General
At the request of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Department of Accounting and Finance developed a fee-paying graduate diploma which serves as a conversion course for those without tertiary qualifications in accounting. Students enrolling in the course are not required to be employed by a firm of chartered accountants.
Course objectives
On completion of the course students should:
* have developed a core of knowledge in the area of accounting and finance;
* have completed a conversion course which enables them to satisfy membership requirements of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia;
* have developed critical analytical and technical skills to assist them in their future career;
* be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
Entrance requirements
Applicants for the course must have graduated with a degree from an Australian university or college of advanced education or from an equivalent overseas tertiary institution.
Course structure
The structure of the course is based largely on subjects taught by the Department of Accounting and Finance. It is designed for graduates who have completed no accounting subjects in their undergraduate or postgraduate degrees.
First year
Semester 1
* AAF4300 Introductory accounting
* AAF4310 Computing and information systems for accounting
* ECM4320 Principles of quantitative analysis
Semester 2
* AAF4330 Corporate finance
* AAF4340 Accounting for company groups
* AAF4350 Accounting for planning and control
Second year
Semester 1
* AAF5220 Business law
* AAF5230 Issues in financial reporting
* AAF5240 Income tax law
Semester 2
* AAF5210 Company law
* AAF5200 Auditing and accountability
* AAF5250 Analysis of financial statements
Duration
The course is designed to be taken over two years full-time or three years part-time.
Credit for work previously undertaken
Students who have completed some accounting subjects in previous studies may be granted a maximum of four exemptions, approved by the head of the Department of Accounting and Finance, for equivalent studies completed elsewhere. Any subject for which exemption is sought must have been completed within the past five years.
Professional accreditation
This course enables graduates, who have completed degrees in disciplines other than accounting, to become academically qualified to enter the professional year program of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
Students wishing to gain admission to the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants need to have completed an economics subject covering the basic principles of micro and macroeconomics. For this purpose the Department of Economics offers the subject ECO4630 (Principles of economics) and students who wish to do so, may substitute ECO4630 for AAF5250 (Analysis of financial statements) in the course structure.