Degree Course Type 

Bachelors, Masters, Others

Entry Level Qualification 

Class 10+2

Degree Course Duration 

3 Year

Course Fields 

Other

Degree Course Entrance Exam 

No Entrance Exam

Average Course Fee 

5000 - 10000 Per Year

Average Salary Offered 

300000 - 1700000 Per Year

Course Details 

Company secretary courses are professional courses that deal with the legal aspects of a company, such as tax returns, records, compliance, and corporate strategy. There are three levels of company secretary courses: Foundation Programme, Executive Programme, and Professional Programme. The duration of the courses varies from 8 months to 3 years, depending on the level and the qualification of the student. To pursue the company secretary course after 10+2, one has to undergo the ICSI CSEET exam, unless they are graduates or postgraduates in relevant streams.

Course Highlights 

A few of the major highlights related to the company secretary course are mentioned below:

​​​​​​​The Company Secretary program is a 2-3 year course offered by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) to aspirants who have completed their 10+2 or graduated from a recognized institute. The time duration for each company secretary course stage is mentioned below:

1. Company Secretary Foundation Program: 8 months (replaced by CSEET examination in 2020)

2. Company Secretary Executive Program: 9 months

3. Company Secretary Professional Program: 15 months

Aspirants can complete the company secretary course in 2 years as well if they have completed their graduation from a recognized university because graduate candidates can skip the company secretary foundation program.

The University Grants Commission has provided the ICSI Company Secretary (CS) course a status that is equivalent to a postgraduate degree.

10+2 students are required to pass three levels of the ICSI Company Secretary (CS) program i.e Company Secretary Foundational, Company Secretary Executive, and Company Secretary Professional to become a company secretary in India whereas candidates who have completed their graduation are required to complete only two levels i.e Company Secretary Executive and Company Secretary Professional to become a company secretary in India.

The ICSI Company Secretary CS entrance exam happens twice a year in June and December via online as well as offline mode.

The Company Secretary CSEET (Company Secretary Executive Entrance Test) is a mandatory exam that every aspirant is required to undergo if they want to take admission to the Company Secretary Executive Program. ICSI Company Secretary (CS) Foundation examination has ceased by ICSI since February 2020.

About Course 

Company Secretary (CS) is a professional course that can be pursued after completing 10+2 or graduation from recognized institutions. To pursue the Company Secretary course after 10+2, one has to undergo the ICSI CSEET exam followed by the Company Secretary Executive Program (9 months) and finally the Company Secretary Professional Program (15 months). However, aspirants can also complete the course in 2 years if they have completed their graduation in the relevant stream. ICSI CSEET exam is mandatory for the aspirants who have completed their class 12 and want to pursue the company secretary course.

For graduate and postgraduate candidates, they must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for the exemption from CSEET exam.

Graduates from any stream having a minimum aggregate percentage of 50% from a recognized institute in India or abroad (recognized as equivalent thereto by the Council).

OR

Postgraduates from a recognized institute in India or abroad (recognized as equivalent thereto by the Council) in any discipline.

Such candidates must pay the prescribed exemption fee to take direct registration in the CS Executive programme.

The Company Secretary course is offered by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). A Company Secretary or CS is a professional who performs the legal activities of an organisation that they are associated with. A CS prepares and keeps track of all the legal documents of a company including tax returns and compliance forms, and keeps general records along with evaluating legal aspects of a firm.

To pursue the Company Secretary course, one has to undergo the 3-stage process of examinations followed by training. Company Secretary is a well-paid job role as it provides lucrative opportunities and reputed profiles like that of a Company Registrar, Legal Advisor, Chief Administrator Officer, Corporate Planner, Corporate Policy Maker etc. The average annual CS salary in India ranges from INR 3 lakh to INR 17 lakh.

Why Choose Course And Required Skills 

Aspirants may choose to become a Company Secretary because it’s a highly rewarding career with a plethora of job opportunities and an excellent growth trajectory along with a high-paying salary. As a company secretary, you would be directly working with the senior management of a company, and your job duties and responsibilities would be to handle tax returns, ensure dividends are paid off on time to the shareholders, and manage financial and other legal regulations. If you have excellent legal skills, solid communication skills, good critical thinking, and problem-solving aptitude then you should opt for the ICSI Company Secretary course to become a company secretary within a reputed company.

