The global economy is changing. The growth in size and complexity of the economy and of the regulatory environment that surrounds it has created a sustained need for qualified professional accountants.
If you’re close to completing your undergraduate degree and looking to attain your CPA designation, there is no better way to start than through a Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting from the Rotman School. As a student, you will have the opportunity to complete the first four modules of your CPA PEP in a university setting, and benefit from the skills and knowledge of Rotman’s world-class professors.
By completing a significant amount of the required CPA PEP modules prior to working full-time, you can avoid the stress of studying and working at the same time – a benefit to both to you and your employer.
Apply NowStart in May 2024
‘One of the best decisions I’ve ever made’
- Graduate describes the GDipPA program
Students with employment offers from an accounting firm before or after starting the GDipPA should inquire with their employer about potential tuition subsidies.
Advantage Rotman
The program leverages the strengths of the Rotman School, located on the central University of Toronto campus in downtown Toronto, just blocks away from Bay Street and Canada’s financial and commercial centre. The program takes advantage of the depth of accounting expertise at the School as well as its long-standing commitment to professional accounting education.
- Grow your network: Build your network of accounting professionals from across Canada
- Focus on studying: without the distraction of work
- Experiential learning: Participate in case competitions with a panel of judges from the industry.
- Save time: Qualify to write the CFE sooner
- Case-based approach: Two internal case competitions provide strong preparation for Capstone 1 and CFE
- Exam structure: Modelled on the CFE
Reputation
With its top-ranked faculty, deep connections to Bay Street and location at the heart of Canada's top university, Rotman has built a reputation for its ability to position professionals like you for lifelong career success.
Location
Gain a full-campus experience in downtown Toronto at the historic St. George campus of the University of Toronto, just blocks away from Bay Street and the local business community.
Professional Network
Classes made up of top accounting students from across Canada, and all three University of Toronto campuses, allowing you to build a professional network that will help you succeed long after graduation.
World-Class Faculty
Rotman’s accounting faculty conduct cutting edge research in financial and managerial accounting, assurance, taxation, and related fields in financial economics.
Curriculum
The diploma program is accredited by the CPA Ontario and the CPA Canada and allows students to obtain advanced standing in the first four modules of the CPA PEP.
Admission to the program is only available to students in their fourth year of undergraduate study (or who have graduated within the last year) of a degree outlined below (or equivalent Canadian degree).
1. Appropriate undergraduate degree
- Rotman – B. Com. (Accounting Specialist – Public Accounting Stream)
- University of Toronto Mississauga – B. Com. (Accounting Specialist)
- University of Toronto Scarborough – B.B.A. (Specialist in Management and Accounting)
University of Toronto students who are not currently candidates for one of the accounting specialist programs are required to take the required courses to be considered as applicants to the GDipPA program.
Important note to applicants outside of the University of Toronto: The accreditation that the University of Toronto has received from CPA Ontario specifies that only candidates with University of Toronto degrees, or equivalent, may be given advanced standing in the CPA Professional Education Program (PEP). In determining whether a degree from another Canadian university is equivalent, the Admission Committee will review each submitted application individually. Prior to applying, we encourage you to ensure that the courses you have taken meet the requirements for entry into CPA PEP on the CPA Ontario website.
Study impacted by COVID-19
Due to the disruption to academic program delivery arising from COVID-19, we want to provide more clarity to students on how decisions of Credit (CR)/No Credit (NCR) in Winter 2020 might affect their future admission to our programs. Other institutions may have equivalent versions of the University of Toronto’s CR/NCR grade. CR/NCR may therefore be equivalently defined, but not limited to, Pass/Fail, and Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory from other institutions.
We can only provide guidance on admissions to Rotman programs and cannot advise on the need for grades in the future by other graduate programs, professional programs, or employers. Please exercise caution and consult with your academic adviser as you decide whether to opt for CR/NCR in your courses in the Winter 2020 term.
