Post-Bachelor Certificates in ACCT (CPA Bridging)

*CPA Bridging Program E-Brochure

(Click link)

*NOTE: An alternate program to consider in lieu of the PBC-Accounting Certificates, would be uLethbridge’s condensed (15-25 course) BMgt as a Second Degree program with a major in Accounting, which is also CPA-accredited. Pursuing the formal degree in place of the certificates is of particular benefit for internationally-educated applicants as the former will optimize one's eventual Canadian Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility (as framed by the IRCC) due to its longer duration, when compared to that of the notably shorter certificates.

The Dhillon School of Business’ Post-Bachelor Certificates in Accounting (PBC-ACCT)/CPA Bridging programs are undergraduate-level, academic, micro-credentials designed to provide prior degree holders with the foundational accounting and finance knowledge needed (via accredited course equivalents) to advance their Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA)-related career goals.

  • ACCT Major Description: link

All successfully admitted accounting certificate students, any credential stream, will each have their own custom-built program of coursework (contingent on prior degree and/or verified exemptions from one's CPA transcript assessment) and will be given up to a maximum of 5 years to graduate from their respective programs, following their first semester of study.

Initial funding for program development was provided by the CPA Education Foundation of Alberta, with additional support from the Government of Alberta’s Access to the Future and Foreign Qualification Recognition Innovation funds.

1-of-3 possible accounting certificate credentials can be pursued, all of which can be fully completed from start-to-finish through either of uLethbridge's Lethbridge or Calgary campuses. Click on the below links to review each program's current curricula:

See the subsequent Admission Requirements tab below, to determine the preferred/recommended backgrounds for each certificate stream.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: CPA has two educational tiers that are required for their designation: (1) the Preparatory Education Program (PREP) and (2) the Professional Education Program (PEP). All three of uLethbridge's accounting certificates are currently considered to be equivalent to CPA’s first PREP tier only as subsequent admission into the association's 2-year, graduate-level PEP tier is to be accomplished directly through CPA upon the successful completion of all required PREP course modules/their recognized equivalents.

HOW DO I KNOW WHICH ACCOUNTING CERTIFICATE IS THE RIGHT ONE FOR ME?

See table below.

Accounting Certificate Stream Recommended/Preferred Background
Fundamentals

Intended for those with non-accounting degrees who are seeking a short, accounting-focused, undergraduate-level micro-credential to add to their educational portfolio/complete for their own personal interest.

  • Can subsequently ladder into the Advanced Accounting certificate upon successful program completion, if interested
Advanced

Intended for those:
Combined

Intended for those:

Especially for the learners who intend to further their post-ULETH accounting education with the CPA Western School of Business (via the association's graduate-level Professional Education Program) in pursuit of the CPA designation.

ULETH ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS (all accounting certificate credential streams):

  • One of an approved Bachelors degree (min. of 90.0 credit hours), a graduate degree (Masters or Doctorate), OR their equivalents (in any discipline), from a recognized degree-granting institution, with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of no lower than a 2.00 (when translated against uLethbridge's 4.0 scale) across all courses counted for credit in prior degree
    • Applied and Technology Degrees will not be assessed for PBC-ACCT program admission as they are considered to be similar to a college diploma (which is a lesser credential than a Bachelors degree)
    • NOTE: Advanced Accounting certificate program applicants in particular, must be in possession of a recognized Accounting Degree at the time of application
      • Any Adv ACCT certificate program applicants who do not have an Accounting Degree, will instead be offered admission into one of either the 10-course Accounting Fundamentals or the 16-course Combined Certificates programs, in lieu.
      • The Dhillon School of Business will consider non-accounting degree holders who may have a substantial breadth of accounting-area courses completed either directly within their prior degrees (i.e. as electives) or taken post-graduation, for admittance into the advanced accounting certificate program on a case-by-case basis. After submitting a formal undergraduate application for admission to uLethbridge first, such applicants will then be required to eventually email a soft copy of their issued CPA evaluations over to the Dhillon School of Business (dhillon.advising@uleth.ca) for review to determine eligibility.
  • A valid CPA Transcript Assessment (see Application Process & CPA Contacts tab below), as this is what the university will use to determine appropriate course waivers and subsequently custom-build the PBC-ACCT student’s respective program
    • Issue date of CPA assessment must ideally be no older than 1-year from the time of application to uLethbridge
**Additional (Non-Negotiable) English Language Proficiency (ELP) Admission Requirement for Undergraduate Applicants: Link - mandatory for all applicants, irrespective of individual program, campus, country of origin, educational history, or current residency status.

CPA BRIDGING APPLICATION PROCESS

STEP 1) Submit a ULETH undergraduate application via Apply Alberta – applicants will be directed to uLethbridge’s own institutional application later on in the process and will entail a non-refundable processing fee of $140.00 CAD

  • Select one of the three PBC-ACCT credential streams to designate as your program of choice
  • Will eventually receive a 9-digit uLethbridge student ID number. Retain this ID number for reference (Step 4 below)
NOTE: Steps 2 & 3 can be completed either before or at the same time as Step 1.

