Apply Accounting Courses
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Table of Contents
1. What is Accounting?
Accounting is how your business records, organises, and understands its financial information.
Why it matters?
- It is how you get a clear picture of your organization’s financial position and health.
- It tells you whether or not you’re making a profit, what your cash flow is, and what the current value of your company’s assets and liabilities are.
- It is an integral part for strategic decision making by using forecasting, budgeting, and financial evaluation methodologies.
Watch this video to see accounting in action!
2. Where To Study Accounting Courses In Malaysia?
Here are 9 best universities to study Accounting courses in Malaysia.
- #1 Taylor’s University
- #2 Asia Pacific University (APU)
- #3 University of Wollongong (UOW) Malaysia
- #4 Curtin University (Malaysia)
- #5 Swinburne University of Technology (Malaysia)
- #6 University of Reading (Malaysia)
- #7 Multimedia University (MMU)
- #8 UNITAR International University
- #9 Quest International University (QIU)
- #10 Xiamen University
- BONUS #1 — Universiti Malaya (UM)
- BONUS #2 — Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
3. Accounting Course Pathways & Entry Requirements
There are 3 pathways one can consider to qualify for a career in the accounting field.
Pathway 1: SPM/O-Levels ➔ Pre-University/Foundation ➔ Accounting Degree
One of the most popular pathways is to enter a Pre-University course (A-Level, SACE, STPM) or a Foundation course offered by the university of your choice.
As an SPM / O-Level leaver, the entry requirement is 5 credits including English and Mathematics to enter Pre-U or Foundation.
A Pre-University course or Foundation typically takes 1 to 2 years to complete and will qualify you to enter into a Degree in Accounting.
An Accounting Degree will usually take 3 years to complete. Here are the general requirements to enter with qualifications from popular pre-university courses or a foundation course:
| Qualifications | General Requirements |
| A-Level | 2D |
| AUSMAT/SACE | ATAR 60 |
| CIMP | 55% |
| STPM | 2C+ |
| UEC | 5B |
| Foundation | CGPA 2.50 |
Note: Actual minimum requirements will differ between different universities. Generally, these qualifications also require you to have Mathematics taken and achieved the minimum results.
In total, this pathway generally takes 4 years to complete.
Pathway 2: SPM/O-Levels ➔ Diploma ➔ Accounting Degree
Students who have a budget consideration will usually take the Diploma in Accounting route.
As an SPM / O-Level leaver, the entry requirement is 3 credits including Mathematics to enter Diploma.
A Diploma in Accounting normally requires 2 to 2.5 years to complete depending on the university offering.
The beauty of a Diploma is that you can opt to start working after graduating. However, having a Diploma does not qualify you as a certified accountant yet. Thus career progression is usually limited if you only hold a Diploma.
For a Diploma graduate, there are 2 options to consider:
- Continue with a Degree in Accounting; or
- Complete all exams required from a Professional Certificate such as ACCA, CIMA, CPA etc
As a Diploma in Accounting graduate, if you choose to complete your Accounting Degree, you only need to undergo 2 years of the accounting course instead of 3 years.
For a Diploma holder, you need a minimum of CGPA 2.50 to enter into an Accounting Degree.
Pathway 3: SPM/O-Levels ➔ Professional Accounting Certificate
Another pathway that is typically taken after SPM/O-Level is going for a professional certification such as ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, and CPA.
As an SPM / O-Level leaver, the entry requirement is 5 credits including English and Mathematics to undergo a professional accounting certification.
To complete a professional accounting certificate you need to pass all examinations administered by the accounting body. For example, ACCA has 14 exams to complete that is typically completed over the course of 3 years.
Various institutions such as MCKL, UOW Malaysia, Quest International University, Taylor’s University, Imperium International College and Sentral College offer ACCA learning courses that support you in passing these exams.
ACCA is the most popular accounting certification taken in Malaysia and is a globally recognised qualification too. It has the highest membership of qualified accountants at over 250,000 worldwide.
The Foundation in Accountancy or FIA is specially offered by ACCA as an efficient 1 year course towards obtaining an ACCA qualification.
How Can Uni Enrol Help?
Uni Enrol’s experienced counsellors help you compare the pros and cons of studying an Accounting Course at different universities and different locations.
4. Accreditation For Accounting In Malaysia
So what’s next? How do you become a certified accountant?
To become a certified accountant or commonly known as a Chartered Accountant, you ultimately need to complete a professional accounting certification (ACCA, CIMA, CPA, ICAEW etc) and a minimum of 3 years of working experience in the relevant field.
Having a Chartered Accountant title allows upward mobility opportunities in your accounting career and gives you the authority to sign-off on official financial reports.
