Collaborative Courses

• Introduction
• Registration policies for CCA students
• Procedures of applying full exemptions
• Exemption Policies for CCA Students
• Notice to CCA Graduates (from full exemption to Associate application)

Introduction

The Institute has developed the collaborative courses with the local universities leading to full exemption of the Institute's Qualifying Scheme for graduates.

For information about the programme, content, timetable, delivery and university fees, student should contact the course providers directly.

Registration policies for Collaborative Course Agreement students

1) Studentship Registration

All CCA students are required to register (or re-register) with HKICS as students within a period of 3 months after they enrolled into the programmes.  The Institute reserves the right to decline their studentship registration applications if they fail to meet with the required deadline. 

2) Policy on penalty for late studentship registration during the course of study

CCA students who do not register with the Institute as students within the designated period (i.e. 3 months after they have enrolled into the programmes) are subject to a penalty of HK$450 per month if they want to register with the Institute during their course of study.  The calculation is on a monthly basis from the 4th month after they commence the programmes until the date they register with the Institute.  The Institute reserves the right not to admit any late application.

3) Maintenance of studentship

a. CCA students MUST maintain their studentship with the Institute during their course of study (with a minimum period of 1.5 years) for their applications of full exemptions in order to become a Graduate of the Institute. 

b. CCA students who re-register with the Institute as students during the course of study MUST maintain their studentship with the Institute with a minimum of 1.5 years for their applications of full exemptions in order to become a Graduate of the Institute from the date of re-registration.

c. CCA graduates should apply for full exemptions within a period of 6 months after graduation, i.e. the date of award of the respective master degree.

4) Application deadline of full exemptions

CCA graduates are obliged to apply for full exemptions with HKICS within a period of 6 months upon their graduation, i.e. the date of award on the transcript of the respective master degree.  The Institute reserves the right to decline full exemptions applications if CCA Graduates fail to meet the studentship maintenance requirement and relevant CCA policies.  Late full exemption applications (beyond 24 months upon graduation) will NOT be accepted.

Additional administrative charge of HK$650 should be charged to ALL the late applicants.

CCA graduates who miss the full exemption application deadline stipulated by the Institute are subject to a penalty.  Here are the details:

a. If the full exemptions application is made from 7th months to 12th months of the graduation, two times the exemptions fee shall be charged.

b. If the full exemptions application is made from 13th months to 18th months of the graduation, three times the exemptions fees shall be charged. 

c. If the full exemptions application is made from 19th months to 24th months of the graduation, four times the exemptions fees shall be charged. 

5) Requirement of Enhanced Continuing Professional Development (ECPD)  

CCA students are encouraged to take HKICS ECPD courses of HKICS during their course of study. The Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) is compulsory for all Members and Graduates. New Graduates are required to comply with the MCPD requirement (15 CPD hours per year, of which three hours must be from training provided by the HKICS) starting from the CPD year immediately following the year of Graduation.

6) Credit Transfer

Subject to the provision in the CCA programmes signed with university, exemptions (credit transfer) may award to candidates who satisfy HKICS/ICSA's requirements in the Professional Programme Part One. No exemptions will be eligible to the Professional Programme Part two. All exemptions (credit transfer) to the candidates should be communicated to the Institute for record. All students must complete the Declaration form to indicate their status of credit transfer applications.

Credit transfer is allowed for OUHK MCG students if they have taken common courses of MCG from other OUHK master programmes.  Students from other OUHK programmes (e.g. MBA) are requested to inform the Institute on starting the MCG programme and should register with the Institute as students within a period of 3-months. Students must also put down the subjects taken at OUHK in the Declaration form.

The time limits for CCA students who apply for credits transfer on common subjects from other Programmes of the same university to CCA programme should not be more than 24 months from their graduation date of the programme and declaration for start date for the CCA programme. 

7) Exemption Policy

"A student who has attempted but failed in an Institute examination paper shall not subsequently be awarded exemption for that paper. Collaborative course students shall be exempted from this policy."

Effective from 1 June 2007.

