First-year provides a solid foundation in business, including communication and computer skills, personal development, teamwork and leadership, customer service, financial literacy and general business knowledge. The program’s dual focus provides students with marketable skills in both financial accounting and management accounting. Students become familiar with industry software, financial statements, and setting up accounting systems. They also gain valuable exposure to the management side of business, with skills in product costing, budgeting, price setting, eliminating financial waste and finding operating efficiencies. Third-year students gain advanced knowledge of taxation and auditing. The study of internal controls, methods to prevent fraud, and audit techniques can lay the foundation for a career in forensic accounting, with further industry experience. Students participate in a four-week, full-time career placement, providing experience and the opportunity to graduate into a job. The new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are integrated throughout the program. The three-year program also allows students to work on a term-long community-based accounting project to fine tune their skill sets and to network in their chosen fields.

The industry needs knowledgeable professionals who have an eye for detail, but can also see the big picture. In the global economy, there are dynamic opportunities at all levels of industry; in government and public institutions; in large and small enterprises; and in the not-for-profit sector. Accountants enjoy access to senior executives, and are uniquely positioned to understand their business from the ground up. Others work in personal finance, helping individuals realize their financial and retirement goals. Graduates may find employment as accountants, financial analysts, budget officers, account managers, financial planners, payroll officers, or internal auditors. As the Boomer generation continues to enter retirement there are tremendous opportunities to work in the world of accounting. Your diploma will allow you to pursue a career in a field that interests you such as sports, health and education. Those with an entrepreneurial spirit will gain the knowledge and confidence to start their own business. To become a Certified General Accountant (CGA), graduates must apply to a provincial body of the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada. Loyalist graduates who have completed the three-year advanced diploma with at least 70% in each of the required equivalency courses may be admitted directly to the fourth and final year of the CGA program. The CGA designation also requires a university degree and a practical component consisting of on-the-job learning with an approved employer. Transfer agreements with a number of universities allow Loyalist graduates to receive credit for their diploma studies, earning advanced standing toward a university degree. Those wishing to pursue the CA or CMA designations, upon completion of a university degree, can apply to a provincial body of the Chartered Accountants or Certified Management Accountants to obtain advanced entry into their programs.