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Unresolved Issues about the Proposed CPA Certification Program
Author(s) -
Ryan JoAnne,
Lento Camillo,
Sayed Naqi
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
accounting perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.238
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1911-3838
pISSN - 1911-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1911-3838.2012.00036.x
Subject(s) - certification , professional certification (computer technology) , flexibility (engineering) , business , accounting , process (computing) , diversity (politics) , public relations , management , political science , computer science , law , economics , operating system
This article identifies some unresolved issues about the proposed CPA certification program, and the implications thereof. Accountants seeking professional certification in Canada currently have three educational routes: the Certified General Accountant (CGA) designation, the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation, or the Chartered Accountant (CA) designation. These programs offer aspiring professional accountants diversity and flexibility in selecting a program that meets their individual career and life situations. The potential merger of the CGA, CMA and CA professional bodies into a newly formed Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) will likely result in significant changes to the certification process for becoming a professional accountant in Canada. The three professional bodies have released a document outlining the proposed Canadian CPA certification program that would serve the unified profession and other stakeholders. If the proposed merger proceeds as planned, the CA, CGA, and CMA certification programs will be replaced by the CPA certification program. This article examines select features of the new proposed CPA program and highlights some issues that may be of concern to the public, students, academia and employers.