What CIMA courses are available in South Africa?
CIMA offers qualifications at various academic levels that build on each other, so the path to becoming a professional management accountant is through a series of exams. The courses are as follows:
CIMA Professional Competence: T4 part (A) and T4 part (B).
To clearly see how these courses fit together, please consider the following diagram:
From this, it should be clear that students start with CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting. This Certificate grants them access to the next academic qualification, namely that of the Operational, Managerial and Strategic Levels exams. After successfully completing all the CIMA Professional Qualification Levels, students have the option to obtain CIMA Professional Competence, better known as T4 part (A) and T4 part (B).
What do these CIMA Qualifications entail?
CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting
The CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting is the perfect course for students who are new to business or accounting studies, as it gives them a good overview of all aspects involved in business accounting. This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Management Accountant.
The subjects for the Certificate Level are the following:
Fundamentals of Management accounting;
Fundamentals of Financial Accounting;
Fundamentals of Business Mathematics;
Fundamentals of Business Economics; and
Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law.
CIMA Professional Qualification: Operational Level
The CIMA Professional Qualification: Operational Level is the first of three professional level qualifications. It deals with subjects such as business ethics, making forecasts based on financial data, and reporting findings made through auditing.
The three exam papers prescribed at Operational Level are the following:
Paper E1 – Enterprise Operations;
Paper P1 – Performance Operations; and
Paper F1 – Financial Operations.
CIMA Professional Qualification: Managerial Level
The CIMA Professional Qualification: Managerial Level is the second of three professional level qualifications. It deals with subjects such as project management, budgeting and analysing financial statements.
The three exam papers prescribed at Managerial Level are the following:
Paper E2 – Enterprise Management;
Paper P2 – Performance Management; and
Paper F2 – Financial Management.
CIMA Professional Qualification: Strategic Level
The CIMA Professional Qualification: Strategic Level is the third and final professional level qualification. It deals with subjects such as performance assessment, changing financial strategies, and risk management.
The three exam papers prescribed at Strategic Level are the following:
Paper E3 – Enterprise Strategy;
Paper P3 – Performance Strategy; and
Paper F3 – Financial Strategy.
CIMA Professional Competence: T4 part (A) and T4 part (B)
T4 part (A) and T4 part (B) is short for the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting. This is the ultimate qualification any Chartered Management Accountant could wish to obtain, making it a very sought after distinction that is respected world wide.
It comprises two components:
Obtaining three years of relevant work experience; and
Writing a case study exam to solve a business problem.
What are CIMA’s entrance requirements?
CIMA courses are free to all, regardless of previous education. Students do, however, need to be competent in English and Mathematics, as the course content is presented in English and accounting involves a certain amount of Mathematical skill.
If you have previous qualifications such as degrees in accounting or you’ve completed courses related to the fields of business or accounting, CIMA has certain exemption policies that you might qualify for.
If this is your first experience with business or accounting studies, we recommend that you start with the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting. Successful completion of this programme would grant you access to the CIMA Professional Qualifications.