because of what I’ve learned, I was able to successfully get my program back over $41.3M+ in rebates + pricing guarantee/effective rate shortfalls so far, after immediately applying what I’ve learned and over a year’s worth of hard work wrangling the PBM! Despite this, I am still not in love with rebates and have to think about the long-term future and outlook for my program. My sincere thanks to you again for all your help in my journey!”
Frank Chen, PharmD, MS HCM, BCPS, CPBS, LSSGB
Team Lead, Pharmacy Benefits Team
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
"I want to thank you so much for the knowledge, energy, and passion you brought to the topics covered in the course. Your delivery was so electric! Not only was there never a dull moment in this course, the information shared was so eye opening. Throughout the class I kept saying to myself how can I have spent so much time managing employee benefit programs (over 20 years) and not have been aware of much of the material covered in this course. I thought I knew much more that I knew before I took this course. I feel so much more equipped now, though I am certain there is so much more to learn. If ever you consider offering other related courses, please let me know. I would love to consider enrolling."
Charonda McGill
VP Health & Wellness/HRIS
Lendmark Financial Services
Lendmark Financial Services
"I truly thank you for your effort in putting together this class, I learned more
than I ever thought I would. I have always found it hard to concentrate in school and you kept me engaged, answers all my questions and I was pumped after each class. I have probably listened to those course replays 4-5 times each and get more out of them each time I watch them. It is invaluable for me and my agency."
Michael Adams
Managing Partner
Workforce Benefit Solutions
Workforce Benefit Solutions
Ready to Get Certified?
Join thousands of professionals who’ve advanced their careers through the American College of Benefit Specialists.