The Master of Accountancy (MAcc, MAcy, or MAccy), alternatively Master of Science in Accounting (MSA or MSAcy) or Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcy, MPAcc, MPA or MPAc), is a graduate

professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...

designed to prepare students for public accounting; academic-focused variants are also offered. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, 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 The Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination (CPA Exam) is the examination administered to people who wish to become Certified Public Accountants in The United States of America. The CPA Exam is used by the regulatory bodies of all fifty ...

. 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 Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, where certain

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

such as

Brock University Brock University is a public university, public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The ...

's Goodman School of Business,

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

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 Ne ...

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

's Edwards School of Business, and

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

's School of Accounting and Finance offer master's programs and waive all education requirements up until the Common Final Examination (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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n universities to qualify for the Australian CPA, IPA or CA. As above, in other countries the degree's purpose may differ. Where the Bachelor of Accountancy is the prerequisite for professional practice, for example in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, the Master of Accountancy then comprises specialized

coursework Coursework (also course work, especially British English) is work performed by students or trainees for the purpose of learning. Coursework may be specified and assigned by teachers, or by learning guides in self-taught courses. Coursework can e ...

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 A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

often additionally (alternatively) pursue the

Certified Management Accountant Certified Management Accountant (CMA) is a professional certification credential in the management accounting and financial management fields. The certification signifies that the person possesses knowledge in the areas of financial planning, ana ...

(CMA),

Certified Internal Auditor The Institute of Internal Auditors (The IIA) is an international professional association. The IIA offers professional certifications and provides standards for the internal audit profession. History The IIA was established in November 1941. ...

(CIA) or other such certifications.

References

{{academic degrees Accounting scholarship Business qualifications

Accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...

Accounting education

See also

References