Start your path to becoming Chartered with the Foundation Programme.
Our Foundation Programme provides the relevant skills and knowledge to help prepare you to meet the demands of Part One of our Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme. This is especially useful if you do not have the academic or professional experience to enter the Qualifying Programme at Part One. The Foundation Programme is your first step on the path to a career as a governance professional or company secretary.
This programme is open entry, with no prior qualifications required, and suitable if you are living or working in the UK or internationally. It is a Level 4 qualification, set at the same academic level as a first year undergraduate degree.
However, if you meet any of the following entry requirements, you are not required to complete the Foundation Programme and can proceed straight to Part One of the Qualifying Programme:
an ‘unrelated’ degree (i.e. anything other than law, finance or business) and five years’ or more experience in a company secretarial or governance professional related role.
The Foundation Programme covers the following subjects:
Detailed information on the syllabus, a sample exam paper and an extract from the study text are available in the qualification Discovery Pack.
We recommend 150-200 hours of study for this course which will take around six to nine months.
You will be assessed in one 3 hour exam with 15 minutes reading time. You can take your exam in June and November each year. The paper contains a mixture of short- and extended-answer questions with a pass mark of 50%.
When registering for the course, you must pick from one of the next two exam sessions, which are held twice a year, in June and November.
Option 1: Study with a tuition partner
We partner with a variety of tuition partners and we strongly recommend our students take tuition. They offer options that include distance learning and face-to-face classes. In addition to higher student pass rates, the benefits include:
The cost of tuition is typically £350 – 600 per module depending on the tuition provider you choose and the services they offer.
Option 2: Self-study
You prepare for each exam yourself, using the facilities provided online as part of your student membership. These include:
Registration fee: Your initial registration fee includes your student membership for one year (or half a year, depending on when you register), access to study support resources – including past exam material and study support webinars – and an e-copy of the study text.
Examination entry fee: Once you are ready to take your exam, you will need to pay the examination fee before the close of the exam entry deadline. For June exams the deadline is usually in March and for November exams it is usually in September.
Subscription fee: Your first year (or half year) student membership subscription is included in the registration fee, but if you are still studying the Foundation Programme when this expires, you will need to renew your subscription.
Description |
UK |
Reduced rate countries |
Registration fee - full year subscription |
£550 |
£376 |
Registration fee – half year subscription (1 Feb – 31 July) |
£440 |
£298 |
Examination entry fee |
£270 |
£184 |
Read about the benefits of student membership which your subscription brings.
Reduced rates apply for Foundation Programme students living, registered and sitting their examinations in a number of countries. See all countries that are eligible for the reduced rate.
Are you ready to start your journey to Chartered status? Click the button below to begin your registration for the Foundation Programme.