SAIT - Business and Tourism - CGA SAIT Degree - Program Introduction

The graduates of this program will meet the demand for professionals who have the ability to integrate the use of current and emerging technology into business decision making.

This program has been developed in response to the growing need for accountants with expertise in Information Technology. Accounting courses emphasize technology issues, and Information Technology courses focus on Accounting and Business Information systems. The integration of the two subject areas leads to a unique and highly marketable skill set.

Rapidly advancing technology, globalization of business and industry, and a strong focus on business ethics has placed new demands on the skill set and education of accountants. SAIT's Bachelor of Applied Business Administration Degree, majoring in Accounting and Information Technology, meets these demands by providing an education that integrates advanced accounting skills with the use of current and emerging technology.

The Information Technology courses are taught from an accounting/financial management perspective and start at an introductory level. There is no requirement for you to have a background in technology.

CGA Foundation Studies	Pre-Admission Requirement
Levels 1 - 3 of CGA Program

CGA Advanced Studies (Level 4)	Apply to Degree Partnership
Personal & Corporate Taxation (TX1) External Auditing (AU1) Public Practice Audit Case (BC2) Accounting Theory & Contemporary Issues (AT1) Advanced Management Accounting (MA2) Financial Accounting 4 (FA4)* *students are required to complete FA4 for the designation, but not for the SAIT Degree

SAIT Academic Requirements
Organizational Behaviour Fundamentals - Marketing Fundamentals Internet Applications - Network Management for Financial Managers E-Business - Database Management for Financial Managers Business Process Integration - Project Management for Financial Managers

SAIT Academic Requirements
Directed Field Studies 1 (DF1) Directed Field Studies 2 (DF2)

CGA PACE Level (Degree Partnership Component)
Internal Auditing & Controls (MU1) Information Systems Strategy (MS2) *although other PACE-level courses are acceptable for CGA designation, MS2 and MU1 must be completed for the SAIT Degree
Degree Conferred by SAIT

CGA PACE Level (Remainder)
Professional Applications 1 (PA1) Professional Applications 2 (PA2)

Designation Awarded by CGA Association

Program Requirements
The degree program is structured for students to enter once they have completed levels 1 - 3 of the CGA requirements (see Application & Registration).

As of September 2008, only applications are being accepted from students who have completed the AIT post-graduate certificate at one of our partner Colleges (Conestoga, Humber, Seneca and Vancouver Community College).

Once admitted to the SAIT program, students complete DF1 and DF2 through SAIT and the six CGA/SAIT Accounting courses through the CGA.

Flexible Course Offerings
The eight SAIT courses have been structured for ease of completion in just over one calendar year, depending on which session the student commences the degree program. The courses are packaged with a workload that allows students to complete a two course package in one session. The flexibility of the program allows courses to be completed either in the following format or on an individual basis:

No Exams
NO exams are required for the SAIT Information Technology, breadth and DFS courses as these degree courses are project based. National examinations are required for the Joint SAIT and CGA courses, which are part of the CGA Program of Professional Studies. For further information on the national exams, contact your regional CGA office.

Time Commitment
The applied degree courses are university level courses that require research, reading, and extensive studying and project work. Each course will require approximately eight hours per week of study time on average over the term, depending on individual learning styles and study habits. To be successful in the program, you must ensure that you have the time to commit to your studies. The program requires online study and access to the Internet. Please refer to your regional CGA website for computer and Internet requirements.

This component of the program require students to be employed in paid positions or continuously self employed in an accounting or accounting and IT environment. Students integrate knowledge learned in their academic studies to their workplace setting. There are two, 3 month work terms of 450 hours each per course or one, 6 month work term of 900 hours encompassing both Directed Field Studies courses 1 and 2. The academic components of the courses are completed online and coincide with scheduled CGA sessions. It is anticipated that approximately 10 hours per week of study time is required throughout DFS. Students must successfully completed DFS 1 to progress to DFS 2.

Designation Status
Graduates of the program will have completed the degree and a portion of the work experience requirement for the CGA professional accounting designation. Only two further CGA examinations are required after the SAIT degree is completed to achieve the CGA professional accounting designation - Financial Accounting 4 and the Professional Applications Examination. Students should contact their regional CGA office for further details on CGA designation requirements.

Advanced Credit
Students who have completed courses in CGA Level 4 and PACE level will receive automatic credit for the joint SAIT and CGA courses within the degree program. Advanced credit is also available for Organizational Behaviour Fundamentals and Marketing Fundamentals. In order to be eligible for advanced credit, the courses must have been successfully completed at an accredited post secondary institution and granted at least 3 credits. The student must have achieved a minimum final grade of "C+" or 65% in these courses. Students must contact the post secondary institution where they completed these courses and request that the institution send an official transcript to SAIT (the transcript must be sent directly from the Registrar of the institution to SAIT). For details on where to send the transcript, please refer to the Application and Registration page. There is no advanced standing granted for the Directed Field Studies courses regardless of prior work experience.

Graduate Skills and Careers
After successful completion of the applied degree, graduates will be able to:

Graduates of the Bachelor of Applied Business Administration degree majoring in Accounting and Information Technology will be ready for careers in public accounting practice, or in the Accounting, Finance or Information Technology departments of companies in a wide variety of industries as well as government and public institutions.