Master of Professional Accountancy

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Earn Your Master of Professional Accountancy Degree

Earning a Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA/MPAc) degree can enhance your skills as a professional accountant, boost your accounting career path, and prepare you to become a leader in professional accounting.

The University of California, Riverside (UCR), Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) degree program is a smart choice to help you achieve your personal and professional goals.

UCR’s Master of Professional Accountancy program provides you with advanced professional accountancy education in auditing and assurance, taxation, cost and managerial accounting, accounting information systems, and ethics.

Our professional accountancy degree program will provide you with the knowledge to meet the State of California Board of Accountancy education standards required for the following exams:

Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Management Accountant® (CMA)
Certified Internal Auditor® (CIA)
Certified Information Systems Auditor® (CISA)

Holding one or more of these professional certifications will provide a wide array of professional accountant job opportunities for you.

On the Right Track to Your MPAc Degree

Unlike other advanced accounting degrees, UCR’s MPAc degree is offered through two tracks.

Track One is for applicants with a degree or major in accounting and is typically completed in nine months. Two prerequisite courses or their equivalents are required:
1. Financial Accounting Principles and Practices and
2. Auditing and Assurance.

Track Two is for applicants without an accounting background and is often completed in 15 months. Students in Track Two are encouraged to complete an internship over the summer quarter.

“Our courses are geared toward preparing you for the CPA exam. Once you have gone through the MPAc program, you will be prepared to succeed as a CPA but also in managerial and consultancy positions.”

-Naman Desai, assistant professor of teaching in accounting

Explore the Master of Professional Accountancy Program at UCR

Flexible:

Earn your degree in 9 months (Track 1) OR 15 months (Track 2)

Comprehensive:

48 units (Track 1) | 56 units (Track 2)
View tracks

Foundational:

Complete 5 required professional accountancy courses
View courses

Focused:

Select 7 specialized elective courses
View courses

Rigorous:

Pass your comprehensive final exam

Career Options with Your MPAc Degree

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were nearly 1.5 million jobs for accountants and auditors in the United States in 2021. These positions are projected to grow at a rate of 4% annually, resulting in a significant amount of new jobs being added each year. Notably, the field of accounting is currently facing a shortage of certified accountants. The 2021 Trends Report from the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) highlights a consistent decline in accounting degree graduates in the U.S. since 2015. This presents a promising opportunity for those pursuing an MPAc degree, as it positions you in high demand within the job market.

Top companies recently hiring UCR MPAc degree graduates

Our MPAc students are consistently hired by the Big Four and other major accounting firms:

KPMG
EY
Deloitte
PwC
BPM
BDO USA
Armanino LLP
SingerLewak LLP
Grant Thornton LLP
Eide Bailly LLP
Chen&Fan Accountancy Corporation

Professional accountant job titles UCR MPAc graduates have obtained:

Accounting manager
Budget analyst
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Cost accountant
CPA
Forensic accountant
Internal auditor
Managerial accountant
Risk analyst
Senior accountant
Tax manager
Treasury analyst

Benefits of UCR’s Master of Professional Accountancy Degree

A STEM-Designated Degree Program

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Our Master of Professional Accountancy degree program is a STEM-designated program, which allows international students to apply for 36 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) to work in the United States in their field of study after graduation. Similarly, Graduates of STEM-designated master's programs make more money on average than non-STEM-designated graduate programs.

Personalized Career Advising

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The Career Development Center (CDC) at the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM) is a comprehensive, career-focused resource center for all graduate business students.

As a Master of Professional Accountancy student, we will ensure you are equipped with the tools necessary to gain experience through an internship (optional), search for professional accountant jobs, and serve as a professional accountancy leader. You will be able to take advantage of services including career coaching, job search strategies, job leads, workshops, networking opportunities, career fairs, and more.

Accounting Student Opportunities

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There are many ways for MPAc students to get involved and build their accounting professional network with campus groups and national organizations from day one:

Learn more about the graduate experience and explore other involvement opportunities at UCR.

CPA Preparation

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100% of MPAc candidates pass the UCR comprehensive final exam, which mirrors the CPA examination, so you will be well prepared to pass the CPA exam!

MPAc Spotlight

Slice of Life as an MPAc Student

UCR MPAc Program Featured News

Get Started

4 students walking down the stairs of Anderson Hall, UCR School of Business

Additional Information and Resources

Admissions

MPAc CURRICULUM

MPAC CLASS PROFILE

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Financing your program

Beyond the classroom

UCR General catalog

Application Deadlines

Priority Round:

December 15

Round 2:

January 31

Round 3:

March 31

International Final:

June 1

Final Round:

August 1

The MPAc curriculum is closely aligned with the CPA exam and gave me confidence to pass the exam and interview for jobs knowing I had the necessary knowledge and skills for the role. The whole experience at AGSM was enriching and helped me grow professionally and personally, preparing me for the corporate world. Thanks to the program content and the support from the Career Development Center, I was able to land my dream job at Deloitte upon graduation.

Rishika Jain ’22 MPAc

Audit Associate, Deloitte

The MPAc program is ideal because it allows students to enter from a non-accounting background and quickly gain the necessary relevant technical skills in the field. A few of the key skills I learned during the program include: auditing, Excel, flow chart documentation, research abilities, and teamwork.

Jesse Sun ’21 MPAc

Tax Staff, EY

The AGSM MPAc program helped me land an associate level position at a Big Four accounting firm, developed me into a high-performing professional in my field, and provided me with the opportunity to form relationships with other professionals. Thanks to the knowledge and experience that this program has to offer, I felt fully confident upon starting work at KPMG.

Jack Adams ’22 MPAc

Audit Associate, KPMG

The MPAc professors are not only great professors and researchers, they come from the business world. Within the curriculum, they teach students practical skills including how to analyze financial data, design audit processes, and conduct tax planning from real-life business situations.

Zhang Han ’22 MPAc

Assurance Associate, BPM

At UCR AGSM, I met so many amazing peers, faculty, and mentors. It was an affordable choice for a business school in the United States and yielded a significant return on the investment. After my program, I passed the CPA exam and landed a job as a Tax Associate at PwC!

Yuqun Zhou ’19

Tax Associate, PwC