GDip or a graduate diploma is a post-undergraduate academic credential. The diploma is used for professional advancement, career transitions, or often as preparation for other more enhanced academics. GDip is generally focused on specialized, practical, or interdisciplinary skills. The credential is short, and usually completed within eight to 12 months. Certain diplomas are longer (part-time status) or much shorter.
Graduate Diploma in Accounting
Graduate Diploma in Accounting is one of the most popular GDips students take, but there are many other fields that offer these kinds of credentials including: business/analytics/management, law/policy/public administration, technology/engineering, education/arts/humanities, and many more.
Almost all universities and most colleges offer an option for a diploma but each school is different in terms of which specific program areas they offer.
GDipPA – Accounting Specialization
If you’re in the world of accounting, your graduate diploma would be the GDipPA. The diploma offers you more in-depth accounting skills and knowledge, along with communication utilities. It also expands your network in the accounting field. This is the best way to learn to communicate in the language of Chartered Professional Accountants (CPAs).
The GDipPA is generally five courses including: Advanced Financial Reporting, Advanced Taxation, Advanced Topics in Assurance and Control, Finance and Professional Practice, Integration and Analysis. These may not be the official course names at each university, but each school covers these core subject areas in a CPA-approved manner.
Relation to CPA – is it worth it?
GDipPA is a great option for those looking to accelerate their path to the CPA designation in Canada. Students are able to skip the first four modules of CPA PEP (Professional Education Program) including Core 1/2, and Electives 1/2. This allows students to jump into Capstone 1, saving them months of study time. CPA PEP requires all six modules completion, making it the longer course.
GDipPA is done in-person at universities across Canada, allowing students to take time off work and dedicate all time to studying, whereas CPA PEP is self-study and part-time, which means working at the same time.
GDipPA is heavily focused on case-writing and simulation, technical knowledge, and teaches competencies needed for CFE, generally offering higher pass rates.
How to get into GDipPA?
In order to get into the GDipPA program you need to have completed a Bachelor’s degree or a specialized college degree (reviewed on a case-by-case basis), and have completed specific CPA prerequisite courses. The CPA prerequisites require an overall average across courses of 70% minimum, a pass or 50% in non-core courses, and at least a 60% in the core courses. However, the diploma is competitive grade-wise. If you don’t meet these requirements, there are CPA Preparation courses that can fill-in for these prerequisites.
The diploma costs between $10,000 CAD – $20,000 CAD depending on your university. OSAP can’t be used for the GDipPA, however, an employer may offer a tuition subsidy or you may be eligible for a scholarship.
School Information
The GDipPA program you choose needs to be officially recognized by CPA and touch on all the correct CPA approved concepts, which many do. Canada’s top three business school’s GDipPA offerings are:
Rotman School of Management
- Begins in May for 12-week, full-time, in-person program
- Accepts applications from late-December through to early-mid January
- Students made the CPA CFE honour roll (top one %)
- Professors have developed and teach PREP and PEP modules, teach Capstone 1 and 2, write cases and textbooks, and mark accounting exams
- 15-20 hours in-class
Smith School of Business
- Begins in May for 13-weeks
- Intensive case preparation for CPA Exams, qualify for CFE in 15 months
- Average pass rate higher than national five-year average
- Approximately 15-20 hours in-class instruction per week
- Five half-courses building on each other
Ivey Business School
- Begins in May for 13-weeks
- Advanced standing in first four modules of CPA PEP
- Industry practitioners with CPA designations and involvement with CPA Ontario
- Approximately 90% of Ivey GDipPA passed CPA CFE last year.
How to strengthen your application
- Upgrade your GPA
- Apply to as many universities as possible
- Gain relevant experience – e.g. junior accounting roles
- Network. Leverage your network, be friendly to your accounting professors, you never know where one connection may take you.
- Look into CPA PEP
- Consider other alternatives – remember that life is never a straight path to success. Don’t be afraid to take the roundabout route.
