Accounting and Financial Practice at Algonquin College

A career in accounting provides the flexibility to work in a number of industries.

The one-year Accounting and Financial Practice Ontario College Graduate Certificate provides you with the required knowledge and skills essential to begin and advance in the field of accounting. With a wide range of accounting and financial responsibilities present in the financial sector, there is a continuous demand for junior and intermediate accounting personnel.

In this program, you focus on accounting practices that incorporate technology used in a variety of business environments. With the use of financial accounting software and spreadsheet applications, you gather and analyze financial information and prepare financial reports.

Through financial scenarios and practical exercises, you develop in-depth knowledge of financial accounting, managerial accounting, taxation, audit and finance, and acquire the skills, terminology, concepts and tools required in the field of accounting. The program concludes with a capstone course that gives you the opportunity to consolidate the knowledge and skills applied and practised throughout the program.

Graduates of this program are well prepared for careers in the field of financial accounting, managerial accounting, taxation and audit, with employment in government, public practice and not-for-profit organizations.

Students considering a professional accounting designation or an accounting credential are advised to make inquiries with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (CPA Ontario) before deciding to complete this program. See Additional Information for further details.

SUCCESS FACTORS

This program is well-suited for students who:

• Are comfortable working with computer technology.
• Possess good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Are detail oriented.
• Possess strong planning and organizational skills.
• Enjoy problem solving with numbers.
• Have strong analytical and critical-thinking skills.
• Have a high standard of ethics.

Careers & Pathways

Careers

Graduates may find employment opportunities in the following roles: accounts payable co-ordinator, accounts receivable co-ordinator, payroll assistant, property accountant, staff accountant, accounting associate, accounting assistant, accounting technician, financial analyst, budget officer, audit assistant, and tax preparer.

Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. Integrate ethical decision-making processes into accounting practices to establish and maintain transparency and fairness.
2. Apply recognized accounting principles to the systematic recording of transactions to provide consistency in the reporting of financial information.
3. Prepare accurate, relevant and timely financial statements for users of financial information that meet respective needs.
4. Analyze financial and managerial accounting information to support decision-making.
5. Use accounting software and relevant technology to produce accurate and timely financial information.
6. Prepare effective budgets to support business operations.
7. Research and discuss statistical techniques that safeguard data integrity and facilitate data interpretation.
8. Select and recommend information systems that support effective business planning.
9. Recognize legal implications arising in business situations to mitigate risks.
10. Produce effective business communications to convey pertinent information.
11. Examine and monitor current financial operations and provide suggestions to increase operational effectiveness.
12. Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

English Language Requirments

• IELTS-International English Language Testing Service (Academic) Overall band of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each band; OR TOEFL-Internet-based (iBT)-overall 88, with a minimum of 22 in each component: Reading 22; Listening 22; Speaking 22; Writing 22.