The Advanced Diploma in Accounting [CU017ACC01] aims to provide an efficient path for relevant graduates to become Chartered Accountants. This is in line with the general purpose of an Advanced Diploma, which is to strengthen and deepen the student’s knowledge in a particular discipline or profession or enhance flexibility in the event of a change in circumstance, thus enabling change in career path. Graduates are provided an efficient route to completing the relevant university qualifications required to be eligible to pursue the Chartered Accountant qualification.

The Advanced Diploma is directly linked to employment opportunities for students who have a diverse educational background, particularly in view of the requirement for integrated reporting and combined assurance providers.

Programme outline:

This programme aims to replicate the final year of the Bachelor of Commerce specialising in Financial Accounting: Chartered Accountant for graduates of other programmes who meet the requirements for the prescribed courses. Successful completion of this programme may allow admission into the Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting as part of the pathway to attaining the CA(SA) designation as regulated by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

Duration: One year, full-time.

Entrance requirements:

Graduates of other universities who have completed the equivalent of Financial Reporting II, Governance, Audit and Assurance I, Taxation I and Management Accounting I will be required to write entrance exams in the following four UCT courses in order to satisfy the 55% weighted average requirement for entrance in the Advanced Diploma.

ACC2012W, Financial Reporting II, ACC2018H, Governance, Audit and Assurance I, ACC2022H, Management Accounting I and ACC2023H, Taxation I. [Entrance exams are written in the exam period prior to the commencement of the next academic year]

A UCT graduate who has completed these courses (or their entrance exam equivalents) with a 55% weighted average over a period not exceeding two years prior to registering for the advanced diploma and has passed Business Law I (CML1004S) and Financial Management (FTX2024F).

Graduates who have not completed Information Systems (INF2004F) and Business Law (CML1001F/CML1004S) will be required to complete these courses concurrently with the eight prescribed courses of the programme.

The Advanced Diploma requires the successful completion of these courses:

For more information on the courses, please refer to the Commerce Postgraduate Handbook.