Master of Professional Accounting

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Master of Professional Accounting
Deakin course code	M742
Faculty	Faculty of Business and Law
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Online	Yes
Duration	Depending on your professional experience and previous qualifications, the Master of Professional Accounting is typically 1, 1.5 or 2 years duration. 1 year full-time (2 years part-time) - 8 credit points 1.5 years full-time (3 years part-time) - 12 credit points 2 years full-time (4 years part-time) - 16 credit points Deakin courses can also be studied part-time over a longer period.
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
CRICOS course code	102876K Burwood (Melbourne)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9
Students who have commenced before T1 2021 (course M720 Master of Professional Accounting), please refer to the 2020 handbook, or the handbook archives, for the relevant course structure.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Study at a university ranked in the top 1% in the world for accounting^* and expand your depth of knowledge and career opportunities. Deakin's Master of Professional Accounting allows you to graduate with the skills to practise as an accountant, specialising in your chosen field of business.

Ready to upgrade your accounting career?

Whether you are looking to upgrade your existing qualifications or move into a new professional field altogether, the Master of Professional Accounting opens up new career possibilities. Catering to students from both accounting and non-accounting backgrounds, this course offers you the opportunity to complete the necessary studies to become an associate member of CPA Australia, to enter the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand to undertake the CA program, or to enter the IPA professional program.

Now is the perfect time to draw on your prior career experience and add layers of new knowledge to become a sought-after expert in your field. Some of the key areas you will study include:

accounting and systems analytics
audit
economics
finance
financial accounting
law
management accounting.

Our course content is influenced by our advisory board, made up of members of peak professional bodies and active accounting professionals. This means everything you study is updated and maintained through extensive industry research. This includes the research developed by our IPA-Deakin SME research centre, which is dedicated to driving key insights for small-to-medium enterprises and by our Deakin Integrated Reporting Centre, which provides strategic and operational leadership in integrated reporting policy and technical knowledge, as well as academic and executive education and cutting-edge research.

Learn from academics who leverage their specific expertise and up-to-date research to embed progressive learning throughout your course journey, giving you the ability to work on contemporary case studies with a real-world application.

As a graduate, you will have the option to complement your primary studies in professional accounting with a specialisation in a wide range of business-related fields. Designed to meet industry demand for skilled professionals with a breadth of transferrable skills, a specialisation can help deepen your knowledge in a particular business field and benefit your future career.

Modern-day employers are seeking professionals with not only strong theoretical knowledge and expertise, but also a breadth of transferrable skills. So, whether you're wanting to build your finance skills or focus on IT, real estate or the arts, we offer the right specialisation to broaden your skill set. Some of your options include:

Artificial Intelligence for Business
Arts and Cultural Industries
Cyberlaw
Finance
Financial Planning
Human Resource Management
International Trade and Business
Management Consulting
Marketing
Project Management
Property and Real Estate
Supply Chain Management.

Not sure which specialisation to pursue? You won't have to decide until you've commenced the course, giving you the chance to explore the many options that may benefit your future career.

_{*QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023}

Indicative student workload

You can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, online interactions, or professional experiences for Work Integrated Learning (WIL) units. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

Professional recognition

The course team and teaching staff have well-established links with relevant professional bodies both in Australia and overseas. Continuous effort is made to ensure the Master of Professional Accounting curriculum design and delivery keep abreast of industry needs and developments in the profession.

Deakin Business School holds both AACSB and EQUIS accreditations. These prestigious accreditations are awarded to business schools that meet strict standards of quality, academic and professional excellence, and demonstrate a commitment to ongoing improvement and innovation in their courses, ensuring our graduates are employable worldwide.

Completion of the appropriate selection of units within the Master of Professional Accounting grants eligibility for entry as an associate member of CPA Australia and meets the educational requirements for entry into the:

• CA program of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)
• Institute of Public Accountants (IPA)
• Professional Accounting Program (PEP).

Upon completion of appropriate program units, it is also possible to receive exemptions from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) towards the ACCA qualification. Completion of this qualification will allow you to enter the Certified Management Accountants (CMA) study program.

Career opportunities

With real-world skills and awareness of current trends, graduates of the Master of Professional Accounting will be ready to hit the ground running in their chosen field and can seek employment in areas of accounting such as:

auditing
financial accounting
forensic accounting
management accounting
public sector accounting
taxation.

