Foundation Programme

Summary

Start your path to becoming Chartered with the Foundation Programme.

Our Foundation Programme provides the relevant skills and knowledge to help prepare you to meet the demands of Part One of our Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme. This is especially useful if you do not have the academic or professional experience to enter the Qualifying Programme at Part One. The Foundation Programme is your first step on the path to a career as a governance professional or company secretary.

Content

The Foundation Programme covers the following subjects:

• Business environment – how businesses are organised and run and how the external environment affects business activities
• Law – an introduction to corporate and business (commercial) law and the legal framework within which businesses operate
• Company compliance and administration – introducing legal, ownership and management structures for companies, how companies are incorporated and routine company compliance and governance obligations
• Finance – the basics of bookkeeping and how to understand the components of financial documentation as well as the principles of financial decision making.

Entry

This programme is open entry, with no prior qualifications required, and suitable if you are living or working in the UK or internationally. It is a Level 4 qualification, set at the same academic level as a first year undergraduate degree.

However, if you meet any of the following entry requirements, you are not required to complete the Foundation Programme and can proceed straight to Part One of the qualifying programme:

• HND in Law or Accounting;
• HND or degree in Business Studies or Business Management;
• ICSA Level 5 Diploma in International Finance and Administration (IFA);
• ICSA Level 5 Diploma in Offshore Finance and Administration (DOFA); or

• an ‘unrelated’ degree (i.e. anything other than law, finance or business) and five years’ or more experience in a company secretarial or governance professional related role.

How to study

Study with one of our registered tuition providers who offer different tuition options to suit your situation and budget. You can choose to study through distance learning, face-to-face classes or blended learning. For more details about your study options, please see our list of registered tuition providers.

Foundation students also have access to the LMS system to assist with their studies. See demonstration of LMS platform below. 

Fees

Registration fee: Your initial registration fee includes your student membership for one year (or half a year, depending on when you register), access to study support resources – including past exam material and study support webinars – and an e-copy of the study text.

Examination entry fee: Once you are ready to take your exam, you will need to pay the examination fee before the close of the exam entry deadline. For June exams the deadline is usually in March and for November exams it is usually in September.

Subscription fee: Your first year (or half year) student membership subscription is included in the registration fee, but if you are still studying the Foundation Programme when this expires, you will need to renew your subscription.

The following table provides a summary of typical costs, but while the full fees apply for students in the UK, EU and Crown Dependencies, those in many other countries pay reduced rates.

After you have completed the Foundation Programme, you can move onto any module in Part One of the Qualifying Programme.