Ambitious professional accountants, start here: The Master of Professional Accounting, UNSW Sydney. Immerse yourself in essential accounting knowledge and skills and initiate your global professional recognition. Within one and a half years, you will understand critical topics including management accounting and business analysis; develop advanced skills in financial reporting; and gain a deep appreciation of the legal environment that surrounds your industry.
Master of Professional Accounting students are exposed to a depth and breadth of industry knowledge and build the expertise required to excel in their careers. Graduates hit the ground running with comprehensive skills stemming from real-world work experiences, international professional accreditation and workplace connections.
Why choose this master’s degree?
The Master of Professional Accounting meets the educational requirements of peak professional accounting bodies, enabling students to meet global standards for professional accreditation. These leading international industry organisations include:
- CPA Australia
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA – recognised worldwide)
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA)
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA – recognised worldwide)
- Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ)
- Institute of Public Accountants (IPA)
The degree builds a comprehensive understanding of professional accounting based on industry, methodology and legislative requirements.
You will master professional accounting as the program encompasses financial, strategic and management fields. You will build skills in auditing, assurance, advanced financial reporting, statistics and data analysis.
The program offers a deep understanding of the structures that set rules and hold organisations responsible – study essential legal foundations, and laws related to corporations, business and taxation. See the program structure for detailed information.
For further specialisation, consider the Master of Professional Accounting (Extension), which offers more electives.
UNSW Business School students have exclusive access to Career Accelerator, a portfolio of professional development opportunities that include:
The course has defined my professional career in full. It gave me the tools I needed to be industry-ready. It was important to me that the course helped fulfil the prerequisites for a professional qualification and gave me professional accreditation
UNSW Business School degrees are shaped by industry leaders and world-class academics who recognise the future will present career opportunities that don’t exist today. The skills and insights gained from your Master of Professional Accounting can have an immediate positive effect on your career.
Who is this degree for?
- Graduates with limited or no exposure to accounting who are seeking a career as an accountant
- Recent graduates interested in achieving professional accreditation, or building a career in financial management
Job and career prospects
This program will open up many career opportunities including:
- Business risk manager
- Chief financial officer
- External auditor and assurance specialist
- Financial accountant
- Financial analyst
- Insolvency and reconstruction specialist
- Internal auditor
- Management accountant
- Management consultant
- Taxation specialist
- Treasurer
Find out how we prepare our graduates for career success
Why the Business School?
UNSW Business School is a leading business school in the Asia-Pacific. We rank 1st for Accounting and Finance in Australia, and within the top 50 worldwide. We are rated “Well above world standard” for Banking and Finance by the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) government assessment. Read more about our rankings and reputation.
Our students build professional networks among more than 90,000 Business School alumni worldwide and begin their new career before graduation. This postgraduate degree incorporates a suite of professional development opportunities offered by Career Accelerator, that are exclusive to UNSW’s Business School students. Career Accelerator helps you build industry connections through networking and mentoring, and you can undertake internships and global business practicums for credit towards your degree.