Becoming professionally qualified with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is one of the best career decisions you will make. The CIPFA Professional Qualification has a unique combination of practical accounting, management and business skills which enable CIPFA members to add real value to their day-to-day business activities.

THINKING OF QUALIFING AS AN ACCOUNTANT?

From multinationals to small firms in the delivery of high-quality public services, there will always be a demand for accountants. Accountancy is a career that is open to all young or old, whether you are leaving school or university, thinking about changing your career or returning to work after a break. CIPFA's qualification is the only one designed to equip you to deal with the complexities, challenges and rigours of the modern public service environment, which uniquely spans the public, private and non-profit sectors. CIPFA's Professional Qualification has been developed with extensive consultation with employers, members, students and academics to ensure it is the most robust financial management qualification for today's public services.

• On completion of the Professional Qualification you will be a CPFA - Chartered Public Finance Accountant.
• You will be qualified to work in both the public and private sectors.
• You will find more diverse opportunities open to you - CIPFA is a portable qualification. Whilst you will be fully qualified to work in the public services such as the NHS and government departments, you will also have the freedom to make the move to the private sector or audit.
• You will have the practical knowledge and skills that can take you to director level and above.
  
  

WHAT IS THE SYLLABUS?

The CIPFA Professional Qualification comprises three levels: Certificate, Diploma and the Final Test of Professional Competence. Each module is assessed through a written exam that is set in a public service context. This means our exams are more relevant to anybody working in this environment.

WHAT ARE THE CIPFA ENTRY ROUTES?

Minimum Requirements (Academic Qualifications) You can study for CIPFA Professional Qualification if you have a minimum of : 3 GCSEs (grades A-C) 2 A-Levels (grades A-C) Scottish, Northern and Southern Irish equivalents Subjects must include Maths and English at either level BTEC and SCOTVEC National Certificates Minimum vocational qualification is NVQ/GNVQ at Level 3 or Scottish equivalent

Mature Entry
You can become a CIPFA student if you are 21 or over, with a minimum of three years relevant work experience and the support of your employer.

Senior Entry
You will be eligible for the Senior Entrants' Scheme if you are 25 or over with at least 5 years relevant work experience. You will be entitled to exemptions from our Financial Accounting and Management Accounting modules.

Exemptions
Exemptions can be granted on a paper by paper basis, for any combination of subjects, if you can provide evidence that you have studied all the material included in that paper's syllabus to a level equivalent to that required by the CIPFA examiners. Any academic or partly completed professional qualifications under 10 years will be considered for exemptions.

For a map of qualifications and exemptions please click here.

STUDY METHOD

CIPFA appreciate that we all lead very different lives and face different demands on our time. So, when it comes to studying our professional qualification we recognise that flexibility is the key. The Professional Qualification is delivered through Open Learning Material. From 1 February 2008 the CIPFA open learning material is moving online, to take full advantage of the interactivity this medium offers and the engagement it encourages in users. The Professional Qualification is fully modular and allows you to choose how to proceed through the qualification by deciding how many papers you take at a time and in the order you prefer.

• CIFPA offer a free access to a 24 hour telephone helpline service and the CIPFA website allows students to join study groups, discuss exam techniques and past exam papers
  
  
• CIPFA Northern Ireland offer additional support to the Open Learning System through added value tuition. The Spring 2008 timetable can be downloaded by clicking here.
  
  
• An optional mock exam with feedback is also offered for each subject.
  
  

COST

Costs for added value tuition can be found by downloading the booking form.

For all other costs, please download a price list here.

TEACHING PLANS - Spring 2008

FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKING

For further information on the CIPFA Professional Qualification, please click here. Alternatively, the local contacts in Northern Ireland, who would be delighted to help you are:

To register as a student on the CIPFA Professional Qualification please click here.