Schulich School of Business and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Partner to Advance Global Accounting Career Opportunities

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 23, 2016) - The Schulich School of Business at York University and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) are pleased to announce today a partnership that will lead to a second globally recognized accreditation pathway for Schulich MBA and Master of Accounting students, as well as advanced standing for ACCA members pursuing an MBA at Schulich.

The ACCA pathway will enable Schulich MBA students specializing in accounting and Schulich Master of Accounting students to tailor their education in order to directly enter Professional Level exams for the ACCA designation upon graduation. ACCA members, and affiliates with an undergraduate degree may also receive advanced standing toward earlier completion of a Schulich MBA or Master of Accounting (MAcc) degree under the agreement.

Schulich also has official accreditation with the Canadian accountancy body, through which students may work toward certification upon graduation.

The Schulich-ACCA partnership was announced at the ACCA's Annual General Meeting, which was held at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto on June 16. The theme of the AGM was titled, Diversity and Inclusion: Linking Culture and Accounting. Speakers included Stephen Shea, Managing Partner, Talent, at Ernst & Young Canada, who holds an MBA degree from Schulich. Also speaking was Dezsö J. Horváth, Dean of the Schulich School of Business, and Marcia Annisette, Director of Schulich's Master of Accounting (MAcc) program, a Fellow with the ACCA, and an Associate Professor of Accounting.

"The ACCA accreditation means that Schulich students who are enrolled in the School's Master of Accounting program and MBA accounting specialization will have a more direct route to achieve a globally recognized professional accounting designation, ACCA, which is recognized in 80 countries around the world," said Marcia Annisette, Director of the Master of Accounting program. "Now, Schulich's accounting students can choose between two excellent career options: the ACCA stream or the existing stream."

"As a globally ranked business school, Schulich is proud to be associated with the ACCA as we work to educate and develop international accounting and finance talent in an increasingly interconnected world," said Dezsö J. Horváth, Dean of Schulich School of Business. "Partnering with organizations such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants is just one of the ways that Schulich prepares our students for successful careers with truly global credentials."

Schulich Master of Accounting students learn the full range of accounting and related functions, including managerial finance, complex financial reporting issues and auditing information systems. They will also gain advanced technical expertise and the ability to make decisions within legal, financial, regulatory and ethical frameworks.

Helen Brand OBE, ACCA's Chief Executive, said: "This historic partnership between ACCA and the Schulich School of Business means that our members and the thousands of students embarking on our qualification globally now have the opportunity to achieve a Master's degree from one of the world's most prestigious business schools. With our very strong tradition of innovation and expertise, our collaboration enables ACCA to expand and further develop the accountancy profession internationally, through one of the most diverse and groundbreaking MBA programs in North America."

Suzanne Godbehere, Head of ACCA Canada, said: "ACCA's partnership with the Schulich School of Business showcases our ongoing dedication to further advance the development of the accountancy profession globally. Through combining our expertise with Schulich's longstanding tradition of training professionals of the highest calibre, students will have the skills and competencies demanded by today's business world, and will be prepared for rewarding careers."

About ACCA

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants is the global body for finance professionals. It offers business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

ACCA supports its 178,000 members and 455,000 students in 181 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. ACCA works through a network of 92 offices and centres and more than 7,110 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through its public interest remit, ACCA promotes appropriate regulation of accounting and conducts relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. It believes that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. ACCA's core values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and it ensures that through its range of qualifications, it prepares accountants for business. ACCA seeks to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating its qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers. More information is here: www.accaglobal.com

ACCA is not affiliated with any Chartered Accountant (CA) organization or Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) organization.

About Schulich

Known as Canada's Global Business School™, the Schulich School of Business in Toronto is ranked among the world's leading business schools by a number of global surveys. Schulich's MBA program is ranked #1 in the world by Corporate Knights, the world's largest circulation magazine with an explicit focus on Corporate Social Responsibility, in a global survey that identifies which schools are doing the best job of preparing future business leaders for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. Schulich's MBA program is also ranked #1 in Canada and among the world's leading schools by The Economist, Forbes, CNN Expansión and América Economía. Schulich is also ranked among the world's top 35 business schools for a career in investment banking in a global survey by eFinancialCareers.com. The Kellogg-Schulich EMBA program is ranked #5 in the world by The Economist and #1 in Canada by the Financial Times of London. For complete ranking details, please visit www.schulich.yorku.ca.

Global, innovative and diverse, Schulich offers business programs year-round at its state-of-the-art complex at York University; at its Miles S. Nadal Management Centre located in the heart of the Toronto's financial district; and at its new campus in Hyderabad, India. Schulich also operates a number of satellite centres in Beijing and Shanghai, China; Mumbai, India; Seoul, South Korea; Mexico City, Mexico; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Schulich offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate business degrees that lead to rewarding careers in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, and has 27,000 alumni working in over 90 countries. The School pioneered Canada's first International MBA (IMBA) and International BBA (iBBA) degrees, as well as North America's first ever cross-border Executive MBA degree, the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA. In addition to Schulich's Master of Finance and Master of Accounting degrees, the School launched one of the world's first Master of Business Analytics and Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure degrees. Schulich's Executive Education Centre provides executive development programs annually to more than 10,000 executives in Canada and abroad.

Note: The ACCA accredited stream of the Schulich MBA and MAcc programs is subject to the approval of the governing body of York University, which is reviewing the proposed program.