The College of Accounting offers well-designed accounting programmes created for a career in accounting. Our programmes are endorsed by several professional accounting bodies. UCT accounting graduates are highly regarded locally and internationally, given the quality of our qualifications and the performance of our graduates in the exams set by the respective professional accounting bodies.  The College offers two undergraduate programmes: Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) specialising in Financial Accounting: Chartered Accountant stream; and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) specialising in Financial Accounting: General Accountant stream.

You can work as an accountant and auditor in firms, the public sector, non-profit organisations, and large corporate businesses. People who qualify as accountants may also later choose careers in senior management or start their own businesses as entrepreneurs.

An accounting professional is a member of a professional accounting body who has been certified as demonstrating the necessary professional competencies and passed the exams set by the professional body. Different bodies have different requirements, but at a minimum, they require the completion of an endorsed undergraduate degree. Some may require a postgraduate accounting degree and, in some cases, require candidates to write the external qualifying examinations of the respective professional accounting body. In addition to university studies, the professional accounting bodies would require a period of monitored work experience.

The College offers programmes that allow you to become a professional accountant affiliated with SAICA, ACCA, SAIPA, CIBA and CIMA (refer to the last question for links to the websites of the professional accounting bodies).

UCT offers two programmes that allow you to continue the CA (SA) journey: the three-year BCom Chartered Accounting degree and the four-year BBusSc Finance with Accounting degree.

After completing either of these undergraduate degrees, you must complete a 1-year Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting or BCom Honours in Accounting, a 3-year training contract with an accredited firm, and two qualifying exams (including an exam preparation course). Depending on your undergraduate degree, the journey will take at least 7 or 8 years.

Please refer to UCT’s Undergraduate Prospectus for the admission requirements to the Commerce Faculty.

No! We will teach you all the accounting you need to know.

When you apply to UCT, you’ll apply to the faculty in general by selecting the Bachelor of Commerce/Business Science degree option; you do not specify your stream yet. You will have the opportunity to choose your stream during Orientation, during which you will receive more information to help you decide. If you would like a path in accounting, you would select a BCom Accounting or BBusSc Finance with Accounting at registration. Note that it is not possible to switch between the two degrees after the first semester of your first year.

Both degrees will leave you with the same level of accounting competence, but the BBusSc (housed in the Department of Finance and Tax) also includes the finance discipline up to the equivalent of an honours degree, which is why it takes an extra year. It also includes several management courses throughout the degree, which BCom students do not complete. The BBusSc is an excellent choice for anyone who is interested in completing the equivalent of an honours degree in finance with accounting. Please get in touch with the Department of Finance and Tax if you want to learn more about the BBusSc Finance with Accounting degree.

The degrees are identical until your 3rd year, so you don’t need to choose between them until that stage. During 3rd year, you do a different financial reporting course. The Chartered Accounting programme has an additional course (Business Analysis & Governance) at final year level. Both degrees are endorsed by the same accounting professional bodies. However, to pursue the Chartered Accounting pathway at UCT, you need to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting or BCom Honours in Accounting. Admission to these postgraduate offerings requires completion of the CA option.

The General Accounting degree allows for admission into the same postgraduate opportunities as the Chartered Accounting degree, except for the Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting. You can continue your postgraduate studies in accounting (such as taxation, finance, and more), or you can continue your journey to be a professional accountant locally through SAIPA or CIBA or globally through ACCA or CIMA.

Accounting degrees require students to take specialised accounting courses in their first year, which other degrees do not. It is, therefore, not possible to move from a non-accounting degree into an accounting pathway.

We offer a Masters programme which caters to the schedule of working professionals. 

Visit the following websites to learn more about the exciting possibilities in the world of accounting that will be open to you after completing your accounting undergraduate degree:

South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) 

• SAICA - Home of CA (SA) and the dominant accounting qualification in South Africa

South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) 

• SAIPA - Home of Professional Accountant (SA), opening opportunities to work in large businesses, SMEs or accounting or tax practices.

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

• ACCA is a global body of chartered accountants, allowing you to be recognised around the world. The dominant accounting qualification in the rest of Africa.

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) 

• CIMA is a global body, offering the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) qualification. They recently partnered with the American Institute of CPAs, giving them a truly global presence.

Chartered Institute of Business Accountants (CIBA)

• CIBA offers various accounting qualifications, depending on your experience and completed studies.