Run by MSA in conjunction with e CA Connect, the programme is the first one-year postgraduate diploma in accounting to be accredited by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and offered by a private provider in South Africa.
The programme will cover all aspects of the syllabus for SAICA's Initial Test of Competence and aims to increase the number of postgraduate students entering the accountancy field in South Africa.
Tracy Kraus of CA Connect said that the Postgraduate Diploma will also seek to address inequalities in basic education by taking a zero-based approach that introduces topics at a basic level before going on to more complex requirements of the syllabus.
"Although individuals in a class may have a variety of educational backgrounds, we ensure that everyone is brought in on the same page before moving into the deeper complexities of a topic and no one is left behind," Kraus said.
This approach necessitates a longer teaching process and, for that reason, the academic year is stretched to 29 weeks.
"This provides students with a longer time frame over which to absorb the content of the course and come to grips with the integration and interplay between topics," Kraus said.
While criteria for most other programmes requires applicants to have 55% or more for one or more of their subjects, all that is required for entry into the new programme is a SAICA-accredited undergraduate degree in accounting.
Kraus said that because of entry standards to other courses, there are many students who have attained undergraduate degrees, but have not qualified for the postgraduate diploma.
"Many of these students are high-quality individuals who have what it takes to become CAs, but have been excluded by the system. We are now opening the door for them to get into the CTA and progress in their pursuit of the CA (SA) designation," said Kraus.
The programme will run on a full-time basis from 28 January until mid-November 2013 at the Monash South Africa campus in Ruimsig, Joburg.
