The Master of Commerce (MCom) degree allows for the development of individual research. Starting with a sound background of coursework, students will have the opportunity to contribute to existing fields or to begin to develop new areas of research. The MCom can be pursued by a combination of papers and thesis, or by thesis only. Students who have a good Bachelor's degree (or equivalent qualification) will complete the MCom by papers and thesis (at least two years' full-time study). The first year consists of a selection of papers worth 144 points, leading to a Postgraduate Diploma in Commerce (PGDipCom). Students who have a good Honours degree or a PGDipCom (or equivalent qualification) can complete an MCom by thesis only (minimum one year). Almost everyone practices accounting in one form or another on a daily basis. Accounting is part of measuring, communicating, and interpreting financial activity. Whether you are preparing a household budget, balancing your cheque book, preparing your income tax return, or running a large corporation you are working with accounting concepts and accounting information. The government, cities, boards of trustees and businesses all use accounting as a basis for controlling their resources and measuring their accomplishments. Everyone needs some knowledge of accounting if they are to act intelligently in meeting the challenges of our society. Several distinct subject areas are taught within the Department of Accountancy and Finance: financial accounting, management accounting, financial management, business law, taxation and auditing. All levels of study include coverage of financial accounting and management accounting. Thesis Thesis: ACCT 5 Structure of the program: The programme of study shall consist of the preparation and submission of a thesis embodying the results of supervised research. In some cases, a candidate may also be required to take and pass approved papers, normally at 400-level, in addition to completing a thesis. The candidate shall, before commencing the investigation to be described in the thesis, secure the approval of the Head of the Department concerned for the topic, the supervisor(s) and the proposed course of the investigation. A candidate may not present a thesis which has previously been accepted for another degree. For the thesis, the research should be of a kind that a diligent and competent student should complete within one year of full-time study.