Graduate Certificate - Professional Accounting Practice

The Professional Accounting Practice graduate certificate is a one-year program for degree holders with an accounting background who need Canadian professional context.

The program addresses the specific gap internationally trained accountants hit: technical knowledge transfers, but Canadian standards, tax rules and professional expectations do not. Coursework covers financial reporting under IFRS and ASPE, Canadian personal and corporate taxation, assurance and audit practice, management accounting and performance measurement, accounting software used in Canadian practice, professional ethics and regulatory obligations, and business communication in a professional services context.

Because it is built around CPA educational requirements, this is a bridging credential rather than an introduction — applicants without prior accounting study will find it steep. At $24,320 it is one of the most expensive certificates at Newnham, so verify how your existing degree maps to current CPA Ontario entry requirements before enrolling.

Newnham is Seneca’s largest campus, on Finch Avenue East in North York, with its own residence, library, athletic centre and specialised technical labs. It sits on the TTC network with subway connections, and carries the bulk of Seneca’s business, technology and engineering catalogue — which means the widest range of student clubs, services and peers of any Seneca site.

Seneca Polytechnic — formerly Seneca College — is one of Ontario’s largest public colleges and a Designated Learning Institution. Newnham is its biggest campus, on Finch Avenue East in North York, and carries the bulk of Seneca’s business, technology, engineering technology, aviation and applied science catalogue. It has its own residence, a large library and athletic centre, and sits on the TTC network with connections to the subway.

Its field maps to CIP 52.0301 (Accounting). Important: this is a college credential rather than a degree, so it is not exempt from the November 2024 PGWP field-of-study restriction — eligibility depends on this CIP field appearing on IRCC’s eligible list when you apply. Seneca publishes a PGWP-eligible program list; check it, and confirm with an Apply Study Visa counsellor before committing. IRCC makes the final decision.