Certificate in Business Accounting (1 year)

CIMA - The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants - is a leading membership body that offers an internationally recognised professional qualification in management accountancy, which focuses on the education and training of management accountants in business. Studying for CIMA and training to become an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA) will help you develop the skills required to succeed in business. CIMA members are at the forefront of some of the world’s most successful organisations.

The CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting (CBA) is an entry requirement to the CIMA Professional Qualification and a recognised qualification in its own right. If you are new to accounting then you must complete the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting before moving on. The qualification is open access – meaning that no previous knowledge or experience is required. It is a stepping stone towards the CIMA Professional qualification.

The aim of CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting is to:

Offer you a solid grounding in the basics of accounting and business.
Introduce you to the concept of management accounting.
Give you flexibility to manage and develop your career as you progress through the qualifications.
Put you in an ideal position to accelerate your progress and achieve your goals.
Allow you to earn while you learn and provide you with the key skills to accelerate to senior positions.

The Certificate Level consists of 5 Subjects.

C01 Fundamentals of Management Accounting
C02 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
C03 Fundamentals of Business Mathematics
C04 Fundamentals of Business Economics
C05 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Law

The number, sequence and grouping of papers studied is completely flexible. Individuals may choose any combinations of papers to suit their own study requirements. It is essential that you read the subject syllabus before starting your studies.

Each tutor led session per module would be of 3 hours duration, and there would be one class per module per week. International students need to apply for Full-Time program with duration of more than 6 months and have to take a minimum of 4 modules per term. Full-time students have to attend 12 hours of tutor led classroom study each week and 12 hours of tutorials totalling to 24 hours of study per week. You are expected to spend at least the same amount of additional time every week in personal study and completing assignments.

The Certificate is assessed by Computer Based Assessment (CBA) and allows you to progress at your own rate. CBA uses the computer to deliver questions and receive answers. You can take these assessments at any time that suits you any time of year.

Objective test questions are used in CBA. The most common type of these questions is ‘multiple choice’, where you have to choose the correct answer from a list of possible answers, but there are a variety of other objective question types that can be used within the system. These include true/false questions, matching pairs of text and graphic, sequencing and ranking, labelling diagrams and single and multiple numeric entry. Candidates answer the questions by either pointing and clicking the mouse, moving objects around the screen, typing numbers, or a combination of these responses.

Subjects C1, C2 and C3 are 90 minutes long and C4 and C5 are 60 minutes. The pass mark for each subject is 50% and you will receive your results and a Certificate of Achievement immediately after the assessment. If you are unsuccessful, you will receive some feedback on your performance in the assessment. You can arrange your re-sit as soon as you are ready.

The CBA system can ensure that a wide range of the syllabus is assessed, as a pre-determined number of questions from each syllabus area are selected in each assessment. You can therefore be confident that you have a solid grounding in business and accounting in preparation for the Managerial Level subjects.

The CIMA qualification can be entered at any stage in your career. The syllabus is designed to be progressive and you will develop skills as you advance. All you need is a desire to succeed in business and be competent in mathematics and the English language, before you start.

After School or College:

If you are considering entering the work force straight after school or college CIMA can offer you an alternative qualification to university that is highly valued by leading employers worldwide. Our entry level qualification, the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting, offers you the opportunity to build and develop your business and financial knowledge, both enhancing your CV and helping you to shape your career. As an introduction into the world of finance it is a recognised qualification in its own right or it can be a stepping stone to the CIMA professional qualification.

Please contact the Institute on +27 21 448 5432/3, email on info@tandbisa.co.za or go to our admissions page for an application form.