CO U R S E S & C A REERS
ACCOUNTANCY
A professional
accounting
qualification or
a degree in
accountancy?
Mention accounting courses and
acronyms such as ACCA, CIMA, CFA
and LCCI would come to mind. If you
are keen on a career in accounting,
which course should you do? By
the end of this article, you would
know the differences between these
courses and, perhaps, which route
to pursue.
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
This is one of the oldest accountancy bodies, having been
established in 1904. Headquartered in London, ACCA is
the global body for professional accountants that offers a
Chartered Certified Accountant qualification of the same
name. Acquiring an ACCA qualification would make you
one of the 154,000 members (and growing) of one of the
largest and fastest-growing global accountancy bodies.
Syllabus:
There are two levels of examinations: Fundamentals and
Professional. The Fundamentals are divided into two
modules, Knowledge and Skills, and consist of nine papers
altogether. The Professional level consists of five papers
where students must take three Essential papers and
choose two optional papers of a given list of four.
Career Options:
Includes chartered accountant, auditor, business analyst,
financial analyst and financial consultant.
Duration:
Three to four years, if you pursue your ACCA qualification
on a part-time basis while you work, like most ACCA
aspirants do. The ACCA is flexible; you can choose your
method of study and even when you would sit for exams.
While part-time studies remain the most popular route,
many institutions offer ACCA as a full-time certification
course besides offering other options to complete the
course via distance learning, through weekend or evening
courses and through revision courses. As such, the length
taken to study for the qualification differs based on your
chosen method of studies.
Entry Requirements:
You will need two A-Levels and three GCSEs (or their
equivalents) in five different subjects, two of which
must be Maths and English. If you don’t meet the entry
requirements, you can undertake the Foundations in
Accountancy. When you have completed the Diploma
in Accounting and Business at the Foundation level, you
can then transfer over to the ACCA qualification with an
exemption for three papers.
16
easyuni Guide 2014
Issue 2