Deakin University

Graduate Certificate of Professional Accounting

  • Delivery: Online
  • Study Level: Postgraduate
  • Duration: 6 months
  • Course Type: Graduate Certificate

Shape your accounting studies around your professional direction, with unit choices spanning financial reporting, auditing, taxation, business law and finance.

Course overview

Financial literacy can transform the way you contribute to business decisions. Delivered online, Deakin University’s Graduate Certificate of Professional Accounting provides a flexible introduction to the accounting, reporting and finance principles used across organisations.

Choose from areas including financial reporting, management accounting, finance, auditing, taxation, business law and accounting analytics. The flexible course structure allows you to select units that complement your background and goals. Students seeking entry to a professional accounting program can choose relevant units, subject to the requirements of the appropriate professional body.

Through practical business applications, you will learn to compare alternative solutions, assess financial costs and benefits and communicate recommendations in user-friendly reports. The online format also allows you to balance postgraduate study with existing professional and personal commitments.

The qualification can prepare you for accounting support roles or help you apply stronger financial knowledge in administration, operations and small business settings. Upon completion, you can continue your studies through Deakin’s Graduate Diploma of Professional Accounting or Master of Professional Accounting.

Key facts

Delivery
Online
Course Type
Graduate Certificate
Duration
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Can be studied part time
6 months (Full time)
Price Per Unit
From $4,375
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The estimated fee is determined by individual units of study and the year the course was commenced.
Intake
November, 2026
February, 2027
June, 2027
October, 2027
Units
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You may be required to complete 0 credit point units throughout your course. The university will confirm this as part of your enrolment.

The unit total reflects the number of units required for course completion, not the total credit point weight. Some units may be double- or triple-weighted, so the number of units you complete may be lower.
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Fees
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FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.
FEE-HELP

What you will study

To earn the Graduate Certificate of Professional Accounting, you must successfully complete units totalling 4 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 1 credit point.

Core unit options

Select at least two credit points from the following:

  • Accounting for Management
  • Financial Accounting
  • Advanced Accounting Principles and Practice
  • Accounting
  • Principles of Finance

Select a maximum two credit points from following:

  • Corporate Auditing
  • Accounting Systems and Analytics
  • Principles of Income Tax Law
  • Business Law
  • Economics for Managers
  • Analytical Methods

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

To be eligible for this course, applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:

  • Hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
  • Have at least two years of relevant work experience or part-time equivalent.

Selection also considers academic history, work and life experience and individual circumstances. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

English language requirements

Applicants must provide evidence of at least one of the following:

  • A bachelor degree from a recognised English-speaking country.
  • An IELTS overall score of 6.5, with no band score below 6.0, or an accepted equivalent.
  • Other accepted evidence of English-language proficiency.

Contact the university for further information.

Recognition of Prior Learning

You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate conceptual knowledge on basic accounting, and techniques in auditing and financial management including simplified applications to real world problems.
  • Draft user-friendly reports that clarifies the merits of alternate solutions and makes simple recommendations.
  • Identify potential alternative solutions and evaluate the financial costs and benefits of such solutions.
  • Determine ways to resolve a firm’s financial constraints through appropriate match with the theoretical solutions.

Career outcomes

Career opportunities include:

  • Bookkeeper
  • Accounts payable or accounts receivable clerk
  • Assistant accountant
  • Payroll and finance administrator
  • Small business financial officer
  • Tax assistant
  • Business support officer
  • Budget and reporting assistant
  • Office manager with finance responsibilities
  • Accounting systems operator
  • Compliance and records assistant

Graduates often work in small-to-medium enterprises, government departments and accounting support roles. 

Fees and FEE-HELP

Indicative annual fee in 2027: $17,500 (Full-fee paying place)

Indicative annual fees are based on your first year of study.

A student’s annual fee may vary by:

  • The number of units studied.
  • Choice of units.
  • Credit from previous study or work experience.
  • Eligibility for government-funded loans.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.