Eligibility  

The eligibility criteria for ICSI Company Secretary are divided into three sections according to the ICSI Company Secretary Program structure. The Company Secretary eligibility criteria for Company Secretary foundation, Company Secretary executive, and the Company Secretary professional course is mentioned below:

ICSI Company Secretary Foundation Course Eligibility Criteria

All the company secretary aspirants must have passed a 10+2 or equivalent examination from a recognized board. There’s no minimum percentage required by ICSI for students who have successfully completed their 10+2 or an equivalent examination from a recognized board for the ICSI Company Secretary Foundation program. CSEET examination has now replaced the ICSI Company Secretary Foundation program since February 2020.

ICSI Company Secretary Executive Course Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the ICSI Company Secretary Executive course, all the candidates must pass CSEET (Company Secretary Executive Entrance Test) examination and they must be of 17 years of age or above. It’s important to note that all the aspirants must have completed their 10+2 or equivalent examination to be eligible for the CSEET examination.

ICSI Company Secretary Professional Course Eligibility Criteria

Candidates willing to take admission into the ICSI Company Secretary professional course must successfully pass the ICSI Company Secretary Executive examination.

Entrance Exams Details 

Candidates aspiring to become a Company Secretary (C.S), need to appear for the CSET exam. Students who have completed their 10+2 are eligible to pursue this course. There are three-course levels in this exam, namely the foundation course, executive course, and professional course.

Degree Course Syllabus 

The Company Secretary syllabus is divided into 3 major sections that are CSEET, Company Secretary Executive Program, and Company Secretary Professional Program. The ICSI Company Secretary curriculum doesn’t include Company Secretary Foundation Program anymore as it had been replaced by the CSEET examination in February 2020.

CSEET Syllabus

The CSEET syllabus includes four papers that are as listed below:

1. Business Communication

2. Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning

3. Current Affairs and Viva Voce (Viva Voce announcement yet to be done by ICSI)

4. Economic and Business Environment

Business Communication Topics

1. Business Correspondence

2. Business Communication

3. Essentials of Good English

4. Common Business Terminology

Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning Topics

1. Indian Contract Act and Law of Torts

2. Indian Constitution

3. Company Law

4. Company Secretaries Legislation

5. Legal Reasoning

6. Verbal Reasoning

7. Logical Reasoning

8. Non-Verbal Reasoning

Current Affairs and Viva Voce

1. Current Affairs

2. Listening Skills

3. Written Communication Skills

Economic and Business Environment

1. Demand, Supply, and Forms of Competition

2. Indian Union Budget

3. National Income Accounting and Related Budgets

4. Indian Union Budgets

5. Indian Economy

6. Business Environment

7. Entrepreneurship Scenario

8. Indian Financial Markets

9. Key Government Institutions

ICSI CS Executive Course Syllabus

The syllabus for Company Secretary Executive course consists of a total of eight papers divided into 2 modules where each module consists of four papers.

Module-I

1. Company Law

2. Jurisprudence, Interpretation and General Laws

3. Setting of Business Entities and their Closure

4. Tax Laws and Regulations

Module-II

1. Corporate and Management Accounting

2. Security Laws and Capital Markets

3. Economic, Commercial and Business Laws

4. Financial and Strategic Management

ICSI CS Professional Course Syllabus

The syllabus for Company Secretary Professional course contains three modules with each module containing 3 papers. Therefore, there are a total of 9 papers in the Company Secretary Professional course. The papers for each module are listed below:

Module-I

1. Advanced Company Law and Practice

2. Secretarial Audit, Compliance Management, and Due Diligence

3. Corporate Restructuring, Valuation, and Insolvency

Module-II

1. Information Technology and Systems Audit

2. Financial, Treasury and Forex Management

3. Ethics, Governance and Sustainability

Module-III

1. Advanced Tax Laws and Practice

2. Drafting, Appearances and Pleadings

​​​​​​​Electives 1 out of below 5 subjects:

1. Banking Law and Practice

2. Capital, Commodity and Money Market

3. Insurance Law and Practice

4. Intellectual Property Rights - Law and Practice

5. International Business Laws and Practices

Top Colleges 

Some of the top colleges to pursue CS courses are listed below:

1. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI)

2. National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), Delhi

3. Indira Gandhi National Open University

4. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh

5. Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore

6. Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad

Course Fees 

Given below are the details of Company Secretary fee structure:

