KUCHING – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch a new dual diploma pathway, another option towards attaining ACCA qualification.
The MoU signing ceremony was held at Swinburne Sarawak’s campus on 8 September 2023. Signing the MoU on behalf of Swinburne Sarawak were its Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Ir Professor Lau Hieng Ho and Dean of Faculty of Business, Design and Arts Professor Brian Wong Kee Mun, while ACCA Malaysia was represented by Mr Andrew Lim, Portfolio Head for ACCA Maritime Southeast Asia.
Mr Donald Henry Nohed, Principal Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development, represented Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development YB Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn in witnessing the MoU exchange.
The ceremony also took place in the presence of representatives from the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and major accounting firms in Kuching, such as Ernst & Young, KPMG, Deloitte and Crowe.
The launch of Swinburne Sarawak and ACCA’s dual diploma signifies another pivotal push towards accelerating the intended growth of the accountancy profession in the country and Sarawak. This catalytic initiative by the university and ACCA supports higher education in accountancy and accelerates human capital and talent development in the region.
Ir Professor Lau Hieng Ho (left) and Mr Andrew Lim (right) show the signed documents as Mr Donald Henry Nohed looks on.
In 2022, Swinburne Sarawak launched its Diploma of Accountancy (DoA). With this MoU in place, DoA students can now opt for the ACCA Diploma in Accounting and Business (DiAB) qualification; hence taking the dual diploma pathway.
Due to the similarity of the course content to the ACCA exams, interested students of DoA can opt to start the ACCA DiAB qualification while completing their second year in DoA simultaneously. To obtain the full ACCA DiAB qualification, these students are required to pass two units – the ACCA Financial Accounting paper and an online Foundations in Professionalism ethics module – after applying for exemptions of another two units in the ACCA DiAB. This can be done using their completed DoA documents and examination transcripts.
Students who undertake this dual diploma pathway may save up to an estimated RM2,500 (subject to currency fluctuation), mainly due to lower registration and exemption fees as well as membership subscription fee incentive for the initial two years.
After completing the dual diploma, students can opt to further their studies with a bachelor’s degree or work in any country where the ACCA qualification is recognised. As a reference, the ACCA DiAB is equivalent to the first year of a bachelor degree. Thus, this dual diploma route provides students options in both education and career.
The DoA offered at Swinburne Sarawak is recognised by both ACCA and MIA, reflecting the high quality of education that Swinburne Sarawak provides.
This MoU marks the second collaboration between Swinburne Sarawak and ACCA. The first took place in 2017 when Swinburne Sarawak started promoting the ACCA Accelerate Program and conducting ACCA strategic professional level courses.
Under this program, students in the Bachelor of Business majoring in Accounting or Accounting and Finance can register with ACCA and sit for the four ACCA Strategic Professional Level papers in their second and third years of study. Many students have chosen this route and graduated with their bachelor’s degree and ACCA qualification.
Mr Andrew Lim (third right) addresses attendees at the MoU signing ceremony.
MIA, established under the Accountants Act 1967, is a Malaysian statutory body entrusted to regulate and develop the accountancy profession nationally. ACCA is a globally recognised professional accountancy body providing accountancy qualifications worldwide, with over 247,000 members in 181 countries.
All in all, accounting and finance are essential technical skills and knowledge required for businesses, and especially for the true digital and circular economy that Sarawak aims to achieve as part of its Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030.
For further information on Swinburne Sarawak’s intakes for its ACCA professional courses and Diploma of Accountancy, visit its website at www.swinburne.edu.my, email study@swinburne.edu.my or call +6082-415 353. The university’s ACCA professional courses are also open to non-Swinburne degree students.
Swinburne is an Australian university based in Melbourne, Australia. It is ranked among the Top 1% of universities globally in the QS World University Rankings 2024 and in the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Swinburne Sarawak has been recognised as one of the country’s Top 10 Preferred Private Universities by JobStreet.com.
For more information on Swinburne Sarawak, visit its website (www.swinburne.edu.my), Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram page (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk), TikTok page (@swinburnesarawak) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).