The Master of Accountancy (MAcc, MAcy, or MAccy), alternatively Master of Science in Accounting (MSA or MSAcy) or Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcy, MPAcc or MPAc), is a graduate professional degree designed to prepare students for public accounting; academic-focused variants are also offered. In the United States, the program provides students with the 150 credit hours of classroom, but mostly clinical hours, required by most states before taking the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. This specialty program usually runs one to two years in length and contains from ten to twelve three semester credit courses (30 to 36 semester hours total). The program may consist of all graduate accounting courses or a combination of graduate accounting courses, graduate management, tax, leadership and other graduate business electives. The program is designed to not only prepare students for the CPA examination but also to provide a strong knowledge of accounting principles and business applications. Similar graduate programs exist in Canada, where certain universities such as Brock University's

Goodman School of Business The Goodman School of Business (colloquially referred to as Goodman) is the business school of Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The business school offers programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level of study. The ...

, Carleton University's

Sprott School of Business The Sprott School of Business is a doctoral-granting business school at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – the nation’s capital. It is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Netw ...

, University of Saskatchewan's

Edwards School of Business The N. Murray Edwards School of Business, also known as the Edwards School of Business, or simply Edwards, is located on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Formerly the College of Commerce, the school was renam ...

, and University of Waterloo's School of Accounting and Finance offer master's programs and waive all education requirements up until the

Common Final Examination The Common Final Examination (CFE) is the final examination of the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) professional designation in Canada. The 3-day CFE is the culmination of the rigorous two-year graduate-level CPA program. The exam not only i ...

(CFE) in order to become a Canadian CPA. A Master of Professional Accounting can also be obtained from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n universities to qualify for the Australian CPA,

IPA IPA commonly refers to: * India pale ale, a style of beer * International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation * Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound IPA may also refer to: Organizations International * Insolvency Practitioners ...

or CA. As above, in other countries the degree's purpose may differ. Where the

Bachelor of Accountancy The Bachelor of Accountancy, also known as Bachelor of Accounting, is the principal academic degree in accountancy in several countries, and is often the only (undergraduate) degree recognised for subsequent practice as a professional accountant ...

is the prerequisite for professional practice, for example in South Africa, the Master of Accountancy then comprises specialized coursework in a specific area of accountancy ( computer auditing, taxation...), as opposed to CPA preparation as above. It may also be offered as a research based program, For example
Free State University

. granting access to doctoral programs. Graduates entering corporate accounting or consulting often additionally (alternatively) pursue the Certified Management Accountant (CMA),

Certified Internal Auditor The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) is an organization which advocates, provides educational conferences, and develops standards, guidance, and certifications for the internal audit profession. History Established in 1941, the IIA today ...

(CIA) or other such certifications.

References

{{academic degrees Accounting scholarship Business qualifications

Accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

Accounting education

See also

References