Master of Professional Accounting

Waikato's Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcct) is tailor-made for university graduates who have never studied accounting before, but already have a bachelor's degree in another area.

This internationally recognised qualification will set you up for a professional career in accounting and as a future business leader. It is globally accredited by professional bodies and respected by top employers.

Depending on your career goals, students can choose either the 180-point MPAcct programme (12 months) or the 240-point MPAcct with a Chartered Accountancy (CA) endorsement (21-23 months). See below for more details.

The course has two intakes each year, so you can start in either January or November.

During your studies, you will develop advanced knowledge and skills in all the core areas of accounting, business, law, economics and finance, and be able to apply them to practical accounting situations.

Please note this is an accelerated course with an intensive workload.

You'll be studying at Waikato Management School, which is ranked #1 in New Zealand for Business & Economics for two years running (Times Higher Education World University Subject Rankings 2022 & 2023).

Waikato is also a Triple Crown Accredited business school, an educational benchmark that puts us in the top 1% of business schools globally.

Which course should I choose?

Master of Professional Accounting - 180 points

Waikato's 12-month Master of Professional Accounting (180 points) provides the ideal springboard to start your academic journey to become an accountant.

This qualification is endorsed by four of the world's largest industry accounting bodies - CAANZ, CPA Australia, CIMA, and ACCA, making it your passport to live and work overseas. Our graduates have the freedom to join any one of these four organisations as a provisional member, opening the door to a huge range of professional benefits and opportunities.

This world-class degree is respected by top employers, including the 'Big Four' professional services firms; Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG.

During the one-year course, you will learn about management and financial accounting, accounting information systems and processes, performance reporting, auditing, taxation, business law, strategic decision-making, quantitative skills for economics and finance, and economics for business.

Once you finish, you will be ready to start work as a junior accountant in either a public practice, commercial firm or organisation. However, you will still need to gain three years' work experience and pass your Professional Exams with one of the four industry bodies before you can become a fully qualified professional accountant.

• Chartered Accountants Australia + New Zealand (CAANZ)
• CPA Australia
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Master of Professional Accounting (Chartered Accountancy Program) - 240 points

Waikato University's brand-new Master of Professional Accounting (CA Program) will get you even further ahead in your future career.

Over 21-23 months of study (depends on whether you start in January or November), students will complete all of the academic and professional requirements set out by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ).

After gaining all the accounting and business knowledge you need, the extra 9 months of part-time study will allow you to focus on completing your CA Professional Exams while you are still at university - without any other distractions - before entering the workforce.

Each 8-week module is taught face-to-face in Hamilton by our accounting experts at Waikato Management School through a mix of lectures and tutorials. Exams will be held at the end of each module and assessed by CAANZ for quality assurance purposes.

Graduates of this 240-point programme will be eligible to join CAANZ with full membership status, making them highly sought after by employers in New Zealand and overseas. The final step in becoming a fully qualified Chartered Accountant is to achieve three years' work experience in an accounting role.

Please note that the CA Program is run in partnership with CAANZ and the timing of modules may be subject to change depending on the CAANZ timetable.

Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (Chartered Accountancy Program) - 60 points

If you have already graduated from a Master of Professional Accounting, and now you want a fast-track route to study for your CA Professional Exams while still at university, we have the perfect course for you!

Our new Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (CA Program) can be completed in 9 months of part-time study. The first intake of this qualification will be in January 2025.

This qualification is endorsed by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, so graduates will receive full membership of CAANZ once they have also achieved three years' work experience in an accounting role.