CCA graduates who are not eligible to apply for full exemptions can only be granted exemptions for Part One of the IQS Professional Programmes under the following circumstances:

i.   CCA graduates whose study period longer than normal programme duration;

ii.  The credit transfer by university is not agreed by the Institute;

iii. The date of credit transfer offered by the university exceeds the time frame agreed by the Institute
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Procedures for CCA students to apply for HKICS membership

1. Procedures of applying HKICS membership

• Apply for HKICS studentship maintain studentship with the Institute until graduation and thus applying for full exemptions
• Complete a CCA course within the period indicated above and apply for full exemption upon graduation
• HKICS confirm graduate status and graduate certificate will be awarded upon settlement of studentship subscription fee.
• As an HKICS Graduate, one may apply for membership (Associate)

• Submit the completed studentship registration application form with payment (HK$1,250 made payable to "HKICS") and a recent Photo 25mm x 30mm (Note: No instant photo) for student card.
• Submit CCA full exemption application form, certified transcripts (original and copies) and exemptions payment to HKICS.

• Exemptions payments is based on the 8 subjects of the International Qualifying Scheme (IQS),e.g. Full exemption payment for the year 2018-2019 is HK$1,100.00 x 8 subjects = HK$8,800.00
• HKICS Council will review and adjust fees and subscriptions for each of the financial year commencing from 1 July every year. 
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Exemption Policies for CCA Students

CCA graduates whose study period is earlier than normal programme duration (see Note 1), where they have not yet maintained the 1.5-year studentship requirement for applications for full IQS exemption, should make their exemption application within a period of six months after the fulfillment of the 1.5-year studentship requirement. Students who have fulfilled the 1.5-year studentship requirement should apply for full exemption within a period of six months after graduation.

Note 1: The normal time frame for completion of CCA programmes is as follows:

City University of Hong Kong - Master of Science in Professional Accounting and Corporate Governance (Corporate Governance Stream) - 2 years
Hong Kong Baptist University - Master of Science in Corporate Governance and Compliance - 18 months
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University - Master of Corporate Governance - 2 years
The Open University of Hong Kong - Master of Corporate Governance (see Note 2 and 3) - Face-to-face full time 1.5 years; Face-to-face part time 3 years; Distance learning 3 years

Note 2: All OUHK MCG student must declare their study modes (i.e. face-to-face full time; face-to-face part time or distance learning) to the Institute after they enrolled into the programme.
Note 3: Whenever OUHK MCG student changes the study mode during the course of study, he/she must inform HKICS and get confirmation from HKICS on change in required study timeframe, if any. Failure to report on change of study mode may affect the full exemption application at the sole discretion of HKICS.
(Effective from June 2015) 

The CCA graduates who are not eligible to apply for full exemption under the following situations may be granted exemptions for Part One four subjects of the IQS Professional Programmes:

a) CCA graduates whose study period longer than normal programme duration

The normal time frame for completion of CCA programmes are as follows:

City University of Hong Kong - Master of Science in Professional Accounting and Corporate Governance (Corporate Governance Stream) - 2 years
Hong Kong Baptist University - Master of Science in Corporate Governance and Compliance - 18 months
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University - Master of Corporate Governance - 2 years
The Open University of Hong Kong - Master of Corporate Governance - Face-to-face full time 1.5 years; Face-to-face part time 3 years; Distance learning 3 years

For students who could not complete the programmes within the given time frame, a written explanation must be submitted to the Institute.  Their application for full exemption will be subject to the Education Committee's approval.

Example:  A CCA student has taken seven years to complete the programme.  After consideration by the Education Committee, this student shall not be eligible for application for full exemptions.  The maximum number of subjects this student can be exempted is Part One (four subjects) of the IQS Professional Programme.

b) The credit transfer by the university is not agreed by the Institute;

The time limits for CCA students who apply for credits transfer on common subjects from other master programmes (e.g. MBA) of the same university to MCG should not be more than 24 months from their graduation date of the master programmes (e.g. MBA) or declaration for start date of the CCA programme.

c) The date of credit transfer offered by the universities exceeds the time frame agreed by the Institute.

The time limits for CCA students who apply for credit transfer on common subjects from other master programmes of the same university to CCA programme should not be more than 24 months from their graduation date of that specific master programme or declaration for start date of the CCA programme.

d) CCA students MUST complete all required courses prior to applying for HKICS’s full exemption before graduation.  The Institute will not grant full exemptions if students complete required course(s) after graduation from the CCA programme.
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