Master of Professional Accountancy MPA

Overview

The College of Business and Economic Development offers the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) degree.

The Southern Miss Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program prepares graduates for a wide variety of employment opportunities and helps students meet the course and credit eligibility requirements for the nationally administered Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam.  In addition, MPA students gain experience with analytics software and achieve certification in Microsoft Excel at both Specialist and Expert levels. MPA students also have the opportunity to become members of Beta Alpha Psi, an honorary organization for financial information students and professionals. The MPA program has achieved 100% placement for graduates seeking employment, with students being recruited by local, regional, national and international accounting firms, private industries, and government agencies. 

The School of Accountancy offers one degree - the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA). The program leading to the MPA is essentially the culmination of a five-year program. A student who earns the bachelor’s degree with a major in accounting may normally complete the MPA program on a full-time basis with one year’s additional work. A minimum of thirty (30) hours of graduate work is required. Students may apply for entry into the MPA program at any time to commence coursework in the subsequent academic period. A part-time program is also available.

Students with a variety of educational backgrounds may enter the program. Students who have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university must either transfer or take the following business environment and tool courses:

• Applied Calculus for Business 3 hrs.
• Principles of Economics 6 hrs.
• Managerial Statistics I 3 hrs.
• Management for Organizations 3 hrs.
• Legal Environment of Business 3 hrs.
• Advanced Business Law 3 hrs.
• Principles of Finance 3 hrs.
• Global Managerial Policy and Strategy 3 hrs.
• Principles of Marketing 3 hrs.

The following lower-division accounting courses are also required:

• Introduction to Financial Accounting 3 hrs.
• Intermediate Accounting 6 hrs.
• Advanced Accounting 3 hrs.
• Auditing 3 hrs.
• Accounting Information Systems 3 hrs.
• Cost Accounting 3 hrs.
• Income Tax Accounting 3 hrs.
• Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting 3 hrs.

Admission Requirements

In addition to adhering to the Admission Requirements and Procedures , the master’s program applicant must:

1. Have completed prerequisite undergraduate course requirements. Most prerequisite requirements are generally met by students with a bachelor’s degree in business and major in accounting.
2. Have submitted a professional resume and statement of purpose (personal essay). 
3. Three letters of recommendation from academic and/or professional sources.
4. Have submitted either a GRE or GMAT exam score, unless candidate meets qualifications to be eligible for waiver. 
   1. For admission for Summer/Fall 2019 and prior, GMAT or GRE scores are required for all applicants.
   2. Beginning with Spring 2020 admission, GMAT/GRE waivers may apply in the following circumstances:
      1. Applicants who have previously earned a Master’s degree or higher;
      2. Applicants who have previously passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam; and/or
      3. Applicants who have demonstrated strong academic performance in their undergraduate accounting curriculum, as evidenced by earning a Bachelor’s degree while achieving a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0, along with a minimum Accounting GPA of 3.0, from a university accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Program Requirements and Academic Policies

See General Degree Requirements , General Academic Information  and Research Policies . 

Course Requirements (30 hours)

A minimum of 30 hours of graduate level business courses must be taken with at least 27 hours number over 600.  ACC 611 and FIN 611 do not count towards the required 30 graduate business hours.  BA 600, BA 611, BA 630, BA 646, BA 650, BA 670 and BA 680 do not meet degree program requirements of the MPA program. 

• ACC 605 - Current Accounting Theory & Research 3 hrs.
• ACC 608 - Financial Statement Analysis & Business Valuation 3 hrs.
• ACC 610 - Advanced Auditing 3 hrs.
• ACC 615 - Audit Analytics and IT Auditing 3 hrs.
• ACC 620 - Advanced Cost Accounting Analytics 3 hrs.
• ACC 630 - Tax Seminar I 3 hrs.
• ACC 631 - Tax Seminar II 3 hrs.
• Approved Graduate Business Electives 9 hrs. *

Most MPA students select from the following accounting courses to meet the 9 hour elective requirement:

• ACC 598 - International Accounting Seminar Abroad 3 hrs.
• ACC 640 - International Accounting 3 hrs.
• ACC 660 - Fraud Accounting 3 hrs.
• ACC 690 - Current issues in Professional Accountancy 3 hrs.
• ACC 699 - International Accounting Research Abroad 3 hrs.