Company Secretary [Course, Subjects, Colleges, and Syllabus]

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
  • Foundation is the first level of the exam. To become a Company Secretary, you must clear this exam.
  • This exam is conducted and regulated by the ICSI.
  • It is a mixture of optional coaching and postal tuition classes.
8 Months 3,600
CS Executive Program
  • Once you have cleared the foundation program, you can appear for the Executive level.
  • You need to know that students belonging to any stream except fine arts can appear for this exam.
9 Months 7,000
CS Professional Program
  • Students can pursue this course if they have successfully cleared the executive 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!

People are also reading:

Leave a comment