The signing ceremony for the International Flying Start Programme was held at Tsinghua SEM on June 18, 2009, jointly hosted by the School, The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and PricewaterhouseCoopers China (PwC). The new programme will exclusively offer students at Tsinghua University who are pursuing an accounting profession a better international view and career perspective.It is expected to support China’s increasing demand for accounting talents in the long run.

Professor Qian Yingyi, Dean of School of Economics and Management Tsinghua University, Wilson Liu, PwC China and HK Assurance HR partner, and Joyce Chao, Acting Director of Greater China of ICAEW were present at the ceremony.

The International Flying Start Programme was the first of its kind in China joinly launched by PwC, Tsinghua SEM and ICAEW. Upon qualification, students will be given a valuable opportunity to participate in a one-year work placement in one of PwC’s firms outside the Chinese Mainland. The programme will also help students accelerate progress towards the ACA qualification after graduation. If students pass all ACA exams at their first attempt, they will be able to qualify as an ACA within the first year of graduation.

"The International Flying Start Programme launched by SEM, PwC and ICAEW is a program of quite hight level; it brings students good opportunities for practice, as well as opportunities to recieve trainings on ACA", said Qian Yingyi, Dean of Tsinghua SEM.

“Tsinghua University is one of the best universities in China. PwC is delighted to keep a long-term relationship with Tsinghua and to be a part of this very valuable programme. We are proud to build on our extensive track record of supporting China’s pressing need for quality professionals by training and developing accountants to meet and exceed world-class standards”, said Wilson Liu, PwC China and HK Assurance HR partner.

Tsinghua SEM has achieved AACSB accreditation both for the Business School and Accounting as well as EQUIS accreditation respectively from April, 2007 to February, 2008. Currently Tsinghua SEM is the only business school on the Chinese mainland with AACSB accreditations both for the Business School and Accounting. Usually students need to take 12 exams to get ACA qualification. Now with the AACSB accounting accreditation, SEM students who want to hold ACA qualification enjoy 8 exams exemption.