Emerging technology and changes to our physical and social environments are allowing us to reimagine products and services. These forces are inspiring new business models, placing new responsibilities on governments, and creating new opportunities in the not-for-profit sector. At SAF, 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 finance professional.
The world needs problem-solvers. The future of work requires professionals with outstanding accounting and financial analysis capabilities, data savviness, business and social awareness, an entrepreneurial mindset, and proven people/teamwork skills.
AFM offers you the freedom to design your own pathway through the program by making decisions about academic specialization, elective courses, and testing out co-op employment and co/extra-curricular experiences you find appealing. This flexibility allows you to align your values and interests with a customized learning experience so that you’ll be ready to lead the change and shape the future in whatever area of society that you wish.
Years 1 and 2 - Get 'Choice Ready'
Year 1 and Year 2 of your academic journey is to build your academic foundations in accounting finance and get you choice ready for Year 3 + 4. You'll leverage and integrate your academic, co-op and co/extra-curricular experiences in Year 1 and 2 learn about the opportunities and options you have to futher explore your professional career journey. SAF Advisors, professors and the Performance Management modules aims to support your transition to the SAF community, inspire your engagement in your learning, foster your academic success, enhance your people skills, and prepare you for academic and employment choices/experimentation. Take advantage of the experiential learning opportunities such as events, workshops, interactive webcasts, and team-based problem-solving situations connected to your courses and extra-curricular situations to maximize your success within your first two years as an AFM student.
Your Year 1 Year 2 Roadmap
Fall 1A Term
Get acclimatized to university study and make a healthy transition to the SAF Community
Objectives
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Meet your classmates, faculty, advisors, mentors, and upper year students
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Develop effective team-based study skills
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Attend Launch Your Career to get prepared for co-op
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Identify ways to get involved in the Community
Winter 1B Term
Gain the skills necessary to collaborate in teams, understand of the importance of personal and social responsibility, and start to learn about opportunities
Objectives
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Work with classmates on class projects and assignments
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Start to develop your network, meet employers, and learn about professional accreditation and job opportunities at special events
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Practice personal reflection and giving and receiving feedback to/from others
Fall 2A Term
Get Co-op Ready
Objectives
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Get the information and support you need to develop your strategy for your first co-op job search
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Develop your résumé, practice interviewing
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Prepare for success on the job
Fall 2B Term
Get Choice Ready
Objectives
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Reflect on your progress, learn more about customizing your degree with specializations and elective courses
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Consider your ongoing engagement in the SAF Community and how you want to make an impact
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Start to leverage your knowledge and your network to learn about and seize opportunities
Years 3 & 4 - Customize Your Pathway
Get ready to lead change and shape the future by customizing your AFM pathway. Choose your Career Specialization(s), test out co-op employment, and engage in extracurricular activities in Years 3 + 4 to accumulate the knowledge and skills you’ll need.
You must select at least one Career Specialization. However, you can take two in order to truly customize your experience. If you decide to pursue one, you can use your remaining electives to mix and match from other fields of study at uWaterloo that interest you. Your goal should be to use your electives to gain the knowledge and skills to launch your career in the area(s) of society you want to impact.
Here is how it works:
You have 13 elective courses that you need to take in AFM. Specializations consist of 5 or 6 courses, but some courses can be applied to meet the requirements for multiple Specializations.
Step 1: Choose a primary Career Specialization. Students' primary Specializations are often Professional Accountant or Financial Markets, and sometimes Entrepreneurial Mindset or Sustainability.
Step 2 (optional): Use remaining electives to combine your primary Career Specialization with a second one in order to develop breath of expertise or to connect your accounting/finance/business analysis competencies with study in another field of study at uWaterloo.
Step 3: Explore co-op and extra-curricular activities related to your academic choices to test out ideas, build your network and launch your career.
Minors and Studying Abroad
Minors are not a common component of an AFM degree as most require eight courses (0.5 credits each) to complete, and AFM students are required to use either 5 or 6 elective courses to pursue a Career Specialization. Students can use their remaining electives to pursue a complete a second Career Specialization instead of a Minor. The SAF advisor can help you figure out if a minor is a possible addition to your degree.
Studying abroad is an option in 4A and will need to be planned for in advance to allow students to meet the one Specialization requirement. More information can be found on the University of Waterloo's website.