Diploma in Professional Accounting (DiPA)

The Diploma in Professional Accounting (DiPA) is designed to equip commerce students with the practical accounting knowledge industry actually uses, and the modern tools that drive financial decision-making. Students apply accounting principles in a business environment through professional accounting software and case-based simulations, and the programme introduces business intelligence concepts alongside core accounting. It runs to 900 hours across nine modules. 610 of those hours — 68% of the programme — are practical, and every module is delivered through experiential learning: you operate a mock company's books, file on mock GST and TDS portals, build dashboards from real datasets and complete a capstone project before a viva. **How it is delivered.** DiPA is a blended programme. Live sessions run in-centre at Kochi and Kozhikode, supported by extensive activity on the CELSE learning platform — simulations, worksheets, practice tasks and assessments you work through between sessions. A fully online version is also available for candidates who cannot attend a centre, with the same curriculum, the same practical work and the same assessment. The programme is aligned with the National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) at NCrF Level 4.5 and carries 40 credits. CELSE Labs delivers it as an Approved Training Partner of Medhavi Skills University, and it is open to candidates from 12th pass upwards. Documented job outcomes are Junior Accountant, Accounts Executive, GST and Compliance Executive, Business Analytics roles and Senior Accountant, with vertical progression to Finance Analyst and Finance Manager. Placement assistance is included.

Eligibility: Plus Two (12th pass) and pursuing commerce graduates. No prior work experience required..

Scholarships of up to 30% are available via the free CELSE scholarship test. Call +91 8007 980 000 for current fees.

Two centres in Kerala: Kochi (Edappally)+91 8007 980 000 · Kozhikode (Mavoor Road)+91 7902 517 000.

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Course curriculum

Fundamentals of Industrial Accounting — 100 hrs

  • Introduction to industrial accounting systems and GAAP concepts
  • Chart of Accounts, groups and ledger creation
  • Double-entry concepts in practice, trial balance verification
  • Recording business transactions: sales, purchase, payment, receipt, journal
  • Industry-specific transactions across manufacturing, trading and services
  • Practical: mock company setup and end-to-end transactions

Advanced Accounting with Tools — 140 hrs

  • Tally Prime: masters, ledgers, groups and inventory masters
  • Tally Prime: accounting and inventory voucher entries
  • Tally Prime: GST, TDS and statutory compliance
  • Tally Prime: reports and MIS
  • Zoho Books: company setup, chart of accounts and master data
  • Zoho Books: sales and purchase transactions, automation and customisation
  • Zoho Books: reports and utilities

Compliance Management — 60 hrs

  • GST Part 1: background, relevance, working concepts and basic accounting
  • GST Part 2: Input Tax Credit rules, eligibility and ITC worksheets
  • GST registration and return filing on a mock GST portal
  • TDS concepts, deductions, challans and return filing
  • Payroll and labour law deductions — PF and ESI compliance

Cost & Financial Reporting Skills — 110 hrs

  • Cost sheet preparation for industrial operations
  • Budgeting techniques and variance analysis
  • Consolidation of financial statements across multiple entities
  • Ratio analysis and financial statement interpretation
  • Management reporting using pivot tables and Excel dashboards
  • Assignment: full MIS report for a mock company

Data Analytics for Accounting — 100 hrs

  • Introduction to data analytics for finance and data-driven decisions
  • Excel advanced functions: NPV, IRR, PMT, FV and related
  • Descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive analytics
  • Pivot reporting for management
  • Dashboard designing in Excel
  • Case studies: analytics-driven accounting projects

Business Intelligence Tools — 70 hrs

  • Introduction to business intelligence and data visualisation
  • Power BI / Tableau: data import and cleansing
  • Building interactive dashboards
  • Financial KPI visualisation — cash flow, P&L, balance sheet trends
  • Case study: business decision-making using BI dashboards

Capstone Project & Evaluation — 80 hrs

  • Live project: a full set of accounts for a mock industry
  • Compliance filing simulation across GST, TDS and payroll
  • GST registration and return filing on a mock portal
  • BI dashboard preparation for management reporting
  • Final evaluation: viva, project report, presentation and assignments

Soft Skills — 80 hrs

  • Business communication essentials for accounting environments
  • Email etiquette and professional report writing
  • Presentation skills using financial and accounting content
  • Resume preparation with an accounting focus
  • Interview preparation and mock interviews

Industrial Internship — 160 hrs

  • Real or simulated industry internship
  • Live accounting work in an industrial environment
  • Hands-on exposure that makes you industry-ready

Frequently asked questions

What is the Diploma in Professional Accounting (DiPA)?

