A student can obtain the academic qualifications required by the Institute and the Accountancy Board in two manners:
•

He may complete the professional examinations of the Institute, following the comprehensive evening courses it provides.
• He may obtain a B.A. (Hons.) degree in Accountancy at the University of Malta as a full-time student.

The Institute's professional examinations cover a total of eighteen papers spread over five sections, which students typically attempt on an annual basis. The University degree course, too, is spread over five years. The syllabi of the two organisations are similar, and cover the following ground:

•

Financial and Cost Accounting

 • Civil and Company Law
• Auditing and Investigations • Computing and Quantitative Analysis Techniques
• Taxation: Personal, Corporate and Inheritance • Economics and Business Management

During his years of study a student's work experience is monitored by the Institute. A member's designatory letters - AIA (associate), MIA (member) and FIA (fellow) - reflect the length of his practical experience.

There is a high incidence of accountants holding both foreign and local qualifications in Malta, a factor which has tended to enrich the local profession considerably. United Kingdom Certified and Chartered Accountants predominate. Such graduates are exempted from the Institute's examinations with the exception of those papers relating to local laws and tax