University of Waterloo School of Accounting and Finance

School of Accounting and Finance
Former names
School of Accountancy
TypeSchool
Established1980 (1980)
Parent institution
Faculty of Arts
AffiliationUniversity of Waterloo
DirectorBlake Phillips
Academic staff
54
Undergraduates2,192 (Undergrad)[1]
Postgraduates293 (Masters + Doctoral)[2]
Location
Waterloo
,
Ontario
,
Canada

43°28′6.276″N 80°32′29.328″W / 43.46841000°N 80.54148000°W / 43.46841000; -80.54148000
Websiteuwaterloo.ca/school-of-accounting-and-finance/

The School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) at University of Waterloo is a professional school within the Faculty of Arts. The School was established in 1980 under the name 'School of Accountancy'. Its name was changed in 2008 to better reflect its program offering.[3][4] Today, more than 1,600 students are enrolled in the School's programs. In September 2009, a new 52,000 square feet (5,000 m2) building was officially opened to house the School.

The School of Accounting and Finance offers the largest accounting and finance undergraduate cooperative education (co-op) program in Canada.[5]

The School's Master of Accounting (MAcc) Program allows students to complete all required Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) modules within eight months, and is only open to students who complete the School's undergrad programs. MAcc graduates only need to challenge (and pass) the Common Final Examination and accumulate the required professional experiences in order to become a CPA. MAcc and industry experiences gained from co-op are well known among Canadian accounting and finance industries.

In June 2021, it was announced that the School and the Faculty of Environment will begin offering a new undergrad program, "Sustainability and Financial Management", and accept its first cohort of students starting Fall 2022. The program was created to prepare a new generation of accounting and finance professionals to lead businesses through an era of environmental sustainability, and to respond to the increasing importance of environmental finance and ESG factors.[6]

  1. ^ "Student Headcounts". University of Waterloo. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  2. ^ "Student Headcounts". University of Waterloo. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  3. ^ "Vision and Challenge: Accounting Education at the University of Waterloo 1981–2001" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  4. ^ "Director's Message". School of Accounting and Finance. University of Waterloo. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  5. ^ "The Directory of Canadian Universities: The University of Waterloo". Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  6. ^ "Canada's first degree to merge sustainability and financial management now on offer". Waterloo News. University of Waterloo. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.