Company Secretary Course

With globalization and the advent of new companies, the demand for trained professionals, in particular, the Company Secretary has increased. It is one of the much-coveted, senior-most, and specialized professions, which only a few people can enter. Tasked with an array of responsibilities related to the company like governance issues, securities, exchanges, taxation, etc, the profession is also counted amongst the highest salary jobs for commerce students which offers a very diverse profile. But to become one of these business leaders, an individual needs to be a certified Company Secretary and this is possible by pursuing a CS course, one of the popular business management courses.

If you are aspiring to climb the corporate ladder as fast as you can, then this course is just the one for you! Through this blog, we will provide you with all the minute details about the CS course and what it entails. 

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What is a Company Secretary Course?

The CS course, or the Company Secretary course, is intended specifically for students with business experience. This course is open to students from any field who have completed their 12 criteria. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India offers a Company Secretary training program (C.S). The degree is offered via distance learning, and with the establishment of this program emerged the profession of Company Secretary (C.S). Candidates who want to apply for this program at this institute must pass the CSEET (Company Secretary Executive Entrance Test). The test is held on a nationwide scale. Foundation Programme, Executive Programme, Professional Programme, and Management Training are the four Company Secretary programs that applicants can follow to become a company secretary.

Why Study Company Secretary Course?

• The Company Secretary course prepares an individual to work as a company secretary for a specific corporation. The following are some of the advantages of taking the Company Secretary course: By taking the Company Secretary course, you will be trained to fulfil all of the roles and duties of a Company Secretary.
• Candidates can study this topic at any age after the age of 17, and being a company secretary has no age restrictions.
• Candidates can work under minimal stress and enjoy flexible working hours.
• Another benefit of working as a Company Secretary is the high compensation (C.S). In India, the average yearly salary for a Company Secretary is Rs. 6 lakh.
• Company Secretary Jobs are quite rewarding. Being a secretary for a certain company is a wonderful and recognized profession that pays well and requires little stress.

Who Can Apply For CS Course?

For pursuing the CS course, the regulating body ICSI has set certain guidelines and eligibility criteria for the students according to the level of educational qualification they have achieved. Following is the stage-wise breakup of the eligibility parameters:  

• For senior secondary school level students who have completed their 10+2 years of studies in any discipline except fine arts have to clear all three stages. Starting from the Foundation Programme and going up to Executive and Professional Programmes, the candidates with this level of education need to clear all the stages to pursue the CS course. 
• The graduate candidates, who have completed their bachelor’s in any discipline except fine arts are exempted to appear for the foundational program and need to clear the two stages of the CS course namely, the Executive Programme and Professional Programme.

Note: The graduate candidates can pursue the professional program only when they clear the Executive level of the CS course. 

Eligibility Criteria for Becoming a Company Secretary

Candidates who want to work as a Company Secretary (C.S.) must take the CSET test. This program is only open to students who have finished their 10+2. The foundation course, executive course, and professional course are the three-course levels of this test. Candidates must first take the Foundation course, which is the initial level of the program. After passing, students must enrol in the Executive program, followed by the Professional program. After finishing the Professional level, there is a final management training round. Candidates who complete the course will be formally certified as Company Secretary (C.S) graduates. The annual compensation for a Company Secretary in India is Rs. 6 lakh.

Syllabus for CS Course

After knowing the basics of the CS course, let us dive deep into what would you study throughout the journey of the program, based on the stage you are in. Given below is the stage-wise list of prominent modules and subjects covered under each program: 

Foundation Programme

This basic level of the CS course typically contains 4 papers, namely-

• Business Environment and Law
• Business Management, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship
• Business Economics
• Fundamentals of Accounting and Auditing

Also Read: 

• Bachelor of Business Management
• Diploma in Business Management

Executive Programme

This is the second stage after the Foundation program which imparts a comparatively advanced knowledge of concepts covered in the 1st level of the CS course. Having 8 papers and 2 modules covering 4 subjects each, the table below enlists the subjects the students will cover: 

Module 1(4 papers)	Module 2(4 papers)
1. Jurisprudence, Interpretation, And General Laws 2. Company Law 3. Setting Up Of Business 4. Entities And Closure 5. Tax Laws	1. Corporate And Management Accounting 2. Securities Laws And Capital Markets 3. Economic, Business, And Commercial Laws 4. Financial And Strategic Management

