A Company Secretary (CS) or Corporate Secretary (CS) is a professional responsible for ensuring a company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. It is the senior post in a private or public sector company.
The company secretary deals with the legal activities of any business. These professionals play the following key roles in an organization:
- Maintaining company records and filing legal documents.
- Communicating with shareholders and meetings.
- Advising the board of directors on corporate governance.
Company secretary is traditionally positioned as the support for the board of directors and administrative staff. But over these years, business strategy has been changed and the role of the CS has been expanded. Candidates interested in corporate governance and legal advisory roles can find this career highly rewarding.
The company secretary works as a traditional support to the admin and directors. The company secretary takes care of corporate governance and legal matters of the organization as additional work.
The CS represents the name of the company on the legal documents and ensures that the directors are working under the compliance’s for the company. The CS also communicates with the shareholders of the company and maintains the records.
The main role of the company secretary is:
To communicate and register the shareholders of the companies and to ensure the dividend are paid, and to maintain the annual records.
To become a company secretary (CS), candidates must pass 12th grade and enroll in the Company Secretary (CS) course offered by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).
Company Secretary Course Details
Do you know how to become a Company Secretary?
The Company Secretary (CS) is a professional course equivalent to an UG degree in India. The CS course is conducted by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSE).
Candidates interested in pursuing Company Secretary (CS), can join the course after 12th or after graduation.
CS Course After 12th
To pursue CS course after 12th, candidates must have passed class 12th or equivalent exam with Arts, Science or Commerce stream (Excluding Fine Arts).
The candidates need to qualify the following three stages:
- Foundation Programme
- Executive Programme
- Professional Programme
CS Course After Graduation
Candidates who are interested in Company Secretary course after graduation must have a bachelor’s degree in any discipline except fine arts.
The candidates who would like to pursue Company Secretary course after graduation, have to go through the following stages:
- Executive Programme
- Professional Programme
Interested in commerce, but not sure what to do?
Check Career Oriented Courses after 12th Commerce
Company Secretary (CS) Course Curriculum
CS course is a professional corporate course. The course curriculum is divided into different programs including the Foundation Programme, Executive Programme and the Professional Programme.
There are 4 papers in CS Foundation Programme, these include business environment and law, business economics, fundamentals of accounting and auditing, ethics and entrepreneurship.
This executive programme comprises of the company law, commercial law, tax law, general law, securities laws and capital markets, financial and strategic management.
In the final level of this course i.e. professional program, the student have to qualify papers on governance, risk management, compliances and ethics, advanced tax laws, secretarial audit, resolution of corporate disputes, corporate funding and listing in stock exchanges.
In the final module of the programme. The CS has the opportunity of choosing option for any one specialization like:
- Banking Law and Practice
- Capital, Commodity and Money Market
- Insurance Law and Practice
- Intellectual Property Rights – Law and Practice
- International Business-Laws and Practices
Fee Structure for CS Course
Below are the applicable fee structure for the CS course.
| CS Foundation Programme | Rs.4500/- |
| CS Executive Programme | Rs.9000/- for Commerce Graduates |
| Rs 12,500/- for CPT passed of ICAI / Foundation passed of ICAI-CMA | |
| Rs 10,000/- for Non Commerce Students | |
| Rs 8,500/- for CS Foundation passed students | |
| CS Professional Programme | Rs.12,000/- |
Examination Fees
The examination fees are as applicable:
- Foundation Programme -Rs. 1200/-
- Executive Programme – Rs. 1200/- per Module
- Professional Programme -Rs. 1200/- per Module
Admission Process
The admission in the CS course is open throughout the year. The CS examinations are held twice in a year in the month of June and December.
The student who had the cleared 12th standard in any disciplines (except Fine Arts) may enrol for the admission for CS (Company Secretary) programme. The students who have cleared the graduation can go for the direct admission in executive level.
