A private college in the city has introduced a BCom (Professional) programme that integrates coursework to prepare students for qualifications such as chartered accountancy, company secretaryship, and cost and management accountancy.
From the current academic session, JD Birla Institute, affiliated to Jadavpur University, will offer the BCom (Honours) Professional (Accounting and Finance) course alongside its regular BCom (Honours) programme. The admission process is currently underway.
“Many students, while doing BCom, prepare for chartered accountancy and company secretaryship. We have included the chartered accountancy content in our BCom syllabus. It is an intensive BCom course that prepares students for professional courses. It will cover topics, and practice problems will be solved,” said Saugata Banerjee, the director of JD Birla Institute in Ballygunge. The institute will also provide additional tutorial classes.
Many students attend BCom classes in the morning and attend tutorial classes and articleship at a later stage to qualify for the professional streams.
The BCom (Professional) programme has been designed to incorporate substantial portions of the syllabus of professional qualifications such as chartered accountancy, company secretaryship and cost and management accountancy within the undergraduate curriculum itself, a faculty member said.
Students will be given dedicated classroom time to solve question papers from previous years’ professional exams as part of their preparation.
Banerjee said higher education must adapt to the evolving needs of industry and the job market.
As an institute, our focus is on preparing students for professional careers, unlike some universities and institutions that place greater emphasis on theoretical research. Our approach is more application-oriented, he said.
The course will be more rigorous and would require more class hours than a conventional BCom, teachers said.
Debasmita Sarkar, associate director, talent acquisition, of KPMG India, said the programme has been thoughtfully structured and aligned with evolving industry expectations. “ Such an integrated approach can help students transition more confidently into career-ready professionals,” she said.
Director Banerjee said: “Even without pursuing professional qualifications, students will graduate with deeper subject expertise and a strong foundation for diverse career opportunities.”