MAcc Admission Requirements
How to Apply
Details about how to apply are available at graduate.carleton.ca/apply-online.
International MAcc Applicants
If you have completed your studies outside of Canada, please review the additional application requirements below.
Undergraduate Studies completed outside of Canada
If you completed all or a portion of the CPA prerequisite courses outside of Canada, you will be required to complete the following prerequisite courses at a Canadian post secondary institution:
- Intermediate Financial Accounting I
- Intermediate Financial Accounting II
- Advanced Financial Accounting
- Audit/Assurance
- Taxation
- Business Law
- Data Analytics and Information Systems (DAIS)
Note that all of the above courses with the exception of Business Law can be completed by registering in the Sprott Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Accounting.
Undergraduate Studies completed at a Canadian Post-Secondary Institution
If you have completed the CPA prerequisite courses at a Canadian post-secondary institution, including the six courses listed above, then you are eligible to apply for the MAcc program.
Language Requirements
For admission into Carleton’s graduate programs, you will need to demonstrate that your knowledge and use of English are strong enough for graduate studies at an English-language university. Visit our International Graduate Students website for our English-language requirements.
International Students can also visit the International Students Services Office for more information.
Eligibility
International students can only be admitted to our full-time MAcc program. Due to work/visa requirements for the MAcc program, international students are not eligible for our part-time program.
Application Deadlines
Summer Term Admission
Full-time Stream Only
- Completed applications are considered for admission on a rolling basis for as long as space remains.
- Domestic applications are encouraged to be submitted by January 31st, and required no later than March 31st.
- International applications must be submitted by January 31st.
- Only full-time applications are accepted for the Summer term.
Fall Term Admission
Part-time Stream Only
- Completed applications are considered for admission on a rolling basis for as long as space remains.
- Domestic applications are encouraged to be submitted by May 31st, and required no later than August 15th.
- Only part-time applications are accepted for the Fall term.
Eligibility
International students can only be admitted to our full-time MAcc program. Due to student visa requirements, international students are not eligible for our part-time program.
Admission Requirements
Applicants are expected to:
- hold an Honours Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, with a minimum overall average of B- (70%)
- demonstrate coverage of the CPA Competency Map at the ‘Entry’ level
- have a minimum grade of C- (60%) in each of the prerequisite courses (courses that meet the entry-level requirements of the CPA Competency Map) with a minimum overall average of B+ (77%) in the prerequisite courses
Please Note: Meeting the above requirements does not guarantee admission as space is limited and admission to the Sprott MAcc program is highly competitive.
Required Documents
Applicants must provide the following documents:
- Two letters of reference (Ideally at least 1 academic reference)
- A Statement of Intent
- A copy of transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended
- A resume
- A MAcc prerequisite form (upload as Preference Form)
- If applicable, a copy of your English-language test results
Please Note: Official documents (transcripts and test scores) will only be required if you are accepted into our program.
Language Requirements
For admission into Carleton’s graduate programs, you will need to demonstrate that your knowledge and use of English are strong enough for graduate studies at an English-language university. Visit our International Students website for our English-language requirements.
Prerequisite Courses or Equivalent
The prerequisite courses required for entry into the MAcc are the same prerequisite courses required by CPA Ontario for entry into their Professional Education program. Please refer to the MAcc Prerequisite form for your undergraduate program to identify equivalencies.
Currency of Education
Candidates should have completed at least one applicable prerequisite course in each of the CPA competency areas of Financial Reporting, Strategy and Governance, Management Accounting, Audit and Assurance, Finance, Taxation and Information Technology within 10 years of their MAcc commencement date.
Student Status
Students admitted to the part-time MAcc program will not be permitted to transfer to the full-time program at any point. Students admitted to the full-time program will be permitted to change their status to part-time but then must complete the remainder of the program as a part-time student.
Academic standing regulations must be met in order to remain in the MAcc program. These regulations are outlined in the Carleton University Graduate Calendar.
Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Accounting
The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Accounting is open to graduates of a Bachelor’s degree program in any discipline. This program is offered online and always has space available in it’s online course offerings.
If you have not completed the prerequisite courses for the Master of Accounting, you may do so through our Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Accounting. Through this program, you can gain the prerequisite core courses to be eligible to apply to the Sprott Master of Accounting (MAcc) program or enter the CPA Professional Education Program (PEP). Both pathways lead to the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. Please note that completing the Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Accounting does not guarantee admission to the MAcc as space is limited and admission is highly competitive.
If you have completed some but not all of the prerequisite courses for the MAcc and wish to complete one or more of these courses at Carleton, you may also do so as a Special Student.
You will need to apply as a Special Student. Upon acceptance, you will receive a student number and Carleton email account, which are needed to access the Carleton Central registration system. Find more information about becoming a special student on the Carleton Registrar website.
As long as the prerequisite course equivalents from previous university studies have been taken, then you can be approved to take these BUSI courses. Prerequisite courses for all BUSI courses can be found in the undergraduate calendar.
Students will then need to submit the Request for Waiver of Pre-Requisite form for each individual course.
Please note that even if waivers are approved, access to register in the course will be subject to availability. Special students register later than degree seeking students, therefore there is no guarantee of access to these courses in a given term due to enrolment limits.