Deakin University
Graduate Diploma of Professional Accounting
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 12 months
- Course Type: Graduate Diploma
Turn accounting knowledge into clear business insight and gain the confidence to evaluate financial challenges, recommend solutions and support better organisational decisions.
Course overview
Organisations rely on accounting professionals to understand financial performance, identify risks and translate complex information into clear business recommendations. Deakin University’s Graduate Diploma of Professional Accounting develops the technical knowledge and analytical judgement needed to contribute to these decisions.
You will progress from accounting and finance foundations to more advanced applications, learning how to assess financial and non-financial information, compare possible solutions and develop defensible recommendations. The course also strengthens your ability to communicate findings through reports designed for different business audiences.
A flexible elective structure allows you to expand your capabilities in areas such as auditing, taxation, business law, financial analytics or other approved postgraduate areas. Depending on your unit selection, the course can help you work towards the academic requirements for the CPA Australia and CA ANZ professional programs. It also provides a pathway to Deakin University’s Master of Professional Accounting.
Delivered online, the course can be completed in one year full-time or part-time equivalent. It may support a transition into accounting or greater responsibility in finance, reporting and compliance roles.
Key facts
February, 2027
June, 2027
October, 2027
What you will study
To earn the Graduate Diploma of Professional Accounting, you must successfully complete units totalling 8 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 1 credit point.
Core units:
- Accounting
- Principles of Finance
- Accounting for Management
- Financial Accounting
Elective units:
Select four credit points from the following:
- Corporate Auditing
- Advanced Accounting Principles and Practice
- Principles of Income Tax Law
- Business Law
- Economics for Managers
- Accounting Systems and Analytics
- Analytical Methods
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
To be eligible for this course, applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:
- Have completed a major sequence, a bachelor's degree or higher qualification in a related discipline.
- Hold a bachelor's degree or higher in any discipline and 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
Recognition of prior learning may be granted for appropriate postgraduate study. Negotiated recognition of prior learning arrangements are also available for CPA members. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate conceptual knowledge of advanced accounting and techniques in auditing and financial management including applications to complex real-world problems
- Draft and present user- friendly reports that clarifies the merits and weaknesses of alternate solutions and makes defensible recommendations
- Identify potential alternative accounting and financial solutions and evaluate both financial and non-financial costs and benefits of such solutions
- Determine ways to resolve a firm’s financial and non-financial constraints through appropriate match with the theoretical solutions and develop a structured implementation plan
Career outcomes
As an accounting graduate, you may find employment across the public and private sectors, including consulting, banking, small-to-medium enterprises, government and not-for-profit organisations.
Career opportunities include:
- Assistant accountant
- Auditor or audit support specialist
- Budget analyst
- Financial or management reporting analyst
- Tax compliance officer
- Payroll specialist
- Internal controls and compliance analyst
- Finance reporting assistant
- Banking and credit analyst
- Procurement reporting officer
- Accounting systems officer
- Reporting or regulatory accountant
Professional recognition
The course offers units associated with the academic requirements for:
- Entry to the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand CA Program.
- Associate membership for the CPA Australia program.
- Entry to the Institute of Public Accountants program.
- Possible exemptions from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants program.
Completion of the graduate diploma does not automatically provide membership, entry or exemptions. Students must select the correct units and satisfy the requirements of the relevant professional organisation.
Fees and FEE-HELP
Indicative annual fee in 2027: $35,000 (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.