STEP 2) Apply for concurrent membership admittance with the CPA Western School of Business (CPAWSB), build your individual My CPA Profile, and initiate a request and pay for a Transcript Assessment

  • Follow the appropriate steps and procedures as defined in the above link, with respect to your individual background/applicant type
  • All official transcripts and documents submitted for assessment must be mailed directly to the CPAWSB in a sealed (unopened) envelope directly from the issuing institutions to:

CPA Western School of Business

201, 1074 – 103A Street SW

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6W 2P6

STEP 3) Once completed, you will receive an email which will confirm that your assessment is ready for viewing via your My CPA Portal Account

  • Note: 1 CPA PREP module = 1 or 2 undergraduate-level course(s) at uLethbridge. See the CPAWSB’s annually-updated Transfer Credit Guide for Alberta-based Post-secondary institutions here > “University of Lethbridge” column

CHECKPOINT: From here, applicants can choose to fulfill their remaining preparatory coursework either through CPA directly, or uLethbridge’s own PBC-ACCT programs which will have the appropriate academic equivalents built into them. If the latter, please proceed to steps 4 and 5 below.

STEP 4) Email the soft copy of your completed CPA Transcript Assessment to your campus-specific uLethbridge academic advising team:

STEP 5) Await for further instructions from a uLethbridge Academic Advisor regarding the next steps.

CPA Association Contacts & Info Pages
  • CPA Undergraduate/PREP-level Transfer Credit Guide (AB-based institutions): link (updated annually)
  • CPAWSB Membership Application Processes (BC, AB, SK, MB, only): link (will vary by applicant type/background)
    • CPA-Alberta Post-Secondary Scholarships page: link
    • PEP Info page: link
    • Educational Contacts page: link
  • CPA Provincial/Regional Office Contacts Page: link

For Calgary Campus-bound Undergrads

Fall Intake

(Sept start)

Spring Intake

(Jan start)

Summer Intake

(May start)
Off-shore International Students & Visa Holders June 15 September 15 N/A
Domestic Students (Cdn Citizens & Permanent Residents) August 1 December 1 N/A

*All intake-specific application periods will close at 11:59pm (MST) on the deadline date indicated above.

*Undergraduate application periods for subsequent intake terms will normally open on ApplyAlberta by no earlier than one year in advance.

  • Examples:
    • Fall 2021 intake = applications first opened on Sept 1, 2020
    • Spring 2021 intake = applications first opened on Jan 15, 2020

*Deadlines may be extended at the discretion of the uLethbridge Registrar's Office (not always guaranteed) during any given calendar year.

See our Associated Fees webpage here

What is the difference between the “PBCs-ACCT” and “CPA Bridging”? While both terms are relatively interchangeable, the “PBCs-ACCT” are the formal program names and culminating credentials that students will apply into and eventually graduate with at uLethbridge. “CPA Bridging” on the other hand refers to the certificates’ overarching objective.

When can I start? See the Intake Cycles & Application Deadlines tab above.

How long are the PBC-ACCT programs? Each admitted PBC-ACCT student will be provided with their own individually customized course sequencing and program completion plans, which will vary depending on one's:

  • Educational background coming into the university
  • Pursued certificate stream. Each of the Fundamentals, Advanced, and Combined accounting certificates has differing program lengths, at a base-level.
  • Number of preparatory modules exempted/outstanding on their CPA transcript assessment
  • Whether courses are completed on a full-time (3-5 courses) or part-time (1 or 2 courses) participation basis at uLethbridge for all intended terms of study. The completion pacing is entirely within the student’ control from start-to-finish, provided that they graduate within 5 years following their original term of admission.

See the Available Credential Streams & Associated Curricula tab above for further information on the required stream-specific coursework.

How do I know which of the three accounting certificates is the right one for me? See the Admission Requirements tab above.

What are the costs? See the Associated Fees tab above.

Do I need to have (valid) CPA Transcript Assessment before I can apply for uLethbridge's CPA Bridging Program? Applicants who do not possess valid CPA transcript assessment at the time of application to uLethbridge can technically still apply for PBC-ACCT program admittance. However, such students will be expected to complete their individual accounting certificate courses from scratch, since the absence of a CPA transcript assessment will entail no individual course waivers being granted.

  • Internationally-educated prospects who either do not have a valid CPA transcript assessment in their possession OR do have one but were only exempted from 5 or fewer of CPA’s established PREP modules (as per the association's annually-updated Transfer Credit Guide), are encouraged to pursue the “Combined Certificates” credential stream.
    • An alternate program to consider would also be uLethbridge’s Bachelor of Management (BMgt) as a Second Degree program with a major in accounting (also CPA-accredited). Pursuing the formal degree in lieu of the certificates can optimize the individual off-shore international student’s eventual Canadian study permit/PGWP eligibility (as framed by the Government of Canada) due to the former program’s longer duration, when compared to that of the notably shorter certificates.

