Program Overview

Professional Accountant Career Specialization

Specialization details

In the Professional Accountant Specialization, students build on core studies in accounting and explore financial reporting, assurance, taxation, cost management, and performance management at a more advanced level. This specialization fulfills the CPA prerequisite education requirements as well as the undergraduate requirements to be eligible for the 8-month Master of Accounting (MAcc) program.

Students in this Specialization often take co-op positions as Staff Accountants, Student Chartered Professional Accountants, and Treasury Assistants.

Course requirements

Specialized courses

To obtain the Professional Accountant Specialization, students must complete the following courses:

• 3rd Year
  • AFM 362 - Corporate Taxation
  • AFM 382 - Cost Management Systems
• 4th Year
  • AFM 451 - Audit Strategy
  • AFM 462 - Specialized Topics in Taxation
  • AFM 482 - Performance Measurement and Organization Control
  • AFM 491 - Advanced Financial Accounting

Mandatory AFM courses

In addition, students must complete the upper-year courses required for all AFM students:

• 3rd Year
  • AFM 311 - Connections to Ethical Context
  • AFM 321 - Personal Financial Planning
  • AFM 335 - Business Law for Financial Managers
• 4th Year
  • AFM 480 - Introduction to Organizational Behaviour
  • AFM 433 - Business Strategy
  • AFM 323, AFM 341, or AFM 344
  • AFM 373 - Cases and Applications in Corporate Finance
  • AFM 391 - Intermediate Financial Accounting 2

Pairing specializations

The Professional Accountant Specialization is a primary first choice of Specialization if students are interested in pursuing the MAcc degree and the CPA designation. It offers an outstanding foundation to build expertise upon if students are interested in roles in public accounting, corporate, public sector, or not-for-profit management, financial services, or consulting. It pairs well with any of the other 5 Career Specializations.

Extracurriculars

Examples of co/extra-curricular activities associated with the Professional Accountant Specialization include:

• University of Waterloo Accounting Conference (UWAC)
• Young Tax Professionals
• AFSA Tax Clinic
• ACE Consulting
• UW Consulting Club
• Queen’s University Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) – Accounting
• RISE Case Competition – Accounting Stream
• Battle on Bay
• Achieve Competition
• Fast Pace to the Case
• UOIT Connect Conference
• Queen’s University Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) – Ethics
• Performance Management Mentorship Program

Connect with alumni

The alumni profiles shown below are examples of SAF graduates employed in roles that involve knowledge and skills associated with the curriculum and common pairings of the Career Specializations:

• Professional Accountant
• Professional Accountant + Entrepreneurial Mindset
• Professional Accountant + Business Analytics
• Professional Accountant + Sustainability
• Financial Markets + Professional Accountant or Business Analytics
  • Annu Puri
  • Julian Wong
  • Anna Zuo
  • Catalina Gutman
  • Ben Jackson
  • Anik Seth
  • Vikram Somasundaram
  • Phil Hipkiss
  • Megan Tong (Chan)
  • Jane Chung
  • Hamoon Ekhtiari
  • Audrey Kao
  • Jade Choy and Keith Choy
  • Akash Kapor
  • Margarita de Guzman
  • Edbert Oey
  • Michelle Yeap
  • Bryon Lee
  • Timothy Wong
  • Harneet Jassal
  • Kieng Iv
  • Laura Lau Moon Lin
  • Gladys Chau
  • Teresa Yung
  • Jody Grewal
  • Elizabeth Demers
  • Cindy Zhang
  • Anish Chopra
  • Milenko Sikljovan
  • Emily Zhu
  • John Gort
  • Azar Zafar
  • Vrinda Grover
  • Daniel Cheng
  • Kevin Huynh
  • Derek Chu

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of its work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. The university's active work toward reconciliation takes place across its campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.