Master of Professional Accounting

The Master of Professional Accounting (CRICOS Course Code: 117338B) is a two-year full time degree to be accredited by the professional bodies CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, The Institute of Public Accountant, and CMA Australia subject to registration approval.

The degree aims to equip students with real life problem-solving and decision-making skills essential to accessing accounting careers in private sector organisations, government agencies and the not-for-profit sector both locally and globally.

The degree will comprise 16 units (subjects) studied over 4 trimesters, 4 units per trimester session.  The master’s course consists of 8 core units and 8 additional professional required units. The units in the course are aligned and mapped with the Professional Accounting bodies. NAPS will apply for accreditation with CPA, CA ANZ, IPAA, CIMA after TEQSA accreditation.

The standard progression for the course comprises two trimesters per academic year.  However, the Academy may offer an optional Summer Trimester and bring the total number of sessions in a year to 3 trimesters.  It will allow a student who fails units in the standard 2 trimesters to repeat the units when offered in the Summer Trimester.  While the summer terms may be shorter than the standard trimesters, the volume of learning required would be the same as the standard term.  Depending on units offered, new students may also enrol in the Academy in the Summer Term.

Students are required to successfully complete units in each trimester before progressing to the next trimester of study unless there are exceptional circumstances as determined by the Student Progress Committee (SPC).

On completion of the course, graduates will be able to:  

• Demonstrate a mastery of advanced theoretical and technical knowledge related to the core disciplines of professional accounting in both a national and global context.   

• Demonstrate an understanding of research principles and methods as they apply to accounting.   

• Use problem solving skills in a contemporary accounting context to evaluate, synthesise and justify complex ideas / recommendations and communicate those ideas to both accounting professionals and non-accounting audiences.   

• Identify complex problems in accounting and finance, collect relevant data, evaluate, and synthesise a range of solutions and recommend the best course of actions in collaboration with others  

• Demonstrate application of knowledge and skills acquired within the accounting discipline with a high level of creativity, initiative, and personal autonomy.