What happens when you are an ambitious student who is working towards becoming a chartered accountant (CA(SA)), but your time is mostly filled with your job and family commitments? It may seem that a situation like this means giving up on a dream, but that does not necessarily need to be the case. Despite talent, ambition or ability, it is unreasonable to expect all prospective CA(SA)s to follow the same traditional education route. Milpark Education offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDA) that is accessible to students who cannot commit to full-time study, whether because they are working, live too far from a traditional campus or have other commitments, or full-time students that prefer a more flexible approach to their studies.
For students who have completed a SAICA-endorsed undergraduate degree, the goal of becoming a CA(SA) can be pursued at Milpark, even while working. Behind every successful CA(SA) is an individual with their own personal story to tell, and Milpark students don’t have to reduce their ambitions simply because they cannot study full time.
A CA(SA) Pathway Designed Around Access
Milpark provides a route for students who want to pursue their PGDA but cannot commit to full-time study or study at a traditional campus. This SAICA-endorsed PGDA creates access without compromising the quality and rigour expected of future CAs(SA).
The purpose of Milpark’s Immersive Online PGDA is not merely to offer another way to study PGDA, but to create meaningful opportunities for students who may otherwise not have had the opportunity.
Many students who have completed their undergraduate studies need to find employment as soon as possible, but this should not get in the way of being able to complete their PGDA. Others are unable to enrol in courses at traditional campuses. None of these factors should stand in the way of someone with professional ambitions, and Milpark offers flexible study options to help make that possible.
Flexible Study Options for Working Students
The Milpark PGDA offers flexible options and enables students to continue being working professionals while progressing towards becoming a CA(SA). For someone working full-time, flexibility can mean continuing to build a career while progressing towards a professional qualification. There is also the added advantage of being able to apply learnings to professional work and to use practical knowledge of what is expected in the daily workings of accounting to the topics that are studied. This allows for a holistic approach to learning as an extra benefit.
Milpark offers students the option of completing the PGDA as a full workload, but also at a half workload. Students can complete two subjects at a time or that means completing the PGDA over two years. Designing the course around capacity sets Milpark apart because there is consideration for the person who completes the course.
While the course remains academically rigorous, students are not at a disadvantage because of individual time capacity as a result of work or family responsibility.
Half Workload Does Not Mean Lower Academic Expectations
The decision to pursue one of the flexible options available should be based on individual capacity and made with an honest and realistic look at each situation. None of the options omits any part of the curriculum, and all are equally academically rigorous, but they are structured around different time allocations so that students can complete the course within their available capacity.
David* graduated last year after completing his PGDA on the half workload option. He credits his success to the flexibility of the course, the asynchronous learning, the supportive online communities and the staff members who were always available to answer his questions. He was one of the programme’s top achievers in that year.
David was able to achieve his goal because the structure allowed him to study in a way that worked with his available capacity. Flexibility and academic ambition are not mutually exclusive and his studies were able to fit into his lifestyle and work demands.
An Online Learning Model That Fits Around Your Life
Working students have numerous demands on their time between their work and family commitments. Some even need to travel for work, which makes it almost impossible to be tied to a single campus.
Having the option of studying online means that studies do not need to stop when life happens. The asynchronous learning model that Milpark offers means that students have access to a learning model that fits around their lives and not the other way around.
Some of Milpark’s alumni include sportsmen and women who have represented South Africa on the international stage, but have been able to balance their professional commitments and studies successfully. Milpark offers flexibility in the way students have access to their studies and also a solid support structure to help them manage it.
Support When Study Meets Real Life
Managing the demands of study and life can be challenging, but not impossible. The flexibility of Milpark’s PGDA is important because life does not stop when someone decides to study and pursue the next step in their career.
Students are more than academic performers. Their individual strengths, challenges and life experiences matter and they matter to the support team at Milpark. Students are encouraged, guided and connected across a variety of platforms and options. Forums, student success and wellness initiatives, mentors and peers are within easy reach and students are never left on their own just because the course is presented digitally.
Academic life crosses into real life and students need to cope with various demands from the birth of a child or the loss of a loved one to moving house or work demands. Students should not and do not feel alone at Milpark. With a variety of support to choose from, students are able to complete their course and do so successfully.
Academic Results That Demonstrate the Difference
The flexibility and support offered to Milpark students make it possible to complete their courses and it makes it possible for them to achieve remarkable results.
Based on the January 2026 IAC results, one in every five candidates who passed was a Milpark graduate. There were 405 of them, two of whom achieved honours and appeared in the top achievers lists.
Students who achieve results at this level enter the workforce as confident and capable contributors to their organisations and the wider economy. Most importantly, they have reached their personal goals and that is the most valuable outcome.
A Different Way to Progress Towards CA(SA)
Milpark offers a different way to progress towards becoming a CA(SA), with access, flexibility and support built around the realities of students’ lives. Whether completing the PGDA while working, choosing a half workload or accessing support from academic staff and registered professionals, students can continue pursuing their professional ambitions while managing other commitments.
For Milpark, this is what it means to enable students to be more: to keep progressing, developing and pursuing their goals without having to put the rest of their lives on hold. If you are ready to pursue your CA(SA) dreams on your terms, and achieve your PGDA with a team that makes it possible every step of the way, explore the Milpark PGDA and reach out to us today.
*Name changed in respect of privacy
