Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting

The main purpose of this programme is to provide qualifiers with post graduate knowledge, specific skills and applied technical competence in accounting and its related disciplines sufficient to practice as professional accountants in public practice and in commerce and industry.

The second purpose of this qualification is to prepare student for Part 1 of the Final qualifying Examination set by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

A proven understanding of the principles of Financial Accounting.

Senior Certificate with Matriculation Exemption of Equivalent university admission qualification.

First degree

BCom (Accounting)

BBusSci (Finance CA stream)

PGDM (Financial Accounting)

Recognition of prior learning

For non-graduates, proof by means of a test prescribed by Senate that a level of competence adequate for the work of the diploma has been achieved.

a) Cross critical outcomes

The Postgraduate Diploma graduate is competent to

Study and understand the South African business environments;

Apply classical and contemporary management theory to a variety of organisational environments;

Analyse and construct logical arguments and competing viewpoints

Research business issues

Form independent and research-based opinions about contemporary issues of theory and practice;

Understand and apply the fundamentals of the financial aspects of a business and the environment in which that business operates;

Operate an IBM-compatible personal computer;

Utilise the Windows operating system and work competently with Windows-based data management, word processing and spread sheeting applications to create, edit, save and print documents to professional industry standard;

Apply appropriate information technology to a variety of organisation situations;

Correspond through the use of electronic mail;

Conduct internet-based research;

Analyse and interpret the marketing process considering current trends in the South African context;

Formulate a marketing strategy that supports the objectives of an organisation using the marketing concept, target marketing and the marketing mix.

b) General outcomes (contextually demonstrated general knowledge, skills and values of the programme)

The holder of a Post-graduate diploma in a Commerce will

• Have attained a level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant discipline equivalent to that of a student who has studied the subject for three years in the course of completing a 360-credit Bachelor's degree.
• Have mastered items of theoretical knowledge of specific relevance to the commercial activity being prepared for.
• Have acquired an understanding of the role of initiative and entrepreneurship in the relevant area of commercial activity.
• Be qualified in terms of professional expertise to work in an entry level managerial post in the relevant industry or profession.
• Have developed personal skills and work habits appropriate to working in a team.
• Have internalised the norms of conduct relevant to the profession for which the diploma is a preparation.

c) Specific Outcomes, including professional outcomes, contextually demonstrated)

The PGDA graduate is competent to: -

(Applicable to the integration of the following disciplines

Financial Accounting

Management Accounting

Financial Management

Corporate Governance

Taxation)

1. Integrate and apply multi-disciplinary knowledge to financially related situations and information
2. Formulate and where applicable prioritise solutions to convergent and divergent financially related problems.
3. Analyse and interpret financial data and information and present reasoned conclusions.
4. Create financially related reports for complex organisational structures undertaking financially complex business activities.
5. Prepare written or oral presentations with objectivity, conciseness and clarity.
6. Design work to be performed to support professional opinions.
7. Adapt to new contexts and promote constructive change within the technical spheres of the accounting profession.

Specific to: -

Financial Accounting

1. Prepare and interpret financial statements for a complex organisational structure.
2. Critically analyse any professional accounting standard of statement.

Financial Management

1. Identify and justify the most effective method of financing
2. Describe the role of treasury/working capital management in a complex business structure

Management Accounting

1. Describe, illustrate and comment on the planning and control uses of standard costing, budgeting and variance analysis.
2. Identify relevant costs and appropriate techniques for decision making and use them in decision-making situations.
3. Apply appropriate performance measures to a range of business situations.

Corporate Governance

1. Identify the role of management, internal and external auditors in Corporate Governance.
2. Design, analyse and evaluate financial and related information systems for a complex business activity in a technologically complex environment.
3. Prepare audit programmes to achieve management or statutory objectives.

Taxation

1. Compute the total tax liabilities for individuals or complex business structures.
2. Structure business operations to minimise potential tax liabilities.

The learner's achievement of critical cross-field outcomes is assessed formatively during the course through a range of activities, and summatively in the capstone activity outlined below.

The learner's achievement of general programme outcomes is assessed through a range of formative and summative assessments throughout the course, and particularly in the capstone activity outlined below.

The successful candidate or a post-graduate diploma in Commerce will.

• Pass relevant undergraduate courses.
• Undertake case studies in the relevant field of commercial activity.
• Successfully complete practical tasks which require the mastery of skills identified by employers as important for managers in their industry.
• Participate successfully in team projects which require a capacity to work cooperatively with others.
• Successfully complete work which required an ability think independently and demonstrate initiative in practical problem solving.
• Be able to participate in discussion of normative issues in relation to the relevant industry or profession.

The formative assessment in each discipline takes the form of tutorial questions, classroom debate, objective tests and written examinations. The summative assessment is explained.

Demonstrate ability to

Financial Accounting

1. Prepare and interpret to set of financial statement for a complex organisational structure
2. Critically analyse any professional accounting standard or statement

Financial Management

1. Select and justify the most effective method of financing for a given situation
2. Describe the role of treasury/working capital management in a complex business structure.

Management Accounting

1. Describe, illustrate and comment on the planning and control uses of standard costing, budgeting and variance analysis.
2. Identify relevant costs and appropriate techniques for decision-making and use them in decision-making situations.
3. Apply appropriate performance measures to a range of business situations.

Corporate Governance

1. Identify the role of management, internal and external auditors in Corporate Governance.
2. Identify the strengths and weaknesses for a given financial/financially related information system for a complex business activity in a technologically complex environment.
3. Prepare an audit programme to achieve management or statutory objectives.

Taxation

1. Compute the total tax liabilities for an individual or a complex business structure.
2. Structure a business operation to minimise potential tax liabilities.

Integrated assessment

Learners submit a project designed to constitute both a formative and a summative exercise for which they need to achieve a passing grade. Both in this piece of work and in the formal cumulative written examinations the learner's performance will be assessed on the basis of his or her demonstrated ability to integrate these competencies to the level expected of a financial accountant. In the above situations the learner will be required to reflect creatively on current real life problems. Successful solutions to these problems will allow integrated assessment of skills and comprehension in financial accounting, financial management, management accounting, taxation and corporate governance supported by foundation level knowledge in mathematics, statistics, commercial law, information systems, economics and the environment of business.