If you are highly numerate and are mindful of detail, a career in accounting may be a good fit for you. Accounting professionals are integral to any business as they assist with maintaining the financial records of the business. Accountants are in demand as every government, business and non-profit organisation needs an accountant (or at the very least a bookkeeper) to keep track of their finances.
Businesses of all sizes rely on accountants to help them produce strategic plans that will maximise their success. Accountants may perform financial and economic evaluations to ensure the organisation’s growth is on track. They can identify problem areas, help reduce business expenses and better manage cash flow.
Accounting records, analyses and reports on financial data within an organisation. Accountants use information collated by a bookkeeper to compile their statements and reports.
Accountants are responsible for compiling financial documents such as balance sheets, income statements and statements of profit and loss. They are also required to analyse and report on financial performance so that they can assist with future planning, strategies, budgets and offer financial advice. They ensure compliance with the law in terms of financial reporting regulations and tax laws and uphold accounting ethics.
Study through Emeris and become an accountant of the future. If you are interested in joining an academic community that knows what the future profession will look like, as we are shaping it ourselves, have a look at the qualifications available at Emeris:
Undergraduate offerings:
The SAICA accredited undergraduate accounting degree allows you to shape your studies towards becoming a Chartered Accountant (SA). It is a degree that gives you highly valued, globally relevant skills that will increase your local and international opportunities. The degree is a specialist accounting qualification which will provide graduates with high level specialised skills in accounting and general skills in South African business law. The qualification blends a conceptual theoretical framework with a range of practical applications and covers the basic discipline material to more specialised accounting concepts.
In your first year you will study subjects like Principles of accounting and finance, Introduction to management, Business statistics and South African business law which will give you a strong foundation in business theory and management. In your second and third year you will focus on core competencies in accounting, finance, management accounting, auditing and tax. To ensure you meet the demands of the profession once you enter the world of work, professional skills development including critical thinking, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence and data skills will be integrated in every year of your studies.
Membership of SAICA will allow you to build a career as an accountant or auditor (external or internal) or consultant in private practice, commerce and industry, the academic environment or in government. Areas of specialisation include, among others, finance and costing, taxation, auditing and international accounting.
Graduates wishing to qualify as a CA (SA) must obtain a SAICA accredited postgraduate qualification after completing the IIE Bachelor of Accounting undergraduate qualification available at Emeris. This qualification is awarded on HQF level 7. The IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDip Accounting), available at Emeris, takes a minimum of one year to complete and will give you access to write SAICA’s Initial Test of Competence.
Postgraduate Accounting offerings:
These qualifications are available at Emeris and are HEQSF level 8.
Need help applying? Speak to a Student Advisor today!
Choose the programme that matches your goals. All include practical experience and industry exposure.
Duration: 3 years full-time
Bachelor Degree
NQF Level: 7
Credits: 360
School: School of Finance and Accounting
Duration: 4 years part-time
Bachelor Degree
NQF Level: 7
Credits: 360
School: School of Finance and Accounting
Choose the programme that matches your goals. All include practical experience and industry exposure.
Duration: 1 year full-time
Postgraduate Diploma
NQF Level: 8
Credits: 180
School: School of Finance and Accounting
Duration: 1 year part-time
Postgraduate Diploma
NQF Level: 8
Credits: 120
School: School of Finance and Accounting
Duration: 2 years part-time
Postgraduate Diploma
NQF Level: 8
Credits: 120
School: School of Finance and Accounting
Duration: 2 years part-time
Postgraduate Diploma
NQF Level: 8
Credits: 120
School: School of Finance and Accounting
If you pursue accounting as a career, you may find yourself working for a public or private organisation, the government or a non-governmental organisation. Once you’ve studied as an accountant, you will have the opportunity to specialise in a specific area within the accounting field. You could work as an internal auditor, a cost accountant, a forensic accountant, a management or project accountant or as a tax accountant.
Accountants often go on to become the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), or even the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of organisations.
