Latest Press Releases > February 2006

07 February 2006

NUS Business School Launches New Business Degree With Specialisation In Accounting
Course Targets Top Students and is Poised to Produce Highly Flexible and Versatile Graduates

Business education for undergraduates in Singapore will take on an added “best of both worlds” buzz from August 2006 when NUS Business School launches a new BBA with specialisation in Accounting. This course is expected to attract top GCE “A” level and polytechnic graduates in search of a marketable business degree with the competitive edge of professional accounting training.

This appealing combination of business and accounting meets the increasingly sophisticated demands of today’s economy where accounting professionals must be not only technically competent but also equipped with good business sense and management skills. The BBA with Accounting has been submitted to both the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore (ICPAS) and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) for professional accreditation.

On the rationale for the course, Professor Christopher Earley, Dean, NUS Business School, says a BBA with Accounting has its distinct advantages. He explains: “Students studying accounting embedded within a business degree will be competent as accounting professionals as they will cover the accounting modules required by the accounting profession. At the same time, they will be equipped with the business and management skills needed by accounting professionals in today’s global economy. This not only broadens the horizon, outlook and skill-set of our accounting professionals but also makes them more valuable to enterprises.”

As such, graduates of NUS Business School’s BBA with Accounting, who are poised to be “highly flexible and versatile”, can expect to be financial stewards such as finance managers, finance directors, financial controllers and chief financial officers, or active accounting practitioners and professionals in the industry. This is on top of the many possibilities opened up by their business training.

Putting the course in perspective, Mr Peter Barker, CFO, Asia Pacific, Cisco Systems, and a member of NUS Business School’s Accounting Advisory Board, says, “The new BBA with Accounting demonstrates how quickly the NUS Business School is able to keep pace with the changes taking place in the global business environment. This trend towards multi-disciplined financial professionals is a response to the changes taking place in the regulatory environments of the financial capitals of the world.”

The School will enjoy an advantage in its implementation of the new course as it has a reputable Finance & Accounting Department.  Also, accounting training had its beginnings in NUS which played an integral role in this field before the accounting program was relocated to the then Nanyang Technological Institute in 1987.  As such, many of the partners in the Big 4 accounting firms as well as honchos in the financial industry had their basic accounting training in NUS.

“Yes, leading accounting professionals have passed through our doors and received their grounding in accounting with us.  Translated into practical gains such as knowledge expertise and industry links, all these mean we are off to a flying start and our students can expect the best in terms of both theoretical rigour and real-world practice,” says Professor Christopher Earley.

For a start, the School is actively working closely with organisations such as top accounting firms for scholarships and awards.  In addition, the BBA with Accounting will be supported by the Advisory Board made up of experienced accounting professionals and influential market practitioners (see Appendix 1: Members of the Advisory Board).

2.  Mr Foong Daw Ching, Managing Director, Baker Tilly
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3.  Mrs Lee Suet Fern, Senior Director and Managing Partner, Stamford Law Corporation

4.  Mr Lui Chong Chee, CEO, Capitaland Residential

5.  Mr Chaly Mah, CEO and Country Managing Partner, Deloitte and Touche (Chair of Advisory Board)

6.  Mr Ng Boon Yew, Chairman, Raffles Campus

7.  Mr Ong Yew Huat, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young

8.  Mr John Palmer, Chairman, The Toronto International Leadership Centre for Financial Sector Supervision

9.  Mr Sim Hwee Cher, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

10.Mr Tham Sai Choy, Partner, KPMG