How is pursuing my (preparatory) accounting education through CPA, different from doing it through uLethbridge? While both will provide a direct pathway for advancing into CPA Alberta’s PEP tier, uLethbridge additionally offers complimentary career planning and development supports for successfully admitted students by way of Career Coaching services and Co-operative Education/Work-integrated Learning opportunities

  • Note: PBC-Advanced ACCT students in particular will unfortunately not be eligible for Co-op due to the credential’s significantly short/6-course duration structure.

Will international students be eligible for a PGWP after finishing a PBC-ACCT? See the Additional Notes for International Applicants tab below.

Who can I contact for additional questions about CPA’s PEP tier? Please engage the CPAWSB directly via their appropriate department inboxes, as displayed on their contacts page here.

uLethbridge Designated Learning Institution (DLI) Number (all campuses):
O18776949622

*IMPORTANT NOTE I: Due to the short and individually customizable nature of uLethbridge's Post-Bachelor Certificates in Accounting programs (any credential stream), it should be noted that international graduates may not be eligible to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) after program completion. As a result, any prospective international student who is interested in pursing any of the university's 3 undergraduate-level accounting certificates for their educational goals, is strongly advised to contact the uLethbridge International Centre at international.new@uleth.ca prior to applying for this program, so that they can be provided with the appropriate guidance that they need to help mitigate the potential for future residency/permit complications.

In addition to Canadian study permit and PGWP counsel, uLethbridge's International Centre is also able to answer other international student-specific questions such as those pertaining to: international travel/quarantine requirements, immigration, Canadian residency, work permits, or bringing dependents, among others (see additional weblinks below):

*IMPORTANT NOTE II: Due to our small size, the Calgary Campus currently does not possess any of its own institutionally-managed housing (onsite or offsite) services for admitted students, at this time. As a result, all inbound out-of-city/out-of-country students who are in need of living accommodations within the City of Calgary while they pursue their academic studies with uLethbridge, will be responsible for sourcing and coordinating their own living arrangements via researching local listing websites, such as (but not limited to):

All successfully admitted undergraduate and graduate program students (domestic and international) are provided with the opportunity to apply into the university’s Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Program (“Co-op” for short) as a way to supplement their studies and enhance the value of their program and potential employment prospects upon graduation. Co-op job positions will usually consist of full-time paid work experience and will be typically related to the student’s respective area of study/major.

At this time, Co-op Work Terms are not built directly into any given uLethbridge credential program’s curriculum and are also not required for graduation purposes, at this time – that is, they are 100% OPTIONAL, meaning that a student can fully graduate from their respective uLethbridge credential program without pursuing a Co-op.

Admission into Co-op will entail its own separate application process to which individual students can elect to apply for at any time during their studies (even during one's first year) so long as it is accomplished before formally applying to graduate from the university during their last term of study.

*IMPORTANT NOTES: Due to the condensed and individually customized natures of all 3 Accounting Certificate programs, applying for Co-op may be trickier to guarantee, when compared to if one was pursuing a formal degree program.

- Advanced Accounting certificate students are confirmed to be INELIGIBLE for Co-op (as the credential is only 6 courses in duration)

- Accounting Fundamentals and Combined Certificate students however, MAY be eligible for Co-op (as these credentials are 10 and 16 courses in duration, respectively)

Regardless of the pursued credential stream, all accounting certificate students are strongly encouraged to connect with the uLethbridge Career Bridge office at career.bridge@uleth.ca with their Co-op questions as soon as they are admitted into the university.

Students may elect to declare up to a maximum of two (optional) minors within a single undergraduate-level certificate or Bachelors degree program, either at the time of application or added at any point during one's studies prior to graduation.

Minors are defined as a set of 6 distinct courses (18.0 credits), per minor, which are to be completed on-top of the student's base coursework in their primary program and ultimately aim to provide learners with a fundamental depth of knowledge in a particular sub-discipline (which do not necessarily have to be related to one's major or program faculty). Upon the successful completion of all calendar-mandated course requirements, the student's chosen minor(s) will be denoted on their official uLethbridge transcript.

While there are 47 possible undergraduate minors to select from with uLethbridge, the Calgary Campus however can only guarantee completion for the following 6 at this time, due to our small size:

  1. Accounting - Cannot be declared by PBC-ACCT pursuers
  2. Health Leadership
  3. International Management - Will entail the completion of at least one full-term/4-month outbound international exchange
  4. Marketing
  5. Mental Health
  6. Population Health

Consult the current undergraduate Academic Calendar ("Minors" section) to determine which exact courses are to be completed in order to satisfy the curriculum requirements for specific minors. Minor course requirements can be subject to change with every new calendar year. uLethbridge's 41 other declarable undergraduate minors, as listed in the Calendar, are exclusive to the Lethbridge Campus, at this time

*IMPORTANT: No undergraduate minor can be fully completed in one single semester as not all associated courses are offered every term. In addition, many minors will entail courses with specific pre-requisite conditions, which means that said courses will need to be completed in a certain sequential order due to their progressive knowledge-building/laddering structures.

Please visit this link for some example career titles, acquired skills, and possible work settings which may be in store for you as a future ACCT graduate.

APPLY TODAY!

(The above button will direct all navigators to the Apply Alberta system first, who will then be eventually brought to uLethbridge's own institutional application later on in the process)