As a qualified accountant, you can choose to work in a range of different settings depending on your skills and preferences, such as:

all levels of government
banking and financial services
educational organisations
large firms
law firms
not-for-profit organisations
self-employment
small public practices

Given the fundamental shift of accountants moving towards wide-ranging advisory roles, career opportunities are also becoming available in other vocations, including roles as:

advisers in mergers and acquisitions
corporate recovery and insolvency
e-commerce or information technology
investment advisers
market analysts
tax consultants
treasury banking.

Participation requirements

Units in this course may have participation requirements that include compulsory placements, work-based training, community-based learning or collaborative research training arrangements.

Placement can occur at any time, including during standard holiday breaks. Learn about key dates at Deakin.

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Units which contain work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, working with children check or other check. These requirements will be detailed in unit guides upon enrolment.

Alternate exits

Graduate Certificate of Commerce (M516)
Graduate Certificate of Professional Accounting (M506)
Graduate Diploma of Commerce (M616)
Graduate Diploma of Professional Accounting (M696)

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Integrate advanced theoretical and technical knowledge of current and emerging accounting concepts and practices in contemporary business contexts
Communication	Use advanced communication skills to justify and communicate complex accounting concepts and ideas to both accountants and non-accountants
Digital literacy	Select and apply appropriate digital technologies to find, use, manage and disseminate complex accounting and business data, information and ideas
Critical thinking	Use a specialised set of high order cognitive and critical analysis skills expected of accounting professionals in contemporary business to evaluate, synthesise and justify complex ideas and recommendations
Problem solving	Develop solutions to real world and ill-defined problems faced by accounting professionals in business
Self-management	Use acquired skills to undertake own work and learning and conduct independent research
Teamwork	Collaborate and communicate in teams to interpret decision-relevant information and develop accounting and business advice and ideas
Global citizenship	Engage ethically, professionally and productively in a professional accounting and business context in light of changing global perspectives

Course rules

To complete the Master of Professional Accounting students must pass 16 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
12 credit points of core units
4 credit points of open elective units

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Specialisations

Faculty-wide specialisations

Refer to the details of each specialisation for availability.

*Offered to students who commenced in 2023 or prior.

Course structure

Compulsory 0-credit point module

To be completed in the first trimester of study:-

DAI001

Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin

Core units

MAA701

Accounting ^{1, 2,}

MAF752

Principles of Finance ^{1, 2, 4}

MPT781/MPE781

Economics for Managers ^{1,2,^}

MLC707

Business Law ^{1, 2, 4}

MAA703

Accounting for Management ^{1, 2, 4}

MAA789

Accounting Systems and Analytics ^1,2

MLC703

Principles of Income Tax Law ^2,3,4

MAF717

Analytical Methods ^{1, 2}

MAA705

Corporate Auditing ^2,3,4

MAA716

Financial Accounting ^{1, 2}

MAA725

Advanced Accounting Principles and Practice ^{1, 2}

MAA753

Professional Research and Analysis ^(Capstone)

^MPT code denotes the study tour version of this unit. Please note: the study tour version does not meet the accreditation requirements for the professional accounting bodies - CPA Australia and CA ANZ.

Notes:

¹ Required by CPA Australia for Associate (foundation level) Membership.

² Required by the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand for entry to the CA Program.

³For candidates who have completed an accredited degree in Australia, this unit may be taken as part of the CPA program. Other students must complete the unit before becoming an Associate Member of CPA Australia

⁴For candidates who would like to obtain exemptions to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) program.

Open elective Units

The remaining 4 credit points may be selected from:

A faculty-wide specialisation (excluding Accounting specialisation)
postgraduate units offered by the University (subject to availability)
Deakin stackable short courses (0.5cp microcredentials)

Recommended electives:

MWL716

Consultancy Experience

MWL705

Business for Social Impact

MWL717

Entrepreneurship Experience

MWL718

Internship

MWL719

International Consultancy Experience

Stackable short courses

Mix and match Deakin stackable short courses (0.5 credit point microcredentials) to earn up to 1 credit point of open electives, subject to eligibility. Any stacking must add up to a whole number to be used for credit. For more information, visit the Deakin stackable short course options.

Work experience

This course does not require students to complete compulsory work integrated learning units.

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Research and research-related study

This course includes 1cp equivalent research-related study [MAA753 Professional Research and Analysis] in addition to associated learning embedded across a number of units where student achievement is demonstrated in specific assessment tasks.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.