1. The prescribed registration fee for the ICSI CSEET examination is INR 1000.

2. The fee for Company Secretary Executive course is divided into four categories:

3. Fee for Commerce candidates: INR 10,600

4. Fee for ICAI CPT passed/ ICAI-CMA Foundation passed: INR 15,600

5. Fee for non-commerce candidates: INR 10,600

6. Fee for CS Foundation passed aspirants: INR 10,600

7. The additional examination fee for Company Secretary Executive program is INR 1,200 per module

8. The fee for the Company Secretary Professional course is INR 12,000 along with an additional exam fee of INR 1,200 per module.

In addition to the above fees, there is an additional fee of INR 250 for late submission of an application for appearing in the examination for either of the three Company Secretary programs mentioned above.

Top Recruiters And Salary 

A few of the top recruiters that hire Company Secretaries are mentioned below:

1. KPMG

2. Deloitte

3. ONGC

4. HCL Technologies Ltd.

5. Jaypee Group

6. Punjab National Bank

​​​​​​​
      

Course Scope And Career Options 

Company Secretary (CS) is a highly rewarding and respectable position within a firm along with a good work-life balance and high-paying salary and excellent growth opportunities in India as well as abroad. As a Company Secretary, you get to handle all the crucial legal matters of a firm, liaise with top executives and shareholders of a company for any important discussions, maintain smooth corporate governance, etc.

As a qualified Company Secretary, you will be able to easily find jobs in public sectors, private sectors, banking institutions, etc. If you are qualified as a Company Secretary then you will also be able to open your consulting firm after obtaining a certificate of practice. You should know that companies having a paid-up share capital between INR 10 lakhs and INR 2 crores must mandatorily hire a practising Company Secretary to issue corporate compliance certificates. A qualified Company Secretary will be able to find jobs across various industries like banking institutions, government institutions, private companies, etc.

Company Secretary Career Options

Company Secretary is a lucrative career option with a high job satisfaction rate and increasing demand among various public and private institutions. Some of the popular job profiles in this role along with their major duties and responsibilities are mentioned below:

1. Chief Administrative Officer: They keep an eye on the company's general administrative activity and keep all legal and other classified documents protected.

2. Corporate Planner: They meticulously oversee and plan the firm's expansion potential as well as manage mergers, joint ventures, collaborations, and takeovers both within and beyond the company.

3. Legal Advisor: They represent the company in any legal problems and ensure that it follows all bureaucratic and legislative requirements, as well as securities and corporate regulations.

4. Business Consultant: Business consultants are in charge of marketing, management, finance, human resources, and accounting. They are in charge of improving a company's numerous operations. They evaluate a company's many flaws and recommend business remedies.

5. Corporate Policymaker: They devise a company's short-term and long-term corporate policy. They also guide the organization during a review of current policies regularly.

6. Administrative Secretary: They assist executive, director, or department head-level employees with high-level clerical support by executing a variety of secretarial responsibilities and skilled activities, such as creating reports, conducting research, and collecting data.

7. Managing Director: They oversee and manage all of the company's business operations, personnel activities, and legal matters. They know how to get the most out of the organization. The director should have exceptional business acumen and be confident in the company's long-term growth.

8. Member of Board of Directors: They are in charge of providing secretarial and expert advice to one of the members of a company's board of directors.

Admission Process 

The admission process of the ICSI Company Secretary Executive and ICSI Company Secretary Professional courses is mentioned below:

​​​​​​​1. Apply and register for the CSEET examination on the ICSI official website.

2. Pay the examination fee of INR 1,000 online

3. You’ll receive the admit card on your registered email ID. Download the admit card and take a printout of the same.

4. Give the CSEET examination on the specified date and time. CSEET examination will be conducted online in proctored mode.

5. CSEET result announcement will be done by the conducting body.

6. After the declaration of results, qualified candidates will be able to take admission into the Company Secretary Executive Program.

7. After successfully completing the CS Executive course with the required pass percentage, candidates will be able to take admission into the Company Secretary Professional program.

Note: The qualifying marks for Company Secretary Foundation, Company Secretary Executive, and Company Secretary Professional course is 40% marks in each paper and 50% aggregate marks including all the subjects in each of the respective Company Secretary programs.