CS or Company Secretary is a 3-year course for commerce students who are interested in starting a career in handling the legal aspects of the firm, tax returns, and more. These professionals are involved in strategizing the company’s goals and decision-making. They are also responsible for ensuring that all business activities comply with the legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements.
In this post, we have explained everything you need to know about the Company Secretary course in detail.
Company Secretary
- The ICSI conducts and regulates the CS exam in compliance with the Companies Secretaries Act, 1980.
- There are 65,000+ members, and over 250,000 students enroll for this exam annually.
- This 3-year course is divided into three levels: Foundation, Executive, and Professional.
- The course fees are different for each level. The fees for the Foundation level are ₹3600, ₹7,000 for the Executive, and ₹12,000 for the Professional level.
- The duration of these courses is 8 months, 9 months, and 15 months.
- The CSEET exam has replaced the CS Foundation level.
- Those who want to pursue courses after the 12th need to appear for the CSEET exam. However, those who are planning to appear for the CS course after graduating need not appear for the CSEET exam.
Company Secretary Course Details
| Course Name | Company Secretary Course (C.S) |
| CS Admission Process | Merit in the Entrance Exam |
| Course Levels | Foundation Course, Executive Course, and Professional Course |
| Course fee | Foundation Program: INR 3,600 |
| Executive Program: INR 7,000 | |
| Professional Program: INR 12,000 | |
| Qualification Required | Candidates must pass their 10+2 exams |
| Eligibility | Foundation: 10+2 examination |
| Executive: CSEET or Graduation/ foundation program | |
| Professional- Executive program | |
| CS Exam | CSEET or Company Secretary Executive Entrance test |
| CS Entrance Exam Mode | Online (Computer-Based Test) |
| CS Salary | INR 2,50,000 – INR 8,00,000 |
| CS Jobs | Chief Financial Officer, Audit Manager, Revenue Manager, Investment Banker, Marketing Manager, Stock Broker, Budget Analyst |
| Top Recruiting Companies | Tata Steel, TVS, Aditya Birla Group, Dell Technologies, People Combine, Croma, Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited, ACB Group of Companies, etc. |
What is a Company Secretary?
The CS course is especially for commerce students who have completed their class 12. However, those who have completed class 12 in any field can apply for this exam.
To become a certified Company Secretary professional, you need to clear the entrance test (CSEET). The course is divided into 4 programs:
- Foundation Program
- Executive Program
- Professional Program
- Management Training.
Company Secretary Eligibility Criteria
- Students who are in class 12 or appearing for the class 12 board exam.
- Those above the age of 17 can get admission to this course.
- Candidates appearing for their 12th board exam can also apply for the CS.
- Those who belong to the commerce field and are aspiring to become a CS.
- Those with good mental strength and convincing power can apply for this course.
How To Become A Company Secretary?
Individuals who have cleared the 10+2 are eligible to apply.
To become a company secretary, you must enroll in the Foundation course. Once you have cleared it, you can apply for the Executive and Professional programs.
After clearing all three levels of the exam, a final management training will be conducted. Candidates who successfully clear the training will become a Company Secretary graduate.
The CS’s salary in India is 6 LPA.
Company Secretary: Course Levels
Here in this section, we have given all the details about the Foundation Program, Executive Program, and Professional Program.
| Levels | Description | Duration | Fees (INR) |
| CS Foundation Program |
|
8 Months | 3,600 |
| CS Executive Program |
|
9 Months | 7,000 |
| CS Professional Program |
|
15 Months | 12,000 |
CS Foundation
This course includes knowledge and training in various subjects like entrepreneurship, business environment, ethics, management, accounting, and economics. Here are the complete eligibility criteria, syllabus, fee structure, exam pattern, etc.
Eligibility Criteria
The Eligibility Criteria states that those who want to appear for this exam must have completed their class 12th from a recognized education board with a minimum of 50% marks.
Course Duration
The CS course duration is 3 years. The first level or foundation program is 8 months long.