Also read: 

• Business Law
• How to Become a Business Analyst

Professional Programme

The last and the most challenging stage of the CS course, the Professional program, contains 9 papers and 3 modules, each covering 3 papers. While the first 8 papers are compulsory, the 9th is an elective wherein the students can choose a subject of their choice from a list of 8 options:

Module 1:

• Governance, Risk Management, Compliances, And Ethics
• Advanced Tax Laws
• Drafting, Pleading, And Appearances

Module 2:

• Secretarial Audit
• Corporate Restructuring
• Resolution Of Corporate Disputes

Module 3:

• Corporate Funding And Listing In Stock Exchanges
• Multi-disciplinary Case Studies
• [choose 1 out of the list of 8 below written subjects]

Direct Tax Law And Practice	Labour Laws And Practice
Valuations And Business Modelling	Insolvency- Law, And Practice
Forensic Audit	Insurance Law And Practice
Banking Law And Practise	Intellectual Property Rights- Laws And Practices

CS vs CA

Parameters	Company Secretary	Chartered Accountant
About	The CS, or Company Secretary, curriculum is a three-year program that is comparable to a bachelor’s degree.	The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) offers a five-year CA curriculum. This course, like the Company Secretary course, has three levels.
Education Required	Qualifying 10+2 exams	10+2 with a minimum 60% aggregate
Average Salary	INR 6 lakhs	INR 7 lakhs
Eligibility	In any stream, passing class 12 (commerce students will be preferred)	Passing class 12 with a background in trade.

CS vs CMA

Parameters	Company Secretary	Certified Management Accountant
About	The CS, or Company Secretary, program is a three-year curriculum that leads to a bachelor’s degree.	The CMA program is a three to four-year curriculum in financial management and management accounting.
Education Required	Qualifying 10+2 exams	Bachelor’s degree
Average Salary	INR 6 lakhs	INR 1.35 lakhs
Eligibility	In any stream, passing class 12 (commerce students will be preferred)	Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with an average of at least 45 per cent.

Duty of a Company Secretary

A company secretary’s functions and responsibilities are as follows: Company secretaries serve as compliance officers for the company and provide legal advice as an in-house legal expertIncorporaterate governance, they also serve as a primary advisor to the board of directors.

• A company secretary is knowledgeable in corporate, capital markets, and securities legislation.
• They are also in charge of an organization’s regulatory compliance.
• They also serve as a strategic manager and play an important part in business planning.

Company Secretary Jobs

Job Profile	Average Salary
Business Consultant	INR 994,119
Operations Manager	INR 764,401
Finance Consultant	INR 628,854

Scope of Company Secretary in India and Abroad

Students who complete Company Secretary courses have several options for furthering their education or entering the business world. Students with a CS degree can pursue a Ph.D. in Commerce, Management, or Law, among other fields. Certification Services, Valuation, Insolvency & Bankruptcy, GST, Intellectual Property Rights, Representation Services, and Mediation and Conciliation, to mention a few, have a lot of potential in India. Under the Companies Act, 2013, any listed company (public or private) with a paid-up share capital of 10 crore rupees or more is required to hire a full-time company secretary. Company Secretaries are likewise recognized as Key Managerial Personnel under the same statute (KMP). All legal expertise and analytical capability-based duties demand the services of corporate secretaries. The following are some key points to remember about the role of a Company Secretary.

What is the Fee structure for the CS course?

The fee structure for the CS course is as follows:

Foundation Programme	INR 4,500/-
Executive Programme	INR 9,000/- for Commerce graduates INR 12,500/- for CPT passed of ICAI and Foundation passed of ICAI-CMA INR 10,000/- for Non-commerce candidates INR 8,500/- for CS foundation passed candidates
Professional Programme	INR 12,000/-

When to apply?

The application for the CS course is open around the year and the examinations for each program are held twice a year, that is, June and December. For more information, you can visit the official site of ICSI for the CS course.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hopefully, we have provided you with all the necessary information related to the CS course. If you are aspiring to become the next big business leader and need good educational counseling, reach out to us at Leverage Edu where the experts will provide you with the best mentorship for a bright career ahead. You can also book your 30 minutes free career counseling and get the answers to all your questions!