ACCA collaborates with University of London to launch MSc in Professional Accountancy
ACCA’s (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) MSc in Professional Accountancy is the world’s first integrated Masters Degree programme with UOL (University of London). At a launch held in Colombo as part of ACCA’s global roll out, ACCA also launched its online examination portal ACCA-X and the GBS (Global Business Service) Qualifications aimed specifically for the burgeoning outsourcing industry sector which is growing exponentially in emerging markets.
Country Head ACCA for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Nilusha Ranasinghe said, “As an organisation we have always placed a high value on open access, so our partnership with the University of London will allow us to reach more people, extending their opportunity to study to obtain a Masters award.”
Explaining that the expansive range of ACCA qualifications prepares people for the workplace, she said, “Innovation continues to remain at the heart of what we do. This MSc in Professional Accountancy will be delivered through the University of London International Programmes, with programme direction being provided by UCL’s world class faculty in the Department of Management Science and Innovation. Mercury Institute of Management and Royal Institute of Colombo are the accredited learning providers for the UOL Masters in Professional Accountancy Sri Lanka.”
Developed in consultation with over 50 major employers across the world, the GBS Qualifications are designed to develop the technical kills, industry knowledge, business acumen and analytical capabilities needed to add value to business. With GBS being one of the fastest growing industries representing a key component of many finance transformation programmes, ACCA, building on its accumulated knowledge will be offering three new qualifications designed specifically for the sector.
“ACCA sees GBS as a game changer for the profession as it aggregates functions such as finance, human resources, IT, property and facilities into one organisational construct,” Nilusha said. “We believe that GBS could increase the impact of finance by providing more accurate business insights, freeing up finance chiefs to focus more on all their other responsibilities. GBS represents a genuinely different way of governing “the back office”, incorporating finance, to create value.”
The three Global Business Services Qualifications are the Certificate in Global Business Services which is a stand-alone online course and assessment providing the fundamental knowledge and skills required to perform successfully in a GBS organisation, the Diploma in GBS designed to increase employees’ technical expertise and prepare them for advancement to more complex or managerial roles and the Advanced Diploma in Global Business Services with more advanced financial and management accounting content, plus performance management to enhance employees’ key technical skills.
Expanding the fast growing internet usage among Gen-Z, also known as digital natives, and the need for professional organisations like ACCA to be attuned to emerging global trends, Head of Education MENASA (Middle East, North America, South Asia) of ACCA, Rehan Uddin said, “The demand for accountancy qualifications worldwide is increasing. And so, with all this in mind, ACCA has launched an open access, easily used, advanced portal called ACCA-X. ACCA-X is offered online, becoming another way of starting the ACCA Qualification.”
ACCA-X has five courses that run four times each year including two free courses that prepare learners for the Foundation Level certificates and others that prepare learners for the Diploma in Accounting and Business. Delivered on the online learning destination platform founded by MIT and Harvard the edX Platform, in addition to these papers, the completion of ACCA’s professional and ethics module leads to the Diploma in Accounting and Business.