Fees Structure
Those pursuing the Foundation course need to pay the admission and tuition fees, i.e., ₹1200 and ₹2400. The total course fee for this course is INR 3600.
| Description | Fees (INR) |
| Admission Fees | 1200 |
| Examination Form Fee | 875 |
| Tuition Fees | 2400 |
| Total Course Fee | 4475 |
Course Syllabus
Here is the CS Foundation Syllabus:
| Paper 1 | Business Law and Environment |
| Paper 2 | Business Management, ethics, and Entrepreneurship |
| Paper 3 | Business Economics |
| Paper 4 | Accounting and Auditing |
Exam Pattern
This CS foundation question paper is divided into 4 papers. Each paper carries 100 marks. The entire question paper carries a total of 400 marks. The total number of questions will be 250 MCQs to answer in 90 minutes. It will be conducted in CBT mode.
CS Executive Course
This program mainly focuses on Law. The course includes commercial law, tax law, company law, accounts and audit practices, general law, and securities law. Here is the CS Executive course duration, fees, syllabus, eligibility criteria, etc.
Eligibility Criteria
Those who want to appear for the CS Executive exam must fulfill the eligibility criteria. Here are the complete criteria:
- The candidates must have cleared the CSEET exam. However, candidates belonging to a few categories are exempted.
- They must have completed Class 12 to be eligible for CSEET.
- Also, the age bar of the candidates should be above 17.
Students belonging to the following categories are exempted from appearing for the CSEET exam. These candidates can directly register for the Executive program:
| CS Foundation Programme passed students | Exemption Fee: Nil |
| ICAI (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) final course passed students | Exemption Fee: INR 5000 |
| ICMAI (The Institute of Cost Accountants of India) final course passed by students | Exemption Fee: INR 5000 |
Course Duration
The CS Executive program lasts for 9 months. The Registration for CS Executive program started on November 30th, 2021, for the June session of 2022 (both modules).
ICSI CS Executive program registration is open throughout the year for the exam conducted in June and December.
Fees Structure
The registration fees are different for each level. The registration fee for this program is ₹1500, while there is another fee of ₹500 for foundation examination exemption. The tuition fee is ₹5000, and the total course fee stands at INR 7000.
| Description | Fees (INR) |
| Registration | 1500 |
| Tuition Fee | 5000 |
| Examination Form fee | 1800 |
| Examination Fee | 500 |
| Total | 8,800 |
Course Syllabus
The syllabus is divided into two modules: I and II. Each module has 4 papers. Module I includes topics like Interpretation, Jurisprudence, and General law. Paper-II includes company law, setting up of business entities, and closure and tax laws in the last two papers.
In module II, the paper I include corporate and management accounting, and paper II includes securities laws and capital markets. In the last two papers, there will be Business, Economics and commercial laws, and financial and strategic management.
| Modules | Syllabus |
| Module I | Jurisprudence, Interpretation & General Laws |
| Company Law | |
| Setting up of Business Entities and Closure | |
| Tax Laws | |
| Module II | Corporate & Management Accounting |
| Securities Laws & Capital Markets | |
| Economic, Business, and Commercial Laws | |
| Financial and Strategic Management |
CS Professional Course
CS Professional is the last and final level of the CS exam. Here are the complete eligibility criteria, course duration, fees, syllabus, exam dates, and more.
Eligibility Criteria
Those who have cleared the CS executive program can only apply for the CS Professional course.
Course Duration
The complete course duration is of 3 years. While the foundation and executive programs are for a total duration of 15 months, the Professional program is equal to the duration of both programs (15 months).
Fees Structure
The registration fee is ₹1500. Candidates have to pay the fee for both exemptions from the foundation and exemption from the executive program exam, which is ₹500 for both. Lastly, the tuition fee is INR 9500. So the total course fee is ₹12,000.
