CA ANZ Explained: The Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting and Mentored Practical Experience

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) runs one of the more clearly documented chartered accounting pathways in the world, yet its Graduate Diploma structure is still something most prospective students only discover once they start researching entry requirements directly on CA ANZ's own site. Here is the full shape of the qualification.

The Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting

The academic core of the CA Program is the Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting (GradDipCA), worth 120 credit points across nine subjects. It typically takes about one year to complete full-time, or two or more years part-time, with four intakes available each year for flexibility around work and study commitments.

The seven core subjects

Every candidate completes the same seven core subjects:

• Ethics and Sustainability
• Risk, Technology and Artificial Intelligence
• Financial Accounting and Reporting
• Tax (an Australia or New Zealand-specific version depending on jurisdiction)
• Strategy and Business Performance
• Audit and Analytics
• Integrated Chartered Accounting Practice — the capstone subject

Choosing two electives

Alongside the core subjects, candidates choose two electives from six options: Advanced Tax, Assurance, Data Analytics and Insights, Advanced Financial Reporting, Financial Modelling, or Sustainability for Accountants. This gives candidates some room to tilt their studies toward a specialism, whether that is deeper technical tax and reporting work or a more analytics-driven direction.

Mentored Practical Experience (MPE)

Academic study alone is not enough. Candidates must also complete three years of Mentored Practical Experience (MPE) to finish the full CA Program, working under the guidance of a qualified mentor while applying what they are studying in a real workplace. In practice, most candidates run their MPE in parallel with the GradDipCA rather than sequentially, so the year (or two) of academic study and the three-year practical experience clock tend to overlap substantially rather than simply adding together.

Entry requirements

Entry into the CA Program generally requires a recognised undergraduate degree, though CA ANZ also runs a Masters Pathway and other recognised entry routes for candidates coming from postgraduate study or overseas qualifications, reflecting the fact that CA ANZ serves candidates across both Australia and New Zealand plus a wider international membership base.

How CA ANZ compares internationally

CA ANZ's structure — a compact, modular postgraduate diploma paired with several years of supervised practical experience — sits closer to CPA Canada's PEP and CFE model than to ACCA's longer exam-based ladder, and CA ANZ holds mutual recognition arrangements with a number of overseas bodies, supporting the mobility of Australian and New Zealand-trained chartered accountants internationally.

Studying alongside full-time work

Because the GradDipCA is delivered with four intakes a year and a part-time option that can stretch beyond two years, many CA ANZ candidates study while working full-time at an accounting firm or in industry, using their Mentored Practical Experience employer as the same environment where they apply what each subject covers. This close overlap between study and workplace application is one of the more distinctive features of the CA ANZ model compared with qualifications that separate academic study more cleanly from practical training.

A trans-Tasman qualification

CA ANZ's dual Australia-New Zealand structure is unusual among national accounting bodies, and the Tax subject specifically comes in separate Australian and New Zealand versions to reflect each country's distinct tax law, while the rest of the core curriculum is shared across both markets. This gives CA ANZ members a genuinely trans-Tasman qualification, recognised and portable across both countries without needing to requalify when moving between them.

CA ANZ also runs regular member events and technical updates covering areas like the core AI and technology subject, reflecting how quickly that part of the syllabus needs to evolve compared with more stable areas like tax and financial reporting.

Assessment style

GradDipCA subjects are assessed through a mix of case-based assignments and formal examinations, with the capstone subject in particular built around realistic, integrated scenarios rather than discrete technical questions, mirroring the kind of judgement-based work a newly qualified chartered accountant is expected to perform on the job from day one.

Employers across Australia and New Zealand widely recognise the CA designation as a benchmark for finance leadership roles, and it remains one of the most requested credentials in senior finance job postings across both countries.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the CA ANZ qualification take overall? The Graduate Diploma itself typically takes around one year full-time or two-plus years part-time, but candidates also need three years of Mentored Practical Experience, usually run partly in parallel with their studies.

What is the capstone subject? Integrated Chartered Accounting Practice is the compulsory final core subject, bringing together everything studied across the other core subjects into an applied, practice-focused assessment.

Can I choose my own electives? Yes. Candidates choose two electives from six options, allowing some tailoring toward tax, assurance, financial reporting, analytics, modelling or sustainability.

CA ANZ's own published course descriptions and entry-requirement pages are the definitive references for candidates planning this route, since subject offerings and elective options are reviewed periodically.