Education
The IPMA program prepares for the certification: the Dutch Registered Accountant (RA). Classes are in principle in Dutch, or in English if requested by the students unanimously.
Having finalized the IPMA, you can opt for extra training programs to become a US Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and / or an IT auditor. Since there is considerable overlap between accountancy programs internationally and our good relationship with the DePaul University in Washington, Illinois we are able to minimize the training for the CPA exams. The IPMA is a very sound fundament to become a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
The IPMA program can be finished in three years and consists of a theoretical part and a practical part. The theoretical part includes nine class room seminars of two weeks each. The total study load is 90 credits according to the ECTS. Classes are always from Monday up to and including Saturday. The practical part consists of an extensive practical cases that each student writes based on one of his own clients he/she is involved in. The practical case is incorporated in the Internal Control & Accounting Information Systems course. After finalizing the three-year program the student will be exempted from the practice thesis, a mandated part in the second year of the practical training in accountancy.
The program tries to bridge the gap between practice and theory. This implies that teaching is problem-based, making use of cases taken from practice, and that students' existing and potentially implicit knowledge is activated as much as possible by means of focused discussions with fellow students and faculty. Testing takes place by means of a variety of instruments, including: written exams, papers, oral exams, cases, and presentations. Group as well as individual performance is considered in grade determination. In between the seminars e-learning will be used to keep students activated.
Program
Auditing
Auditing is the systematic process of objectively obtaining and evaluating evidence regarding assertions about economic actions and events to give reasonable assurance as to the degree of correspondence between those assertions and established criteria and communicating the results to interested users. The focus in this course is on the financial audit, but review engagements and other assurance services will also be discussed. To fully understand the audit process the auditor needs to have knowledge of the market for audit services since this is the environment in which he delivers his services. The course starts with an introduction into the nature of the audit market, including the various types of auditing, auditors' legal liability, auditing standards, ethics and independence. Building on this basis the remainder of the course then provides an in-depth discussion of the various stages of the audit process. An important component of the course is IT auditing. As the course progresses the students will start working on audit cases which they have to hand in as a preparation for the national auditing exam. This course is concluded with an oral exam that serves as the final exam of the program.
Internal Control and Accounting Information Systems
Internal Control and Accounting Information Systems (ICAIS) is concerned with the collection, recording, and processing of data in order to provide relevant and reliable information for decision making and control. ICAIS is discussed in conjunction with various aspects of Internal Control. As such it covers the traditional field of accounting and administrative organization. The course also includes an overview of IT control, which merely is the technology component in AIS and IC. The interfaces between ICAIS and IT control are for a great deal located in the area of information system development. E.g., typical ICAIS topics that relate to IT control include data modeling, and the simultaneous development of internal controls and information systems. We follow a managerial approach to ICAIS, indicating that the disciplines are placed firmly in the context of existing management practices. From the outset the students will start working on ICAIS cases which they have to hand in as a preparation for the written ICAIS exam that consists of two cases. The second exam component is an extensive practical case that each student writes based on one of his/her own clients or processes he/she is involved in. The third exam component is a paper written about a relevant modern IT/ICAIS subject. The case and paper are defended in an oral exam that also covers the entire ICAIS literature as discussed in the course is covered.
Financial Accounting
Accounting is the process of identifying, measuring and communicating economic information about an entity, in order to permit informed judgments by users of the information. The Financial Accounting course addresses financial reporting in accordance with Dutch GAAP and the differences with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The course focuses on Dutch GAAP and highlights areas where IFRS are significantly different. The relevance of financial statement information for investment analysis and the important link between reporting entities and users of financial information through investor relation management is also addressed. During the course students have to hand in various cases. The course is concluded by a written exam on Financial Reporting Law and an oral exam focused on the application of Dutch GAAP and IFRS.
Dutch Regulations and Law
This course covers the judicial areas relevant to auditors, including:
- Dutch Company and Commercial Law
- Dutch Labor and Social Security Law
- Dutch Tax Law
- International Tax Law
- Dutch Civil Law
- European Law
The courses are concluded by short exams per course component that are in the same format as the tests and quizzes.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
The CPA training is not part of the regular IPMA curriculum, it contains a 6 days training course, literature, support by build up your transcript for the Board of Examiners, and the participation in the exam of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). An additional tuition fee of € 5,000 applies.
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
The CISA training is not part of the regular IPMA curriculum, it contains a 6 days training course, literature, case studies and the participation in the exam of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). An additional tuition fee of € 5,000 applies.
Practical dilemma development
The practical dilemma development (referaat) is not part of the regular IPMA curriculum but of the three-years of practical training in Accountancy. Registration for the practial dilemma development is completely independent of the university where you did the theorectical part of the Accountancy program. You can register for practical dilemma development supervision as soon as you are admitted to the third year of the traineeship, which normally is directly after finishing the IPMA program or in the third year of the IPMA program.
Obviously the IPMA program will take care for excellent supervision if you decide to do the practical dilemma development under guidance of the IPMA and within a small group of other students.
You defend your practical dilemma in front of your fellow students and an exam committee, consisting of two examiners accredited by the NBA. The organization of the defense is done by the IPMA program.
Practical training
The Law on Accountancy Education makes a distinction between a theoretical and a practical educational program.
To become listed in the register of the NBA, after which you are allowed to bear the title Registered Accountant (in Dutch: Registeraccountant, abbreviated as RA, to be put behind your name), you have to submit your diploma from the Tilburg University IPMA as well as official proof that you finished the three-year practical training.