| Description | Fees (INR) |
| Examination Form Fee | 2250 |
| Registration Fee | 1500 |
| Tuition Fee | 9500 |
| Total | 13,250 |
Course Syllabus
The Professional course includes three modules and each module consists of three subjects. Here is the complete CS Professional course syllabus:
| Module | Syllabus |
| Module I | Governance, Risk Management, Compliances, and Ethics |
| Advanced Tax laws | |
| Drafting, Pleadings, and Appearances | |
| Module II | Secretarial Audit, Compliance Management, and Due Diligence |
| Corporate Reconstructing, Insolvency, Liquidation, and Winding-up | |
| Resolution of Corporate Disputes, Non- Compliances, and Remedies | |
| Module III | Corporate Funding and Listing in Stock Exchanges |
| Multidisciplinary Case Studies | |
| Elective(1 out of below 8 subjects) | Banking- Law, and Practice |
| Insurance- Law and Practice | |
| Intellectual Property Rights- Laws and Practice | |
| Forensic Audit | |
| Direct Tax Laws and Practice | |
| Labour Laws and Practice | |
| Valuations and Business Modelling | |
| Insolvency- Law, and Practice |
Company Secretary Training
Those who clear the CS Professional exam must appear for training, to become certified company secretaries. The total time to complete the CS training is 20 months. Find complete details here:
| Type of Training | Description | Duration |
| SIP or Student Introduction Program | Those who want to appear for both modules must apply for this training within 6 months after applying for the CS executive program. | 7 days |
| EDP or Executive Development Program | It is one of the most popular training courses, which the students can apply after coming through the CS training program before the 15 months of training. | 8 days |
| Compulsory Computer Training Program | Those who want to appear for the CS Executive program must apply for this training. | 70 hours |
| PDP or Professional Development Program | This training program is for those who want to pursue a training course for a period of 15 months of training. | 25 hours |
| Specialized Agency Training | Those who have completed EDP or SIP or passed the professional program can apply for this course.. | 15 days |
| MSOP or Management Skills Orientation Program | This training course is for the student who has partially or fully exempted from training and has registered the documents needed to fulfill the regulation of 1982. | 15 days |
| Professional or Management Training | Candidates can pursue this course with the completion of the CS Executive or CS Professional program. Students must complete their training with the companies which are registered with the Company Secretary in Practice or the ICSI Institute. | 15 months |
| Practical Training | Candidates can only pursue this training course, only if they have completed the cs professional program. Also, they are eligible to do this training only if they are exempted from undergoing the 12 months of training under the 1982 companies’ secretaries regulation. | 3 months |
Duties of Company Secretary
The roles and responsibilities of a Certified Company Secretary include:
- These professionals are also known as the compliance officers of the company. Their main job is to provide suggestions while working as in-house legal experts.
- They work as the chief advisors to the BOD in corporate governance.
- A certified company secretary is an expert in corporate laws, capital markets, and securities laws.
- They are responsible for the regulatory compliance of an organization.
- A company secretary helps in corporate planning and works as a strategic manager.
Company Secretary Jobs
| Profiles | Description | Average Salary |
| Investment Banker | These professionals help individuals and business organizations to raise capital and offer financial consulting services. They also help new companies to go public by intermediaries between the investors and the security issuers. | 1.9 LPA to 29LPA |
| Operations Manager | Their main job is supervising, hiring, and training employees in large and small-scale organizations. They help in strategizing process improvements, managing quality assurance, etc. It is also expected from them to keep up and increase the efficiency of an agency, business, or organization. | 7.7LPA to 10LPA |
| Business Consultants | These professionals are responsible for working in the marketing areas, along with management, finance, human resources, and accounting. They also work to improve various operations of a company. It is their duty to assess various weaknesses present in a company and suggest business solutions. | 9LPA-12LPA |
| Finance Consultant | They help clients form a financial plan for their overall well-being. They are a sort of advisor who conducts an audit of your present financial condition and plan to assist you in pursuing your future goals. | 6.2LPA to 7.2LPA |
| Legal Advisor | They are usually lawyers who provide legal advice and services to individuals and organizations. They specialize in a specific field of law and help the client prevent any legal implications or consequences. Individuals or corporations generally hire them. Government offices also hire legal advisors to counsel police chiefs and other law enforcement managers. | 3.6LPA to 5LPA |
| Stock Broker | These professionals are responsible for helping investors to buy and sell stocks in the stock markets. | 3LPA to 7.50LPA |
Conclusion
Company Secretary is a 3-year course designed for commerce students. It is the best course for those who want to start their career in handling legal aspects of a firm, including tax returns and record keeping. The regulating body of this exam is the Companies Secretaries Act, 1980. Those in their class 12 or appearing for the class 12 board exam can apply for this course.
Suppose you want to start your career as an Investment banker, legal advisor, financial consultant, operation manager, or stockbroker. In that case, pursuing a Company secretary course is the best course for you.
We hope that the information provided above helps you in the best way possible!
Good luck!
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