Experience Matters
At the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF), we're not training accounting and financial professionals. We're inspiring the next generation of leaders who will help drive change in all areas of society by redefining what it means to be an accounting and financial professional.
SAF's world-class faculty, standard-setting curriculum and research, wealth of experiential learning opportunities attract inquisitive and agile minds who think like an entrepreneur to identify new opportunities, solve complex problems and make courageous business and financial decisions. SAF offers five distinct undergraduate programs to bring unique perspectives to business problems. SAF students and graduates create value by combining a management, mathematical, scientific, computer science, or sustainable mindset to their financial management expertise.
Embedded in Waterloo's culture of innovation, SAF students and faculty tap into and contribute to the resources that inspires cross-disciplinary collaboration to push their expertise into new territories. Our alumni and faculty reach the top of their fields and shape the industry through a global perspective that champions innovation and courage. Our close ties with governing bodies and business allows us to lead the professions forward while transforming them.
At SAF we're always moving forward. We don't wait for change to come or react to it. We create it to turn opportunity to reality.
of AFM, Biotech/CPA, CFM, Math/CPA, and MAcc grads are employed full-time within 6 months of graduation
SAF grads have received the CPA National Gold Medal since 2010
Canadian team to capture the Global Championship at the CFA Investment Research Challenge
News
Congratulations to SAF professor Ranjini Jha, recipient of a 2023 Arts Award
More than 30 nominations submitted for the 2023 Arts Awards for Excellence in Service, Teaching, and Research posed an especially tough challenge for members of the Arts Honours and Awards (AHA) committee this spring. So many outstanding members of the Arts community inspired their chairs, supervisors, and colleagues to put names forward as nominees to recognize their contributions and achievements. Today, Dean Sheila Ager and the AHA committee are happy to share the results.
Waterloo professor recognized for best paper by the Canadian Academic Accounting Association
Wenqian Hu’s paper Trust Versus Rewards: Revisiting Managerial Discretion in Incomplete Contracts was awarded the Lazaridis Institute Prize for the best paper on accounting issues relevant to technology firms. The paper finds that an algorithm-generated bonus allocation scheme improves employee productivity, compared with human managers’ bonus allocation.
Employers should think twice before implementing peer recognition programs
In fast-paced and often rapidly changing work environments, employers continue to seek new and improved ways to recognize employees in the workplace. However, new research from the University of Waterloo suggests that public peer recognition may backfire by enabling comparisons among employees, and these comparisons may make some employees feel unfairly treated.
Blog
The gift of knowledge and people in university
Yammunna writes a graduation blog post reflecting on the lessons she's learned and the friends she made while being an AFM student.
Everything I learned at the AFM 2B specialization presentation
I recently attended the AFM 2B Specialization Presentation, which helps second-year Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) students decide on a specialization for their undergrad.
Find out more about everything I learned and what I think students should know.
Our Journey to A4S: Addressing Human Rights Through Sustainable Sourcing
Students from our Sustainability and Financial Management (SFM) program recently won the final round of the Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) International Case Competition.
Learn about their experience and prize-winning solution that led them to surpass teams from Germany, Norway, the United States, and Canada, to securing the top spot and a coveted prize of $10,000.