SAQA All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: 

Postgraduate Diploma: Management: Financial Accounting 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
15497  Postgraduate Diploma: Management: Financial Accounting 
ORIGINATOR
University of Cape Town 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Postgraduate Diploma  Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies  Finance, Economics and Accounting 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  120  Level 7  Level N/A: Pre-2009 was L7  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date -
Status was "Reregistered" 		 SAQA 06120/18  2018-07-01  2018-12-31 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2019-12-31   2022-12-31  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
The main purpose of this qualification is to provide Financial Accounting graduates or diplomats with core knowledge, specific skills and applied competence in accounting and its related disciplines at the level accredited by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and other professional bodies and therefore entry into an accredited postgraduate diploma in Accounting subject to the attainment of an adequate level of competence.

The second purpose of this qualification is to provide South Africa with significant numbers of graduates in accounting and related disciplines who meet the intellectual, technical and personal requirements for:

1) Direct entry into local and international accounting professional bodies and
2) For entry into post graduate academic programmes required for the higher tiers of those professional bodies and
3) For entry into post graduate academic research programmes in order to ensure that the local and international leadership base of innovative and knowledge based economic and scholarly and professional activity is widened.

The third purpose of this qualification is to provide South Africa with a cadre of Financial Accounting graduates with skills to prepare them for careers in middle-management positions in both the public and private sector of the economy. 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Assumptions of learning:

Demonstrated competency in a financial accounting major and related commercial subjects.

Senior certificate with Matriculation Exemption or Equivalent university admission qualification.

First degree:

A degree or a diploma from a non-accredited programme.
With a Financial Accounting major and appropriate complementary courses.

Recognition of prior learning (e.g. work or field experience (if applicable)

Non-graduates who have shown by examination or publication or a record of appropriate training and by means of a test approved by Senate that they have reached a level in the subject or a cognate subject. 

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
Y 

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
a) Critical cross-field outcomes:

The PGDM (Financial accounting) diplomat is competent to:

i) Understand and manipulate quantitative information provided in tables, graphs and sets of equations;
ii) Critically understand written texts of descriptive, prescriptive and argumentative characters;
iii) Produce written texts of descriptive, prescriptive and argumentative characters to accepted international standards in his or her specific field of training (as these may exist at the time of his or her graduation);
iv) Find information of professional relevance efficiently and independently and
v) Use and organize such information to conduct systematic research aimed at providing answers to questions whose resolutions are not antecedent known, or to verifying answers that are assumed on the basis of "accepted wisdom";
vi) Understand and critically appreciate the contribution of major artistic and cultural activities and performances to community and national life;
vii) Use information-technology standard in professional offices (at the time of his or her graduation) efficiently and independently;
viii) Use the internet to find and access information;
ix) Understand when and how to acknowledge the limitations of his or her own expertise and elicit the more appropriate expertise of others;
x) Appreciate the importance of life-long learning and the importance of self-initiative in pursuing it;
xi) Understand and internalise as a personal value the importance of conducting professional activity within the scope of national, provincial, municipal and international law.

b) General outcomes:

The PGDM (Financial Accounting) diplomat is competent to

i) Produce solutions to both familiar and novel business problems as these arise in the course of professional activity;
ii) Communicate his or her understanding of business problems and solutions to others in ways that are clear but not arrogant or presumptive;
iii) Critically receive and understand the descriptions and suggestions of business colleagues and clients;
iv) Understand the difference between personal and social (often corporate, sometimes public) goals, so as to
v) Understand the importance of commitment to the latter even when they diverge with his or her personal interests;
vi) Appreciate the contexts in which specific technical competencies identified below can best be integrated with the general competencies just identified.

c) Specific outcomes, including professional outcomes contextually demonstrated)

Specific outcomes:

The PGDM (Financial Accounting) diplomat is competent to:

Applicable to the integration of the following disciplines:

Financial Accounting
Management Accounting
Financial Management
Auditing
Taxation
  • Identify, assess, formulate and solve convergent and divergent problems related to financial information.
  • Read critically, understand and integrate financial data and reports.
  • Make basic judgements on the value of an item of financially related information.
  • Identify, evaluate and prioritise the significance of local, industrial, national and international political, economic, social and technical information and trends on financially related information.
  • Prepare financially-related reports with objectivity, conciseness and clarity.
  • Describe work performed and conclusions reached in a manner that enhances the reports usefulness.
  • Employ appropriate media in report preparation and presentation.
  • Prepare appropriate reports for the following levels executive management, middle management and procedural.
  • Adapt to new contexts and promote constructive change within the disciplines identified above.

    Specific to: -

    Financial Accounting

    1. Prepare, produce and present financially related information in a logical format according to generally accepted accounting principles and applicable standards of disclosure or reporting (e.g. JSE, Companies Act etc).
    2. Interpret financial statements for a wide range of organisational forms (incorporated enterprises, sole traders, partnerships, group structures)

    Financial Management
  • Build and evaluate simple financial models and test assumptions.
  • Appraise capital investment through the use of appropriate methods and techniques and allow for the effects of taxation, inflation, risk and uncertainty.
  • Identify appropriate sources of finance for particular situations.

    Management Accounting
  • Design and evaluate costing systems appropriate for various types of organisations and processes
  • Calculate, record and report information necessary for effective cost management.
  • Apply cost management techniques which achieve the strategic objective of the organisation
  • Advise on the issues and principles of cost control centres.

    Taxation
  • Prepare computations of the income tax liability for individuals and companies.
  • Prepare computations of the value added tax (VAT) liability.
  • Prepare computations of the estate duty liability.
  • Identify opportunities to optimise and individual's or a company's tax position.

