Share with your network!

CFA Course: Queries Related to Scope of CFA and CA Answered

What is the difference between CA & CFA? 

  • CA stands for Chartered Accountant, and CFA stands for Chartered Financial Analyst. As the names portray, the CA course trains the candidate in the field of accountancy, whereas the CFA course trains the candidate in the field of finance. The majority of the students are confused about finance being similar to accounts, but both fields are different. Both the courses cover different topics and hence have a completely different syllabus. Similarly, the role of a CA and the role of a CFA are completely different. 
  • The CA course is divided into two levels, plus an additional foundation level if the candidate is not a graduate. That means it is not compulsory to be a graduate or complete graduation for a CA course. But to pursue the CFA course, being a graduate is mandatory. The CFA course is divided into 3 levels, and hence the candidate needs to appear for all the 3 CFA course exams. Below is the complete syllabus. 

CFA Course Syllabus

  • Ethical and Professional Standards. 
  • Corporate Finance. 
  • Economics. 
  • Financial Reporting and Analysis. 
  • Quantitative Methods. 
  • Alternative Investments. 
  • Derivatives. 
  • Equity Investments. 

CA Inter Syllabus 

CA Final Syllabus

Group-I 

  • Accounting 
  • Corporate and Other Laws 
  • Cost and Management Accounting 
  • Taxation 

 

Group-II 

  • Advanced Accounting 
  • Auditing & Assurance 
  • Enterprise Information Systems & Strategic Management 
  • Financial Management & Economics for Finance 

 

 

Group-I 

  • Financial Reporting 
  • Strategic Financial Management 
  • Advanced Auditing and Professional Ethics 
  • Corporate and Economic Laws 

 

 

Group-II 

  • Strategic Cost Management and Performance Evaluation 
  • Elective paper 
  • Risk Management 
  • Financial Services and Capital Markets 
  • International Taxation 
  • Economic Laws 
  • Global Financial Reporting Standards 
  • Multidisciplinary Case Study 
  • Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation 
  • Indirect Tax Laws 

 

You can find the role of CA and the role of CFA in the question below.

CFA Course (Chartered Financial Analyst)

What is the scope of a CFA in India? Is it better than a CA? 

  • Defining the scope of any course helps a student understand what the future possibilities are if they wish to build a career in a specific field. CFA is one of the renowned courses in the field of finance. 
  • The scope of a CFA in India is quite good, but it gets extremely good if you broaden your horizon for a career abroad or outside India. 
  • Candidates can pursue a career as an Investment Banker, Portfolio Manager, Risk Manager, Market Research Analyst, Private Banker, and many more after the course. 
  • Whereas candidates who pursue CA can build a career in Auditing & Assurance, Tax Consultation, Accountancy and Accounting Services, Accountants & Finance Outsourcing, and Financial Reporting. 
  • The scope of growth as a CA is limited to India since Global Accounting Standards are not covered in the CA course. If a candidate wants to build a career outside India, they need to pursue an international accounting course like the CPA course or the ACCA course. 
  • CFA is already an international course and is recognized globally. 

If you wish to learn more about the different international courses available in accounting and finance, or CFA course training, you can walk in at any of the EduPristine centres for a free career counselling session.