Local Government Accounting

Pro­vides basic knowl­edge of local gov­ern­ment account­ing prac­tices, bud­get prepa­ra­tion, and impor­tance of records for account­ing, con­trol and audit­ing of pub­lic records. The dif­fer­ence between local gov­ern­ment account­ing prac­tices and gen­er­al account­ing are also examined.

Course at a glance
  • Aimed at individuals interested in moving into higher level responsibilities in the local government field; our student body includes municipal government employees in planning, corporate services, economic development, operations, finance, and more.
  • Fully online asynchronous course, accessible through eClass, the University of Alberta’s eLearning management tool.
  • Participate in online discussions with peers from all over Canada and expand your professional network.
What you will learn

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  • Have an understanding of basic accounting transactions.
  • Work with accounting transactions in the context of local government.
  • Understand how transactions culminate in annual financial information.
  • Gain appreciation of the accounting function in relation to other departments of the municipality.
  • Understand the meaning and preparation of local government financial statements under the Public Sector Accounting Board standards.
  • Interpret and explain local government financial statements.
This course has no prerequisites

Students from all educational backgrounds welcome. You can register for this course without applying and enrolling in a program.

Currently counts towards:

Applicants intending to enrol in a program are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to lock in their course requirements since they are prone to change.

*If you are already enroled in this program, please refer to your specific program requirements as outlined at the time of your admission: Bear Tracks > Academic Advisement.

When will
this course be offered?

New course schedules are released each June and November.

Course not yet scheduled

This course is not currently scheduled, but may be offered in an upcoming term.

New course schedules are announced each June and November.


Sign up for updates

Interested in future offerings of this course? We can let you know when this course becomes available.