CIC Designation
What is CIC?
The Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) Program has been the insurance industry's premier, proven source for practical, real-world education since 1969, enhancing professional skills and offering an opportunity for national recognition within the insurance community. Research has shown that CICs generate increased profits for their agencies. The CIC designation means you have the knowledge, personal dedication, and expertise to succeed in an ever-changing demanding profession. Becoming a CIC is also a pledge to meet the challenge of lifelong professional continuing education.
CIC courses are offered online through the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance (formerly The National Alliance). This instructor-led webinar format delivers the same high-quality, tested curriculum and expert faculty as the traditional classroom experience, with added flexibility and convenience.
Key features of CIC Online include:
- Instructor-led live webinars with expert faculty
- Convenient access via computer, tablet, or mobile device
- Five-week format with two live sessions per week
- Daytime classes only, with all live webinar times listed in Central Time
- Extended study period for exam-takers, plus quizzes, exercises, and discussion engagement
The CIC program is comprised of seven institutes. Each CIC institute includes 16 hours of instruction, followed by an optional exam. To earn the CIC designation, participants must complete five of the seven institutes and pass the corresponding exams.
Note: CIC courses are offered through the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance’s enhanced registration platform. Registration and course access will take place on the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance’s website, and all live webinar times are listed in Central Time. Please note that the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance has its own cancellation and fee policies, which should be considered when registering for courses.
Information provided during CIC Institute and Ruble Seminar live webinar offerings are based on country-wide forms and are not NC-specific.
Questions?
For general assistance, contact the IIANC Education Department at education@iianc.com or 888-275-8907.
For course-specific questions, registration support, or technical assistance, you may also contact the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance directly at 800-633-2165 or alliance@riskeducation.org. Participants may also use AlliBot, the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance’s AI assistant, for on-demand course and insurance insights.
CIC Scholarship
IIANC will award five (5) scholarships to attend a CIC Institute during the upcoming year. The scholarships are presented in honor of Dr. Robert S. Cline, CPCU, CLU, and Education Consultant for the CIC Program in the Carolinas from its inception in 1976 to 1991. Each scholarship covers the entire registration fee to one (1) Institute in North Carolina from the date awarded through one calendar year.
How Do I Earn the CIC Designation?
To earn the CIC designation, you must attend five of the seven institutes and pass the exams for each within a five-year period. The CIC program is for both agency and company personnel. To be eligible to attend CIC institutes and obtain the CIC designation, an individual must:
- Be a licensed agent, broker, adjuster, or solicitor; or
- Have at least two years of full-time experience in the insurance industry or as a risk management practitioner; or
- Have served as a full-time insurance faculty member at an accredited college or university.
The CIC institutes are also open to those who wish to receive CE credit only. Any course may be attended individually and the exam waived.
How Do I Maintain the CIC Designation?
After receiving the CIC designation, no further exams are necessary. To keep the CIC designation, you must update each year by attending a CIC institute or James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar.
If you have questions about maintaining your designation, contact the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance (formerly The National Alliance) directly at 800-633-2165, alliance@riskeducation.org, or on their website.
CIC Institutes
Agency Management
CE Credit: 16 GEN
Agency personnel today must be both professional insurance counselors and sound business people. This institute covers the important internal operations necessary to successfully run an agency in today's business world. A case study is used through the program for direct, practical application.
- Agency as an Organization
- Financial Analysis and Agency Value
- Managing an Agency's Book of Business I - New Business
- Managing an Agency's Book of Business II - Retention
- Human Resources
- Agency Productivity and Effectiveness
- Legal and Ethical Responsibilities
Commercial Casualty
CE Credit: 16 GEN
Explore casualty exposures and become familiar with important coverages.
- Commercial General Liability
- Business Automobile Coverages
- Workers Compensation
- Excess Liability/Commercial Umbrella Coverages
- Garage Insurance
- Employment-Related Practices Coverages
- Additional Insureds
- Fiduciary Liability
- Cyber Liability
Commercial Property
CE Credit: 16 GEN
This institute covers innovative ways to maximize coverage for various types of commercial property accounts.
- Commercial Property Coverages
- Commercial Property Endorsements
- Commercial Property Causes of Loss Forms
- Time Element Coverages
- Commercial Inland Marine Coverages
- Business Owners Policies
Insurance Company Operations
CE Credit: 16 GEN
The Insurance Company Operations Institute will help you to gain a better understanding of strategic decision-making strategies in order to satisfy regulatory requirements, meeting compliance standards, product development, underwriting, distributing and marketing, processing claims, and other vital company functions.
- Executive Strategies, Regulation & Compliance
- Actuarial Practices & Accounting
- Product Development
- Agency/Policyholder Services
- Underwriting
- Claims
Life & Health
CE Credit: 16 GEN
There are countless opportunities for property and casualty agents to develop life and health business. This institute will provide the basic, essential background, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in this market.
- Essentials of Life Insurance
- Essentials of Group, Individual Disability Income & Health Insurance
- Applications of Life and Health Insurance for Personal Needs
- Applications of Life and Health Insurance for Business Needs
- Annuities
- Medicare, Medicare Supplement, Medicaid
- Long-Term Care Insurance
- Innovations in Life and Health Insurance
- Financial Planning
- Retirement Planning
- Estate Planning
- Organizational Structure and Marketing Techniques for Life and Health Insurance
- State Specific Exposures/Special Coverages
Commercial Multiline
CE Credit: 16 GEN
Drill down into emerging topics—such as Cyber and Crime—that are critical to today’s marketplace from both property and casualty perspectives.
- Businessowners Policy (BOP)
- Commercial Inland Marine Concepts & Coverages
- Crime Coverages & Endorsements
- Cyber Exposures and Coverages
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance
- Excess Liability/Commercial Umbrella Coverages
Personal Lines
CE Credit: 16 GEN
This institute will address the unique needs of individuals, families, and family members, and tackle the complexities of state-specific personal lines forms
- Personal Residential Coverages
- Personal Automobile Coverages
- Personal Umbrella/Excess Coverages
- Home-Based Business
- Rental Car Coverages
- Watercraft Coverages
- Flood
- Mobile Home Coverages
- Personal Lines Case Study
- Personal Lines Catastrophe Coverages
- Specific State Exposures/Innovations/Special Coverages
James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar Information
CE Credit: 16 GENGraduate seminars are available to dues-paying CICs and Certified Risk Managers (CRMs) only. These seminars offer CICs and CRMs the opportunity to attend a wider variety of seminars covering more advanced and single-focus subjects.
See the course schedule at the bottom of this page for a current listing of Ruble Seminars and to register.