    Auditing
  • Design, analyse and evaluate financial and related information systems for business monitoring and control purposes.
  • Identify and apply the regulatory framework within which a professional accountant or auditor operates.
  • Identify risks and plan work to meet the objectives of an internal or external audit assignment. 
    		•

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    These outcomes are examined in the integrated assessment.

    These outcomes are examined in the integrated assessment.

    Demonstrate an ability to:
    Prepare a set of annual financial statements for a simple group structure of a national entity from source documents.

    Present those financial statements utilising the statements of generally accepted accounting practice covered during the course of the degree and in accordance with the Companies Act if applicable.
    Interpret a set of annual financial statements for a simple group structure of a national entity.

    Select an appropriate financial model for a simple situation and test the assumptions.
    Utilise at least two methods of capital investment and account for the effects of taxation, inflation, risk and uncertainty.

    Identify at least six sources of finance and apply the appropriate sources of finance for a given scenario.

    Design and evaluate a costing system for a selected organisation and given processes.

    Calculate, record and report information necessary for effective cost management.
    Identify strategic objectives for a selected organisation and apply appropriate cost management techniques.
    Prepare a report to management outlining the issues and principles of cost control centres.

    Compute the income tax/VAT liability or asset for a individual or company with simple business operations.

    Compute the estate duty liability for an individual with a simple set of circumstances.

    Identify at least ten opportunities for an individual or company to optimise their tax position.

    Identify the strengths and weaknesses in a simple financial information system and to recommend improvements to management.

    Prepare an audit programme for any given simple business operation relating the selected procedure to an appropriate risk for a given audit objective.
    Describe the appropriate legal and professional behaviour for a given audit/accounting/advisory assignment.

    Integrated assessment:

    The PGDM (Financial Accounting) student will be assessed specifically on foundational competencies in critical literacy, critical reasoning, numeracy, and computer-literacy in all prescribed and optional courses from the first year of the programme. Such competence will be assessed, across all programme courses, through a mix of formal written examinations, individual and group projects, individual and group presentations, team problem-solving workshops and simulations. In all such assignments, a learner's performance will e assessed on the basis of his or her:

    i) Demonstration of ability to organise ideas and facts in a logical, coherent way;
    ii) Demonstration of ability to anticipate the responses and objections of an imagined reader;
    iii) Ability to integrate numerical data into prose descriptions and arguments;
    iv) Demonstrated understanding of the need to cite references fairly and accurately;
    v) Demonstrated ability to represent and consider views and perspectives alternative to his or her own.

    This student will be assessed specifically on practical competencies in ability to identify, assess and formulate and solve convergent and divergent problems related to financial information, read critically, understand and integrate financial data and reports, make basic judgements on the value of an item of financially related information, prepare financially-related reports with objectivity, conciseness and clarity.

    Such competence will be assessed, across all programme courses, through assigned individual projects and classroom debate and written examinations. The learner's performance will be assessed on the basis of his or her demonstrated ability to integrate these competencies to the level expected of a general accountant.

    The student will be assessed specifically on reflexive competencies in ability to:
  • Integrate, identify, evaluate and prioritise the significance of local, industrial, national and international political, economic, social and technical information and trends on financially related information,
  • Adapt to new contexts and promote constructive change within the disciplines identified
  • Self-consciously appraise performance (by him or her self and others) in all foundational and practical competencies above). Students will be assessed in their ability to select an appropriate procedure/technique and their skill in describing and defending the procedure/technique.
  • Prepare appropriate middle management and operational/procedural reports and to describe work performed and conclusions reached in a manner that enhances the reports usefulness employing appropriate media in the report preparation and presentation.

    These abilities will be assessed through continuous, feedback-driven observations and commentary on formative tutorial assignments, objective tests, individual projects and formal written cumulative examinations.

    The technical skills required of the PGDM (Financial Accounting) student will be interactively assessed in all prescribed third year courses through a mix of written examinations and assigned individual projects. Students will be assessed on the basis of their ability to apply established principles to new scenarios, to justify a financial decision and to solve financially related business problems similar to, but not identical to, examples that have been explained to them. These prescribed courses are designed and structured to ensure that when students are required to justify a financial decision or solve a financially related business problem, that decision/solution will require the technical skills from each of the four prescribed disciplines. Successful production of solutions to these problems will allow integrated assessment of skills and comprehension in financial accounting, management accounting, financial management, auditing and taxation supported by foundation level knowledge in mathematics, statistics, commercial law, information systems and the environment of business. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    Title(s) of related qualification(s)

    1. BCom in Financial Accounting
    2. BbusSci Finance (CA option)

    The related qualifications serve as entry points as indicated.
  • A student with the PGDM (Financial Accounting) or the UCT B.Com (Accounting programme) or the BbusSci Finance (CA option) containing the courses prescribed by the Public Accountants and Auditors Board and who has attained the prescribed minimum marks required for the PGDA is eligible for the UCT PGDA or the UCT PGDA concurrently with the B.Com (Hons) in Accounting or the equivalent programmes at other PAAB accredited institutions within South Africa.

    Individual courses in this qualification may provide credits towards an undergraduate degree or a professional qualification. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    The University of Cape Town has a system of external peer review and evaluation of each course. One of the aspects of the system is an evaluation of the standards and assessment practices of the department. 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    The academic staff of the University of Cape Town will be assessed in a manner, which is consistent with the quality assurance system of the University. 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012; 2015. 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. University of Cape Town 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.