Designation Programs

The field of accounting offers a number of career opportunities built on globally recognized professional designations.

Taking your business or economics degree (with a concentration in accounting) to the next level is possible if you pursue one of the following designations: 

• Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA)
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
• Human Resources Professional Certifications

Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA)

Laurier students wishing to enter the accounting profession can take all of the courses required by CPA Ontario to cover prerequisite learning, and the first four modules of the Professional Education Program (PEP). The courses are offered as part of the undergraduate programs in Accounting at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics together with the Graduate Diploma in Accounting.

The practical experience element consists of a prescribed 30-month period of training with a CPA Training Office (CATO).

CPA Path

Completing a BBA, BBA double degree or BA Economics and Accounting as part of Laurier's CPA-accredited program.

The CPA qualification process combines academic study, professional education and practical work experience. The program enables individuals from all educational backgrounds to become CPAs.

Courses

The academic requirements for entry into PEP consist of a university degree that covers all the prerequisite learning courses that are listed below by program.

Advanced entry into PEP is permitted for students who also complete the Graduate Diploma in Accounting. With the Graduate Diploma in Accounting:

• students are exempt from the first four modules of PEP (Core 1, Core 2, Elective 1, and Elective 2) and
• enter PEP at Capstone 1

Summary

• Step 1: Complete your BBA, BBA double degree, or BA in Economics and Accounting degree at Laurier including the seven required “CPA Electives”, and achieve the minimum grade requirements.
• Step 2: Complete the Graduate Diploma in Accounting program to gain advanced entry in PEP.
• Step 3: Complete the remaining PEP modules (Capstone 1 and Capstone 2).
• Step 4: Write the Common Final Examination.
• Step 5: Complete your 30-month Practical Experience Requirements.
• Step 6: Become a CPA!

Academic Requirements

CPA Ontario requires a minimum grade of 50% in each non-core prerequisite course (BU127, BU231, BU247, BU255, EC120, EC140, EC255, and EC285), a minimum of 60% in each core prerequisite course (BU283, BU357, BU387, BU393, BU397, BU466, BU467, BU477, BU481, BU486, and BU487), and an average of at least 70% across core prerequisite courses.  

Note that Laurier requires a minimum of 70% to pass each of the Graduate Diploma in Accounting courses (BU517, BU527, BU537, BU547, and BU557).

Any exceptions to the courses listed below must be approved in advance.

Required Courses By Program

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

First awarded in 1963, the CFA charter is the designation of professional excellence within the global investment community. The CFA program offers a truly global educational challenge where you'll build a fundamental knowledge of investment principles that is relevant in every market around the world.

Recommended Courses

Out of the recommended courses below, there are five elective courses that are deemed to be most critical for coverage of CFA material:

• BU473: Investment Management
• BU387: Intermediate Accounting I
• BU397: Intermediate Accounting II
• BU423: Options, Futures and Swaps
• BU449: Fixed Income Analysis

The following list includes all recommended courses for students looking to prepare for the CFA exams that provide some coverage of the topic areas tested.

Notes:

• Laurier courses are not CFA preparation courses. The CFA syllabus and Laurier courses have significant overlap but are not the same. Please refer to the undergraduate academic calendar for course descriptions.
• Most of the 400 level courses cover material that can be found in all three levels of CFA exams.
• The courses do not earn you the designation, but do prepare you for designation examinations.

For further CFA information at Laurier, contact Bruce Everitt at beveritt@wlu.ca, Gerry Ramos at gramos@wlu.ca, Ning (Tony) Tang at ntang@wlu.ca or Ernie Cosgrove at ecosgrov@wlu.ca.

Visit www.cfainstitute.org for all current requirements.

Certified Financial Planner (CFP)

Some students are interested in pursuing careers in financial planning. A popular designation for financial planners is the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation. The CFP registered certification marks identify individuals who are dedicated to a high level of professionalism in providing financial planning advice. The CFP credentials assure you that those using them have agreed to adhere to the highest internationally recognized standards of competence and ethical practice as set out by Financial Planners Standards Council (FPSC).

The following list of Laurier courses will help you prepare for the CFP exams:

• BU111: Introduction to Business Organization
• EC140: Introduction to Macroeconomics
• BU127: Introduction to Financial Accounting (formerly BU227)
• BU231: Business Law
• BU283: Financial Management I (formerly BU383)
• BU393: Financial Management II
• BU357: Taxation
• BU413: Personal Financial Planning and Management
• BU473: Investment Management
• BU483: Life and Health Insurance

Note:

• Refer to the undergraduate academic calendar for course descriptions.
• The courses do not earn you the designation, but provide you some of the background material tested in the designation examinations.

Students who wish to write the CFP exams will need to contact an educational institution accredited by the FP Canada. Laurier is not an accredited educational institution because too few of its students graduate to pursue the CFP. A list of accredited schools can be found on the FP Canada website. The accredited school should be asked to review the courses you have taken at Laurier and then give the appropriate credit for its own courses that cover the same part of the CFP syllabus. The school will then specify which of its courses you will need to take to be eligible to write the CFP exams.

Visit FP Canada for all current requirements.

Human Resources Professional Certifications

Human Resources Professionals Associations (HRPA) designations signal to employers that you have the skills and knowledge to succeed in a Human Resources occupation. 

Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL)

The CHRP and CHRL designations are offered by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). We offer all nine of the required courses for their designations at Laurier (see below). Typically, students will take these courses as part of their undergraduate degree while studying in our BBA program.

Required Laurier Courses for CHRP and CHRL

• One of these finance and accounting courses:
  • BU127: Introduction to Financial Accounting (formerly BU227)
  • BU247: Managerial Accounting
• One of these organizational behaviour courses:
  • BU288: Organizational Behaviour I
  • BU398: Organizational Behaviour II
• All seven of these HR courses:
  • BU354: Human Resources Management
  • BU408: Recruitment and Selection
  • BU414: Occupational Health and Safety
  • BU418: Strategic Human Resource Planning
  • BU448: Compensation
  • BU464: Labour Relations
  • BU474: Training and Development

Notes

• Refer to the academic calendar for course descriptions.
• The above courses are only part of the requirements for earning the CHRP or CHRL designation. Visit the HRPA website for all current designation requirements.
• For more information on the CHRP and CHRL at Laurier, please contact Steve Risavy.