Master of Professional Accounting

What is this course about?

CSU's Master of Professional Accounting program is designed to build upon previous non-accounting undergraduate studies and work experience, and to add conceptual depth by concentrating on studies in accounting and related disciplines.

The purpose of the Master of Professional Accounting is to provide a generalised professional accounting education to graduates of non-accounting disciplines and to satisfy the academic requirements of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and CPA Australia.

The Master of Professional Accounting is designed for students looking for a change in career, and opens the way to many vocational choices in areas of financial management, public practice, commerce and industry, government and semi-government organisations, and accounting education.

The 12-subject Master of Professional Accounting is available to students who have an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than accounting from a recognised tertiary institution, or a qualification deemed to be equivalent.

Applicants who do not have a Bachelor degree, but have a lower level qualification such as a TAFE Advanced Diploma, may enter the 16-subject Master of Professional Accounting by first completing the Graduate Certificate of Professional Accounting or the Graduate Diploma of Accounting. Credit into the Master of Professional Accounting will be awarded for relevant subjects completed in the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma program.

This course is available by distance education from the Wagga Wagga Campus and face-to-face at the CSU Study Centres in Sydney and Melbourne.

Why study this degree?

The Master of Professional Accounting will prepare students to:

• undertake and evaluate the conceptual basis of accounting and financial decision making
• understand, evaluate and apply the principles of current accounting practice
• recognise and analyse the impact of the business environment on accounting theory and its application, including the regulatory requirements controlling the accounting process.

More reasons to study this degree

Find out where this course can take you

Course structure

Master of Professional Accounting

The Master of Professional Accounting consists of 12 subjects if the student has a previous undergraduate degree, or 16 subjects for students who do not have an undergraduate degree and enter the program through a pathway of the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting or the Graduate Diploma of Accounting.

Graduate Diploma of Accounting

The Graduate Diploma of Accounting consists of eight subjects. At least four subjects must be accounting subjects drawn from the list of core Master of Professional Accounting subjects  and no more than four subjects can be drawn from the list of restricted electives.

Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting

The Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting consists of four subjects and is designed to allow students to choose subjects from the list of core Master of Professional Accounting subjects to best meet their individual needs.

More information about the course structure

Academic expectations

For each 8 point subject at CSU, students should normally expect to spend between 140-160 hours engaged in the specified learning and assessment activities (such as attending lectures or residential schools, assigned readings, tutorial assistance, individual or group research/study, forum activity, workplace learning, assignments or examinations). The student workload for some subjects may vary from these norms as a result of approved course design.

Students will be assessed on the basis of completed assignments, examinations, workplace learning, or other methods as outlined in specific subject outlines.

Where applicable, students are responsible for travel and accommodation costs involved in workplace learning experiences, or attending residential schools (distance education students).

Expectations relating to academic, workplace learning, time and cost requirements for specific subjects are provided in the subject outlines and in course materials.