Business skills are in high demand worldwide. These equip leaders with knowledge and expertise across a broad range of disciplines that have immediate value in the workplace.
Graduates of the undergraduate and postgraduate offerings in accounting are prepared for careers in business, industry, government, academia and international organisations. Take advantage of global employment opportunities in a variety of disciplines across the public, not-for-profit and private sectors in fields like:
The SAICA accredited degree and post graduate qualification will create the pathway to becoming a Chartered Accountant with SAICA and/or Associate General Accountant (AGA(SA))
Do you want to become a Chartered Accountant (CA(SA))? Do you want to be ready for the way accountants’ roles will be changing in future?
Do you want to become an Associate General Accountant (AGA(SA)), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)? Or a tax practitioner, internal auditor or financial analyst?
These accountancy roles are highly sought after in industry, but the role of the accountancy profession is changing. Trends such as machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are changing the operating environment for accountants, as these allow for routine accounting tasks to be automated. This in turn empowers accountants to shift their focus towards becoming trusted advisors for the organisation rather than merely ‘number crunchers’. They have more time to interrogate historical and current fiscal data, enabling them to generate invaluable insights for their data fuelled business. The accountant then focusses on managing risk, effective budgeting, analysing variances, tax planning, forecasting, valuations, optimising operations and compliance with the more technical and specialist aspects of accounting and tax.
Forward thinking institutions of higher learning are already helping prepare today’s accountancy students for their future workplace and this new trusted advisor role. At Emeris, for example, you are encouraged to learn the technical knowledge and business skillsets required within your chosen accountancy profession, along with the soft skills you need in the digital era such as entrepreneurial skills, critical thinking, data analysis, communication and intercultural group work, with an overarching view of being an ethically responsible leader who will become a value creator in your own right. Additionally, you are encouraged to adopt a learning mindset which enables you to continuously update your skills and become a lifelong learner to remain highly employable and sought after in the job market. The accountant’s key value proposition therefore lies in how the knowledge (or information) that is readily available to everyone, can be interpreted and used to create value for the client or entity in such a way that no artificially intelligent machine or robot can ever do. Moreover, all the accounting qualifications have a large focus on professional skills development, including problem solving, critical thinking, innovation, judgement, professional scepticism, leadership and finance in a digital era.
Profession bodies such as the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), Chartered Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA) has driven their competency frameworks to develop the accountants of the future. Emeris has responded by accepting this challenge and by being a leader in changing the way accountants are educated to deliver business savvy professional and chartered accountants, management accountants and many more to the profession that will drive it into the next era!
Ultimately, accountants need to expand their skills beyond the traditional scope associated with accountants to remain relevant in the digital era. They must establish themselves as creators of business value. If you are interested in joining an academic community that knows what the future profession will look like, as we are shaping it ourselves, please have a look at the qualifications listed above.
If you are interested in applying for an accounting degree, more information can be found here.
Emeris offers an array of Undergraduate and Postgraduate qualifications.
Accounting is available as a discipline in the IIE Bachelor of Accounting, available at Emeris. At Emeris you can also study related qualifications such as the IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting, a pathway for those looking to become a Chartered Accountant or the IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Finance and Accounting for those looking to become a Management Accountant.
Undergraduate accounting studies generally take 3 years to complete full-time and postgraduate accounting takes 1 year.
Membership with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) will allow you to build a career as an accountant or auditor (internal or external ) or consultant in private practice, commerce and industry, the academic environment or in government.
The IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Finance and Accounting will enable you to apply for exemptions for certain The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) exams. Please consult the CIMA Global website for more information.
Choose a qualification from Emeris today - your ticket to a world of possibilities. Apply at Emeris today!
An educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education
Formed by the strategic evolution of The IIE's Varsity College, IIE MSA, Vega and
the School of Hospitality and Service Management, uniting under the Emeris name.
Emeris is an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd which is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997 (reg. no. 2007/HE07/002). Company registration number: 1987/004754/07. View certificate here.
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