Accounting

Accounting is the language of business and offers global opportunities in business. If you decide that the Accounting concentration at Laurier is right for you, you are choosing to keep your future career options open.

Why Choose Accounting at Laurier?

The Lazaridis School of Business and Economics' Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program is structured to ensure that every student develops a well-rounded knowledge of business – including accounting.

You'll start with an introduction to financial and managerial accounting in the first two years of the BBA. Your concentration in accounting then begins in your third year. This enables you to take both your required business courses and a number of elective courses (which can be in a faculty of your choosing). You'll develop an understanding of the broader business environment in areas of marketing, organizational behaviour, finance and operations, while also exploring other areas of interest.

Discover Your Passion

Taking a wide variety of courses also ensures you ultimately discover the business speciality that interests you the most. When you choose to come to the Lazaridis School, you're choosing to give yourself the opportunity to experience a wide range of business courses, and then to focus on the area of concentration that you want to take. The choice is yours.

Want to try your hand at becoming an entrepreneur? Or perhaps learn how to make your business more sustainable and competitive on a global scale? Maybe you'd find it valuable to learn a new language or pursue cultural studies of a country in which you'd like to do business. You can do it all while obtaining your BBA at Laurier.

Becoming a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA)

Benefits of Becoming a CPA

If you are looking to become a business leader with the ability to pursue a wide range of opportunities, consider taking your Accounting concentration to the next level by becoming a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). The CPA designation is globally recognized and respected.

CPAs work in a variety of businesses and industry roles. CPAs are the partners in public accounting practices, the CFOs and CEOs of many public and private entities, and the entrepreneurs on the front line of the next up-and-coming businesses. The opportunities are limitless.

CPA Designation Pathway

Laurier is an accredited institution with CPA Ontario. The CPA qualification process combines academic study, professional education and practical work experience to set you up for success as a CPA.

The core academic requirement at Laurier consists of a university degree that covers all the courses in one of the accredited programs, plus five graduate courses designed to meet CPA Ontario's academic requirement to prepare you to enter Capstone 1 and 2 and to write the Common Final Evaluation.

The accredited programs at Laurier are the completion of the accounting concentration in one of (or the equivalent of):

• Bachelor of Business Administration
• Bachelor of Business Administration Double Degree Program
• Bachelor of Arts Economics and Accounting Program

After you have completed one of the above undergraduate programs, you are required to complete the Graduate Diploma in Accounting (one term consisting of five courses) in order to fulfil the course requirements of Core 1 through to Elective 2 of the CPA education component.

Co-op Opportunities

Laurier offers an extensive co-op program in business (which includes accounting). Our co-op program is affiliated with a diverse range of companies to help ensure you not only fulfil the educational component of your CPA, but also gain some of the valuable experience in accounting that is required to obtain your designation.

Laurier has arrangements with the "big four" accounting firms, as well as many other international, national and local accounting firms. We also host employers from a wide variety of large and small companies who are registered with CPA Ontario as designated training grounds for future CPAs.