DiPA is a 900-hour professional accounting diploma awarded through Medhavi Skills University, delivered by CELSE Labs as an Approved Training Partner. It covers industrial accounting, Tally Prime, Zoho Books, GST, TDS, payroll, cost and financial reporting, data analytics and business intelligence, and ends with a capstone project and a 160-hour industrial internship.

Can I do DiPA online?

Yes. DiPA is offered as a fully online programme as well as in-centre. The online version carries the same curriculum, the same practical work on the CELSE learning platform and the same assessment. The blended option combines live sessions at our Kochi and Kozhikode centres with LMS activity between them.

How is the programme delivered?

As a blend of live in-centre sessions and extensive work on the CELSE learning platform — simulations, worksheets, practice tasks and assessments completed between sessions. Because 610 of the 900 hours are practical, most of your time is spent operating software and mock portals rather than listening.

Who is eligible for DiPA?

Plus Two (12th pass) candidates and pursuing commerce graduates. No prior work experience is required. Commerce is the natural background, but the programme is taught from fundamentals.

How long is the DiPA programme?

It runs to 900 hours in total, delivered over approximately eight months — 290 hours of theory and 610 hours of practical work, including a 160-hour industrial internship.

What is the NCrF level and credit value of DiPA?

The programme is aligned with the National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) at NCrF Level 4.5, and is a 40 credit-based course.

What jobs does DiPA lead to?

The documented outcomes are Junior Accountant, Accounts Executive, GST and Compliance Executive, Business Analytics roles and Senior Accountant. Vertical progression leads to Finance Analyst and Finance Manager.

What software will I learn on DiPA?

Tally Prime and Zoho Books for accounting, Advanced Excel for cost and management reporting, and Power BI or Tableau for business intelligence dashboards. GST, TDS and payroll filing are practised on mock portals.

How is DiPA assessed?

Each module carries a theory paper of MCQs plus a practical skill test and a presentation with viva, all conducted by CELSE. There is also a capstone project report and viva. Passing requires 20% in theory, 30% in practical and 55% overall.

Is DiPA better than a regular accounting course?

It is longer and more formal than a short practical course: 900 hours, a university-partnered award, a credit value and an internship. If you want a recognised qualification with the practical depth to be employable, it is the stronger option. If you need to be working within three months, a shorter programme may fit better.

About CELSE Labs

CELSE Labs — the Centre for Experiential Learning and Skill Enhancement — is an NSDC-certified, ISO 9001:2015 accredited skill training institute and an Approved Training Partner of Medhavi Skills University. We work with commerce graduates, career changers and working professionals across Kerala who want a job in accounting, finance, compliance or data, and who need practical capability rather than another certificate.

Our training is experiential rather than lecture-based. Instead of textbook exercises, trainees operate the books, bank account, invoices and internal correspondence of simulated companies — M & M Technologies, Toy Kingdom and PetalSoft — where transactions arrive incomplete, out of order and occasionally wrong, exactly as they do in a real office. Trainees learn judgement by making decisions and correcting them, which is the part of the work that cannot be transferred by explanation.

Teaching is one-to-one, so pace follows the learner rather than a cohort. New batches start every Wednesday at both centres. Scholarships of up to 30% are available through a free online scholarship test, and our placement record includes 36+ named alumni at HDFC, ICICI, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Mahindra, Big Basket, Ford, Amrita Hospital and JRHA Accounting in the UAE.

Visit us at Edappally in Kochi or Mavoor Road in Kozhikode, or call +91 8007 980 000 to arrange a free counselling session.