We are delighted to share with you details of our pioneering new CPA Ireland syllabus –
Ready to Face the Future of Accounting, which will be rolled out and taught to all students this coming September 2020.
CPA Ireland undertook thorough and relevant research in a bid to gain insight into the future of finance and most importantly understand the future needs of businesses and employers.
With the introduction of this new syllabus, CPA Ireland is ensuring that the knowledge and skills our newly qualified CPA accountants will bring to the market, will help shape the future of the profession and that CPA Members will continue to be well equipped, future fit and future ready for the changing world of accountancy and the evolution of the profession.
As automation and technology continue to drive changing business models, the role of accountants and auditors needs to rapidly evolve and adapt. The new syllabus addresses the
impact of emerging and disruptive technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Fintech among others, through the introduction of these topics across various subjects on the syllabus and through the introduction of a completely
new elective subject at our final level –
Data Analytics for Finance. This allows our students to bring the high demand data analytics skills to the market, in conjunction with their professional accounting qualification.
CPA Ireland are very proud to announce that we are introducing
Sustainability Reporting on both of our final level compulsory subjects, Advanced Financial Reporting and Strategy and Leadership. It is our ambition that our students will be pioneers in the drive to increase sustainability reporting among corporates.
The CPA Ireland syllabus still retains at its centre the core accounting skills, the core tools of the professional accountant and auditor, however, CPA students may specialise in at their final level in a combination of finance, audit, tax or data analytics. The syllabus is comprised of 3 Levels,
Foundation, Professional and Strategic with various subjects covered at each level.
CPA Foundation
- Financial Accounting
- Management Accounting
- Taxation
- Management Fundamentals
CPA Professional
- Financial Reporting
- Performance Management
- Advanced Taxation
- Audit & Assurance
- Managerial Finance
- Corporate Law
CPA Strategic
Compulsory Subjects
- Advanced Financial Reporting
- Strategy & Leadership
Electives (2 of 4)
- Advanced Tax Strategy
- Audit Practice & Assurance Services
- Strategic Corporate Finance
- Data Analytics for Finance
In summary, as the profession looks to the future, as expectations change about what it means to be an ‘accountant’, at CPA Ireland, through our syllabus and training regime for our students, we are ensuring that its newly qualified accountants are equipped with the skills, behaviours and competencies required to be successful in the future business ecosystem .
CPA Ireland has a variety of entry routes to the qualification and we welcome applications from graduates, school leavers, mature students, accounting technicians, career changers and other accountancy body transfer students and members.
We offer generous exemptions to accounting and finance graduates, but also welcome applications from all disciplines not just limited to accounting and finance, but in arts, business, law and other qualification specialisms and streams.
For further information, please visit our designated new CPA Ireland syllabus page
here