Master of Professional Accounting and Law
2025 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2025 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Master of Professional Accounting and Law |
| Deakin course code | M749 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Business and Law |
| Campus | Burwood (Melbourne), Online. Offered to students who commenced prior to 2021. |
| Duration | 2 years full-time or part-time equivalent |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9 |
The final intake for this course was 2020. Students should contact a Student Adviser in Student Central for course and enrolment information. Further course structure information can be found in the handbook archive. | |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Indicative student workload
- Professional recognition
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Course learning outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Fees and charges
Course overview
The accounting profession has recently seen a fundamental shift from a role that was seen as providing financial information and number crunching towards a multi-disciplinary advisory role. Similarly, many law firms increasingly favour graduates who display accounting and financial acumen.
Deakin's Master of Professional Accounting and Law (MPAL) course provides an advanced, integrated, and coherent set of multidisciplinary studies in a range of business and law disciplines, encompassing areas such as accounting, finance, commercial law and business taxation. Graduates will possess a skill-set covering accounting and related business law subjects, including superannuation, business taxation and financial services regulation.
The course offers graduates a pathway to gain entry to professional accounting bodies such as the CPA Australia, the Institute of Public Accountants, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and exemptions from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Graduates with a Master of Professional Accounting and Law will have multi-disciplinary skills with the ability to solve complex business issues in multiple markets.
Indicative student workload
As a student in the Faculty of Business and Law, you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include classes, seminars, practicals and online interaction. 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
Completion of the Master of Professional Accounting and Law 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), the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA). 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 students to enter the Certified Management Accountants (CMA) study program.
Students should carefully note the trimesters when units are offered to ensure that all required units can be completed in the appropriate time frame.
Students who wish to enter the CA, CPA programs or exemptions to the ACCA program 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.
Please note: The eligibility of students for membership of any of the accounting accrediting bodies is subject to meeting the requirements of that body. Deakin makes no representations that individuals will meet those requirements.
Students should consult with a course adviser to identify any additional requirements for membership for each professional body, and also consult with the professional body.
Career opportunities
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 or commercial law. However accountants can choose to work in a range of different environments depending on their own skills and preferences. They can choose to work in large firms, small public practices, industry, government, law firms, management consultancies, banking and financial services, not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) or educational organisations. Many also set up their own businesses.
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.
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.
Clinical unit (MLM718) requires compulsory attendance.
Course learning outcomes
| Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes | Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
| Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities | Demonstrate an integrated understanding of current and emerging accounting and related legal concepts and practices |
| Communication | Demonstrate skills to justify and analyse complex accounting and legal problems and present to both accountants and lawyers |
| Digital literacy | Apply appropriate software and internet technologies to analyse financial and regulatory information |
| Critical thinking | Apply in-depth analytical skills to evaluate financial and regulatory information expected of business professionals within a legal framework |
| Problem solving | Develop solutions to real world problems faced by accounting and legal professionals in business environment |
| Self-management | Use acquired skills to organise own learning including the conduct of independent research and justification of decision choices |
| Teamwork | Collaborate and communicate in groups to interpret decision-relevant information and develop suitable business recommendations |
| Global citizenship | Engage ethically, professionally and productively in a professional accounting and business context in light of changing global perspectives. |
Approved by Faculty Board.
Course rules
To complete the Master of Professional Accounting and Law students must pass 16 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:
-
DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
-
13 credit points of core units
- 3 credit points of course electives units
Students are required to meet the University'sacademic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University's vocabulary.
Course structure
Compulsory 0-credit point module
To be completed in the first trimester of study:-
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin |
MLM070 Academic Induction for Professional Accounting and Law #[no longer available for enrolment]
Core units
| MAA701 | Accounting [previously coded MPA701]1,2 |
| MAA703 | Accounting for Management 1,2,4 |
| MAA705 | Corporate Auditing 2,3,4 |
| MAA716 | Financial Accounting 1,2 |
| MAA725 | Advanced Accounting Principles and Practice 1,2 |
| MPT781/MPE781 | Economics for Managers 1,2 |
| MAF752 | Principles of Finance [previously coded MPF753]1,2,4 |
| MAA789 | Accounting Systems and Analytics |
| MLC703 | Principles of Income Tax Law |
| MLC707 | Business Law |
MLM731 Corporations Law^
MLM705 Research Methodology^
MLM706 Corporate Governance^
^ No longer available for enrolment, please contact a Student Adviser.
Course elective units
Select 1 credit point from the Accounting course elective list and select 2 credit points of units from the Law course elective list:
Accounting
| MAA763 | Governance and Fraud |
| MAA767 | Enterprise Value Creation: Sustainability and Integrated Reporting |
MAA744 Strategic Management Accounting^
Law
| MLC709 | Business Taxation Law and Policy |
MLC713 Corporate Insolvency Law and Policy^
MLM727 Superannuation Law and Policy^
MLM717 Financial Services Regulation^
#Online Induction is compulsory for all students. The Induction is available at Cloud Course Site. All students must complete the online induction on foundations of law within the first trimester of their enrolment. Upon successful completion of the induction, student services are automatically notified and students receive an acknowledgement of their competition of induction.
^ Unit no longer available for enrolment, please contact a Student Adviser.
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.
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 the unit before becoming an Associate Member of CPA Australia.
4 For candidates who would like to obtain exemptions to the ACCA program.
Further information
Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.
- Contact Student Central
Fees and charges
Fees and charges vary depending on your course, the type of fee place you hold, your commencement year and your study load. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website or our handy Fee estimator to help estimate your tuition fees.