The SMSF Association has partnered with the University of Adelaide to offer a graduate-level SMSF qualification to specialists across various professional disciplines.
The qualification, which begins in July and is now open for enrolment, offers four courses: SMSF Best Practice, Understanding SMSF Trustees, SMSF Strategic Advice and SMSF Advanced Technical.
University of Adelaide International Centre for Financial Services director David White said the initiative reflected the growth in the number of specialist advisers in the SMSF sector and the need to continually upgrade their skills.
“The university has been active in supporting professionals with their SMSF expertise for many years through our Professional Certificate in SMSF program,” White said.
“This graduate certificate qualification is the logical next level to add to our suite of SMSF education programs in order to keep pace with the evolution of SMSF advice.”
Each course will be studied predominantly online, although there will be an option for a face-to-face session as well, with students earning a Graduate Certificate in Self-Managed Superannuation Funds and RG 146 compliance in SMSFs upon completion.
SMSF Association head of education Liz Ward said the qualification was a natural extension of its work with the University of Adelaide, building upon existing joint initiatives.
“The qualification has the highly regarded SMSF Association designations embedded into the program, enabling students to attain not only an academic qualification, but also the association’s highly sought after industry designations, including the SMSF Specialist Advisor and SMSF Specialist Auditor,” Ward said.
“The focus will be the practical application of the knowledge they acquire from the qualification and we are confident it will enhance not only their skill base, but be a value-add for their businesses.”
She added the qualification not only supported the association’s members to enhance their professionalism, but helped lift the standards across the SMSF sector.
The university first announced specialist SMSF courses in March 2013, when it launched the online Specialist SMSF Course, to coincide with the 2013 Self-Managed Super Fund Professionals’ Association of Australia (SPAA) National Conference.
Its longstanding relationship with SMSF consultant and SPAA board member Peter Hogan resulted in the university choosing his expertise to develop the content and exams.
As most professional qualification certificates were time-intensive and generally face-to-face, the university said it wanted to ensure its course brought together all aspects of running an SMSF and was delivered completely online to enable people to work from home or learn at their own pace.
The minimum study period to earn the new certificate, which can be submitted to the Association for continuing professional development points, is two years part-time, with the cost for the full program being $12,500.
Students will be eligible to apply for assistance via the federal government’s Fee-Help scheme.