The revised admission policies provided below for our existing programs apply only to CR/NCR grades chosen in the Winter 2020 term. For CR/NCR grades chosen in other terms, the admission requirements outlined in the SGS calendar would apply.
Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting (GDipPA)
Applicants can elect Credit (CR)/No Credit (NCR) grades for their core and non-core courses taken during the Winter 2020 term in the Accounting Specialist. Applicants are still expected to maintain a 70% cumulative average on all core courses. Specifically,
- A CR/NCR awarded for a non-core course will be deemed equivalent to meeting the CPA minimum grade requirement of 50%. Non-core courses include Introductory Financial Accounting, Introductory Management Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Business Law and Information Technology.
- A CR/NCR awarded for a core course will be deemed equivalent to meeting the CPA minimum grade requirement of 60%. Core courses are all other courses except those identified as a non-core course. If a course is not clearly included as a non-core course it defaults to a core course.
- The program will continue to require admitted students to have a 70% overall average for their core courses when they apply to the program. All core courses awarded a CR/NCR will be excluded in the calculation of the required 70% cumulative grade point average (CGPA) for entrance into our GDipPA program.
Note: applicants should exercise caution in choosing CR/NCR for their core courses in the Accounting Specialist since grades above the 70% overall average may actually benefit them in future admission to the GDipPA program.
2. Required courses
If students are applying to the program in the fourth year of their undergraduate degree, conditional acceptance to the program is given based on the grades attained for the years leading up to and including the Fall semester of their final year of undergraduate studies.
3. Admission Interview
Select applicants may, on a case by case basis, be invited in for a short admission interview as part of the evaluation process.
Program fees for students entering the program in May 2023:
Domestic student fee: $11,020
International student fee: $16,660
Please note:
Program (academic) fees, University incidental fees and Rotman ancillary fees are set annually by the University and are subject to change. Fees are subject to approval at the University of Toronto Governing Council’s annual meeting in spring.
Employer Subsidies
Students with employment offers from an accounting firm before or after starting the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting should inquire with their employer about potential tuition subsidies. Some accounting firms will reimburse their employees a portion of the tuition of an accredited graduate diploma program. The program provides the equivalent training for four CPA PEP modules: Core 1, Core 2, Audit & Assurance Elective and Tax Elective.
12-Week Summer Session, running from May to the end of July.
Classroom lectures and cases between 15 to 20 hours a week.
Students will complete a structured sequence of the following 5 half courses (2.5 FCE) on a full-time basis:
- Advanced Financial Reporting
- Advanced Taxation
- Advanced Topics in Assurance and Control
- Finance and Professional Practice
- Integration and Analysis
The entire program will focus on delivering the requirements from the CPA competency map including both the technical and enabling competencies as defined by CPA Canada.
Rotman faculty include prominent academics as well as seasoned industry professionals. Students in the program will therefore learn both the practical applications of accounting from industry professionals as well as the current developments in academic research as they apply to numerous hands-on cases taught throughout the curriculum.
Curriculum design by prominent academics:
- Leading research faculty are directly linked to the curriculum development of the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting
- Academic researchers including Alex Edwards, Joel Amernic, Gord Richardson and Wally Smieliauskas serve as mentors for the various courses in the diploma program, ensuring that research and current developments in accounting are included
- The architecture of the program incorporates research developed by our talented faculty in financial accounting, management accounting, taxation, and assurance.
Access to seasoned industry professionals:
The faculty who are teaching in the program are:
- Designated Professional Accountants experienced in both public practice and industry in a wide range of business roles
- Closely tied to the CPA profession and CPA Ontario.
- Involved with CPA Canada and CPA Ontario in several capacities such as:
- Developing material for the PREP and PEP modules
- Teaching in the current PREP and PEP modules
- Teaching in Capstone 1 and 2
- Authoring cases and textbooks on various accounting topics
- Markers for the legacy and current professional accounting examinations
The entire Rotman faculty are committed to ensuring that accounting education is innovative and meets the changing requirements for the accounting profession.