Below we have given the dates for enrolling in the CS programs:
| Program | Dates |
| Foundation Programme | 31st March for appearing in December Examination in the same year |
| 30th September for June Examination next year | |
| Executive Programme | 28th February for appearing in both modules in December Exams in the same year |
| 31st May for appearing in single module in December Examination in the same year | |
| 31st August for appearing in both modules in June Exam in the next year | |
| 30th November for appearing in single module in June Examination in the next year. |
Are there any good colleges to pursue company secretary courses?
In India, the company secretary (CS) course is offered only by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). Therefore, ICSI is the only accredited body to regulate the CS course in India.
The students will have to undergo the following training after the completion of the course.
- Long Terms Internship with specified entities
- Management Skills Orientation Programme
Career & Jobs
“Company Secretaries are in high demand in public as well as in private sectors”.
CS graduates can find a diverse career opportunities in compliance management, legal advisory and corporate governance roles.
In private sector, the job opportunities are available in MNC’s, startups and listed companies. Professionals can provide legal solutions for mergers, acquisitions, and various business decisions.
Professionals having good experience in corporate governance and business management can find opportunities in leadership roles such as managing director or the CEO of an organization or a startups.
In public sector, government organizations and regulatory bodies hire CS professionals for various roles like compliance officer or a board secretary
Candidates can find work opportunities in Startups, Private and listed companies, Banking, financial institutions, stock exchanges and various government departments.
Skills Required for Company Secretary
- You must be really dedicated and hard working.
- You should have knowledge of legal aspects of accounting, taxation, auditing and other financial activities.
- You must have the ability to work hard with honesty and commitment.
- You should have excellent written & oral communication skills, good organization & management skills, negotiation skills etc.
- Good knowledge of business law and finance law.
Job Profiles
The top job profiles in which a CS graduate can work include the following:
- Company Secretary
- Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
- Company Registrar
- Compliance Officer
- Corporate Governance Officer
- Assistance to the Board of Directors
- Legal Advisor
- Corporate Policymaker
- Principal Secretary
- Corporate Planner
- Managing Director
- Administrative Assistant
- Administrative Secretary
- Investor Capital Market Relations
Some of the employment areas for Company Secretary (CS) are:
- Company Law Boards
- Financial Institutions
- Stock Exchange Corporate Advisory Services
- Departments of Company Affairs
- Banks
- Consultancy Firms
- Stock Exchanges
- Corporate Consultants
- Financial Management
Salary
“Most of the qualified company secretaries are awarded with attractive salary packages”.
The salary of a Company Secretary (CS) can vary based on experience, industry, location, and the company’s size. The starting salary can range between ₹4-7 lakhs per annum. Professionals having 4-6 years of experience can earn anywhere between ₹ 8-15 lakhs per annum.
Senior level professionals working in leadership roles with 10-15 years of experience can earn ₹30 lakhs to ₹1 crore+ per annum. These type of salaries are often offered to roles such as chief company secretary, head of legal and compliance.
Professionals employed in global firms or larges listed companies earn significantly higher than those employed in domestic or small firms.
Books & Study Materials
Here we are providing some books which have been compiled by our experts after analyzing other study materials available in the market:
- Business Communication & organization management
by Varinder Kumar & Bodh Raj - A Guide to Business Correspondence & Communication Skills
by A.N.Kapoor - Fundamental of Statistics
by A.K.Aggarwal & Sahab Singh - Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
by Ashok Sehgal & Deepak Sehgal - Fundamentals of Business Organisation & Management
by Y.K.Bhusan - Business Laws and Management
by N.D.Kapoor, Dinkar Pagare - Management Concepts and Strategies
by J.S.Chandan - Business Studies
by Poonam Gandhi - Business Laws
by D Chandra Bose
Career as a Company Secretary FAQs
If you have any other queries related to Company Secretary, you may leave your queries below in the comment box.
I have a diploma in secretarial studies, and I wish to upgrade. I’m interested in the course, but I don’t have fundings. How do I enroll in too?
You can take educational loans, look for scholarships, financial aid, or government funding programs.
What’s the fees to apply in foundation programe
the fess for CS Foundation program is roughly INR 4475.