Advanced Certificate in Fund Administration

The course will enable you to develop your knowledge of fund operations, across both accounting and administration and creates a training and education path for fund administrators where there have traditionally been limited training opportunities to evidence knowledge and support career development.

This course is awarded in association with Alliance Manchester Business School, the University of Manchester.

• Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the functions of key parties in a fund and how they meet the needs of stakeholders.
• Understand the lifecycle of different fund structures, including the processes involved in their closure, winding down and/or liquidation.
• Demonstrate awareness of the topical issues surrounding alternative investment funds, fund of funds and debt funds.
• Present a detailed knowledge of fund regulation and be able to interpret and apply Principal Documents, Scheme Particulars and investment restrictions.
• Understand the fundamentals of fund accounting and how to account for specific fund transactions.
• Carry out a range of advanced calculations in relation to a fund, including NAV, GAV, performance fees, and entry and exit charges.
• Calculate earnings per share and the total expense ratio, and use ratios to analyse a set of financial statements.
• Determine the impact of taxation on different fund structures and be able to carry out relevant tax calculations.

This programme is suitable for those who work in fund administration, accounting or another supporting role.

Students of this course typically include:

• Fund administrators
• Accounting or finance graduates
• Accountants
• Auditors
• Company secretaries
• Compliance professionals
• Lawyers/Solicitors
• Investment managers
• Support staff for custodians, banks or trusts

• This is a uniquely relevant programme tailored for fund administrators/accounts/other fund support personnel.
• It uniquely covers both fund administration and fund accounting giving it a coverage that other qualifications cannot deliver.
• It gives you a focused view of fund operations broadly across administration and accounting aspects.
• The virtual classrooms are designed and delivered by industry professionals giving you an opportunity to interact with the tutors and other professionals studying the course.
• It is designed for practitioners and designed, written and taught by professionals in the industry.
• The course is built around a fictional fund (the CLT Fund). Part 1 of the programme focuses on all aspects of a fund’s lifecycle from incorporation to liquidation, and Part 2 takes the learner through a journey from recording the Fund’s first transaction using double-entry bookkeeping to the preparation of the Fund’s first set of financial statements.
• The materials also contain a variety of self-assessment exercises and tasks so that students can apply the knowledge they’ve learned and gauge their progress as they work through the material. 
• Students can submit academic queries to a dedicated Programme Delivery Manager.
• The course is subject to the rigorous quality assurance procedures of Manchester Business School, a Faculty of the University of Manchester

This course is available for study twice annually, with intakes beginning in March and September. The programme is delivered online and will take six months to complete. We recommend that you spend four to six hours per week on private study for the six months prior to the examination.

Enrolment onto this course will include the following:

• access to an online learning platform that contains:
  • tailor-made webinars
  • e-learning modules
  • self-assessment material
  • distance learning support
• 2 virtual classrooms
• 1 virtual revision session
• examination fees.

Students who prefer to study from a written copy of the materials will be able to download a printable version directly from the online learning platform. Please note, however that the printable version will not include the interactive aspects of the course, which will need to be completed online.

The course is assessed by way of a three-hour 45-minute remote and open-book written examination which comprises 20 compulsory multiple-choice questions (each worth 1 mark), a 40 mark compulsory accounting and valuation question, and two 20 mark essay questions chosen from a selection of three questions. The questions will be drawn from across the syllabus and candidates must achieve 50% in order to pass the Advanced Certificate.

Once you have successfully completed this course, you will be awarded the Advanced Certificate in Fund Administration.

Course Timetable - March 2024

Please note all courses are delivered fully online. 

Thank you for your interest in CLTI or STEP products. Due to government regulations, we are unable to accept online payments from, or, on behalf of students from certain countries and territories without prior agreement. Please contact us for further details on cltinternational@centlaw.com, +44 (0) 121 362 7733.

You may be interested in studying one of our CPD Modules alongside this course. Thre are two modules available that focus on the regulatory landscape in Jersey and Guernsey, enabling you to demonstrate a more detailed understanding of the local fund environment.