Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce
ObjectivesThe Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce aims to provide graduates from an accounting or non-accounting background with the opportunity to undertake graduate studies leading to two Masters degrees – the Master of Professional Accounting and the Master of Commerce. By choosing appropriate units, you can complete the educational requirements for associate membership status with CPA Australia or the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia CA Program. Graduating with a Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce from Deakin will open the door to many employment opportunities and a huge variety of business careers. Recently the accounting profession has seen a fundamental shift from a role that was seen as providing financial information and number crunching towards a wide-ranging advisory role. Today's accountants are now seen as providers of business management information.
Entry requirementsApplicants for the Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce must hold a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent). Completion of the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma of Accounting, Graduate Certificate of Commerce or the Graduate Certificate of Internet Law and Practice will also allow articulation into the Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce.
Academic titleMaster of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce
Course descriptionProfessional recognition
Completion of the appropriate sequence of units within the Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce grants eligibility for CPA status of CPA Australia, subject to work experience requirements. Alternatively by choosing appropriate units you will have the opportunity to undertake studies leading towards entry into the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia’s CA Program.
Fees and charges
Equivalent Full Time Student Load (EFTSL)
EFTSL is the standard annual full time load. Eight credit points is the standard full time load for one year of study.
Fee paying place - Domestic (DFP)
A Fee paying place is one for which the university does not receive any government funding. As such, students enrolled in these places are required to contribute the full cost of their course.
Fee paying places are available to domestic students. Domestic students are those who are Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens or holders of a permanent visa.
*Indicative course fees should be used as a guide only. Deakin University assumes no responsibility for persons relying on indicative course fees to calculate the total future cost of their course. The indicative course fee is an estimate based on a typical enrolment a student may have for their first year of study in 2009 for their course. The indicative course fee is based on historical first year enrolments within the course, reflecting the discipline cluster of the units which may be studied within the course. The actual fees charged will depend on the individual units chosen. The cost of each unit can be viewed at http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/handbooks2009/search.php. Please note that the fees per unit/credit point may increase annually due to rises in the cost of course delivery and services.
Career opportunities
As an accountant you can choose to work in a range of different environments depending on your own skills and preferences. You can choose to work in large firms, small public practices, industry, government or education. You may also set up your own businesses.
Examples of the accounting environments available for employment include: chartered accounting firms, smaller accountancy practices, government organisations, business and commercial enterprises, not-for-profit organisations (NPOs), banking and financial services, management consultancies, educational organisations and law firms.
Graduates of this course would typically seek employment in areas of accounting such as financial accounting, auditing, taxation, management accounting, public sector accounting, forensic accounting and commercial law.
Given the fundamental shift of accountants towards a wide-ranging advisory role, career opportunities are also becoming available in other vocations including working as financial planners, investment advisers, market analysts, tax consultants, advisers in mergers and acquisitions, in corporate recovery and insolvency, treasury banking, e-commerce or information technology.
Course rules
The Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce requires completion of 16 credit points comprising seven credit points of core units and nine credit points of elective units (selection of elective units must form a Master of Commerce specialisation, see M705 Master of Commerce course entry for details of specialisations).
Specialisations
Arts and Entertainment Management
Business Systems Development
Commercial Law
Economics ^
Electronic Business
Enterprise Security Management
Finance
Financial Planning
Information Systems Project Management
Insurance
International Trade and Business
Management Information Systems
Marketing
^only available to students enrolled prior to 2008
Course structure
Core units
MAA702 Corporate Accounting 1 2
MAA703 Management Accounting 1 2
MAA704 Accounting Theory 1 2
MPA701 Accounting 1 2
MPC701 Information Systems for Business 1
MPE781 Economics for Managers 1
MPT753/MPF753 Finance 1 2#
Elective units
Select 9 credit points of units from:
MAA705 Corporate Auditing 2 3
MLC703 Principles of Income Tax Law 2 3
MLM720 Introduction to Commercial Law 1 2
MLM731 Corporations Law 1 2
MSQ791 Data Analysis for Managers 1
#MPT code denotes study tour version of the unit.
Note: Selection of elective units must form a specialisation from M705 Master of Commerce
or units from the Master of International Finance and the Master of Wealth Management.
Other postgraduate units may be taken subject to the approval of the Course Team Chair.
Notes
1 Required by CPA Australia for Associate Membership (10 units in all, see note 3).
2 Required by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia for entry to the CA Program (9 units in all).
3 For candidates who have completed an accredited degree in Australia, this unit may be taken as part of the CPA program. Other students must complete this unit before becoming an Associate Member of CPA Australia. These other students must take 12 units in all.
Students who wish to enter the CA or CPA programs are advised that it is their responsibility to ensure that they take the appropriate units required for entry. Students who have completed prior undergraduate or graduate units in accounting or other core knowledge areas are advised to have their qualifications assessed by their preferred professional organisation to ensure they complete the correct units.
Students should carefully note the trimesters when units are offered to ensure that all required units can be completed in the appropriate time frame.
Admission requirements - general
Deakin University offers admission to postgraduate courses through a number of Admission categories.
In all categories of admission, selection is based primarily on academic merit as indicated by an applicant's previous academic record.
For more information on the Deakin Admissions Policy visit The Guide
Admission requirements - specific
Applicants for the Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce must hold a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent). Completion of the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma of Accounting, Graduate Certificate of Commerce or the Graduate Certificate of Internet Law and Practice will also allow articulation into the Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce.
Advanced standing - general
The University aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is the greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.
You can also refer to the Advanced Standing System which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree.
How to apply
Applications must be made directly to the university through the Applicant Portal referring to closing dates for applications as dates for particular courses may vary.
Your faculty may require further information from you when submitting your application. Please refer to the faculty information website for further details.
Advanced Standing / Credit for Prior Study
Advanced standing into the Master of Professional Accounting/Master of Commerce may be granted to students who have successfully completed appropriate postgraduate studies. There are negotiated advanced standing arrangements in place for CPA members.