Therefore, despite having the qualification to enter the workforce with a Diploma or Degree, many students will try to pursue the completion of a professional certificate as well.
The good news is graduating with a Diploma or Degree accords you exemptions that reduce the number of exam papers you need to take.
For example, if you graduated with a Degree in Accounting, ACCA allows up to 9 papers to be exempted out of the 14 papers. This means you only need to complete 5 more papers. This will differ with other qualifications such as CIMA, CPA or ICAEW.
There are also certain universities in Malaysia, including MMU, INTI, UTAR and MSU, that offers a 4-year Accounting Degree that automatically allows you to register with the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) as a Chartered Accountant once you have fulfilled the 3 year working experience requirement.
5. What You Learn In An Accounting Course
These are the subjects that you will be exposed to when taking an undergraduate Accounting Course. Note, they may vary slightly from one university to another.
- Accounting Information System
- Auditing and Assurance
- Corporate Reporting
- Cost Accounting
- Data Analytics in Accounting
- Emerging Technologies for Accounting
- Ethics and Corporate Governance
- Financial Accounting
- Financial Management
- Financial Reporting
- Financial Risk Management
- Forensic Accounting
- Management Accounting
- Performance Management
- SAP ERP System in Accounting
- Specialised Accounting
- Taxation
6. Why Should I Study Accounting?
Accounting is a resilient career path as it is not just about accounting entries. Higher levels of accounting application require critical thinking, business-led judgment and contextual interpretation.
Here are some reasons to consider an accounting career:
- Strong Demand for Chartered Accountants – Malaysia has a high demand for professional certified accountants aiming to produce 60,000 accountants by 2030.
- Financial Forensics – Be a financial detective and detect fraud and financial crimes for organisations or enforcement agencies.
- Tax Optimization – Tax experts are loved by businesses as you can help save millions by knowing how to use taxation laws to your advantage.
- Mergers & Acquisitions – Play a crucial role in evaluating company financials during mergers and acquisitions, influencing major corporate decisions.
- Growing Islamic Finance Sector – Malaysia is a global leader in Islamic finance, creating specialized accounting roles for professionals in Islamic banking and Shariah-compliant financial reporting.
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7. RIASEC Compatibility To An Accounting Course
The John Holland Theory of Career Choice states that in choosing a career, people will choose one similar to their personality to ensure job satisfaction, job performance, and career success. The test generates 6 different personality types:
- Realistic (R)
- Investigative (I)
- Artistic (A)
- Social (S)
- Enterprising (E)
- Conventional (C)
With the RIASEC Test, the 6 personalities can generate up to 720 combination possibilities to provide career compatibility. You can try the test yourself here.
Before taking an Accounting Course, these are the Top 3 personality traits you should ideally have:
CONVENTIONAL
- You need to be detail-oriented and enjoy structure. A high score in this area suggests an appreciation for jobs in accounting, administration, or data management.
INVESTIGATIVE
- You like to analyze numbers and solve complex problems, particularly numerically driven. Investigative individuals thrive in science, research, and technical fields.
ENTERPRISING
- Just because you’re in accounting does not mean you work in the backroom. Financial Managers and CFOs often need to work closely with CEOs and be persuasive in their recommendations. Scoring high means you have leadership potential in this space.
REALISTIC could also be one prominent trait as accountants need to be grounded in the data and tend to be more conservative.
8. Career Opportunities For Accounting
Here are different areas of opportunities where Accounting Course skills can be applied:
| Areas of Opportunity | Types of Roles |
| Traditional Accounting | Accountant, Auditor, Tax Advisor |
| Corporate Finance & Management | Management Consultant, Forensic Consultant, Cost Accountant |
| Consulting & Advisory | Financial Analyst, Treasurer |
| Specialised & Niche Roles | Environmental Accountant, Government Agency Accountant, Non-Profit Accountant, Banking Accountant |
| Emerging Fields | Data Analyst, Fintech Analyst, Risk Manager |
| Research & Academia | Lecturer, Researcher |
| Entrepreneurship | Business Owner |
Recommended Course Guides
Looking for other related courses? Here are various business-related course guides you should check out:
If you’re still unsure about what to study, we have many other Course Guides that will provide further insight into the subject matter. Share with your friends!
We also took the liberty to compile all our University Guides and Course Fees Guides so you don’t have to go anywhere else!
About the Author:
Ken Hoong is the co-founder of Uni Enrol and a contributing writer. Drawing on his close work with Uni Enrol’s counsellors, he brings keen insight into Malaysia’s evolving private higher education landscape and the shifting preferences of students in learning and career choices.
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