Master of Professional Accountancy

The Leung School of Accounting offers a Master of Professional Accountancy (MAcc) degree to equip skilled, ethical leaders for the accounting profession. The program is designed for students who have recently completed their bachelor’s degree in accounting. This full-time, intensive program allows candidates to complete an advanced degree and meet the 150 credit hours required for CPA licensure in just one year.

In addition to a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for the CPA exam, the master’s in accounting builds on practical experience and emphasizes job placement for graduates. Students in the 30-unit graduate-level program master the core competencies of accounting professionals while developing the research skills and character needed to solve complex problems.

Highlights

• Start your master’s degree directly after completing a bachelor’s in accounting or equivalent.
• Gain comprehensive training for a career as a Certified Public Accountant.
• Study alongside accounting professionals who bring depth of experience to the program.
• Apply knowledge gained from a public accounting firm internship to enhance classroom studies.
• Earn your degree in just 12 months from a top Christian university.
• Benefit from nationwide opportunities for job placement with program curriculum that meets the 150 credit hours of coursework required by states for certification.

About

The Master of Professional Accountancy (MAcc) in the LP and Timothy Leung School of Accounting at Azusa Pacific University is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in accounting (or equivalent) who want to be Certified Public Accountants (CPAs).

The Leung School of Accounting is determined to give you more.

More character and competence: Learn from Christian professors with professional experience who integrate faith with academic excellence.

More placement in public accounting: Our goals are to place 100% of our students in professional accounting internships and 100% of them with a CPA firm by graduation. We have placed our students in every Big Four firm and many national, regional, and local firms.

More CPA exam success: Our goal is 100% pass rate on the CPA exam. But since no university has achieved this, we target being ranked among the top 10% of colleges and universities in this area.

More affordability: The Leung Endowment attracts top faculty and provides scholarships for students with a 3.3 or higher GPA.

More reputational strength: APU has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review.

If you are a high-performing accounting student, we invite you to apply for the Leung School of Accounting’s Master of Professional Accountancy program, where Christian character meets competence. The MAcc is an intensive, accelerated program designed for students to complete their coursework and graduate with a master’s degree in just 12 months. In addition to a focus on CPA exam success that culminates with the Becker CPA exam review, the program develops students’ skills in written and oral communication, professional research, and critical thinking, infused with professional ethics based on integrating the Christian faith throughout the curriculum.

At APU, our God First mission is foundational. For the Leung School of Accounting, this starts with our vision: “We will be a premier Christian accounting school, recognized as a thought leader on accounting character and competence to reflect the life of Christ and shine the light of Truth.”

Internship

Students in the Master of Professional Accountancy program gain a competitive advantage and expanded network through an internship experience with a public accounting firm. This opportunity for hands-on experience is integrated into the program curriculum. Master’s in accounting candidates complete a minimum of 180 hours with a firm to fulfill the requirements for ACCT 505. In addition, faculty mentors partner with interning students to ensure a successful experience.

Coursework

Program curriculum requires 30 units of specific core courses. If a student has already successfully completed an approved internship, ACCT 505 should be replaced with an elective. If a student has passed the CPA exam in full or in part, ACCT 590 should be replaced with an elective.

Prerequisites

• Principles of Accounting (ACCT 120 and ACCT 121)
• Intermediate Accounting (ACCT 225 and ACCT 226)
• Advanced Accounting (ACCT 336)
• Federal Taxes (ACCT 331 and ACCT 332)
• Auditing Principles I and II (ACCT 426 and ACCT 427)

Master’s in accounting students may fulfill these requirements in the following ways:

Completed undergraduate business coursework — Students who have completed an undergraduate accounting degree or equivalent, and who have earned a B- or better grade in a prerequisite course, will generally be able to waive the course. Students must submit a catalog course description and syllabus to the program chair for consideration.

Graduate prerequisite transfer credit — Students may take prerequisite courses at an accredited college or university. To receive transfer credit, the course must have been taken for a grade and the student must have received a B grade or better. The transfer credit must be approved by the program chair before enrollment in coursework. Submit a catalog course description and syllabus to the program chair for consideration.

Institutional Scholarships

The Leung School of Accounting offers annual, merit-based scholarships of $1,000-$5,000 to qualifying admitted students pursuing a Master of Professional Accountancy degree. A separate scholarship application is required. Call (626) 815-3839 for details or to obtain an application.

Financial Aid

Several types of financial aid are available to graduate students who are U.S. citizens. The resources range from federal loans and state grants to, for some graduate programs, fellowships and scholarships. For details about financial aid available for your program, please contact the Office of Graduate and Professional Student Financial Services at (626) 815-4570.

Military Benefits

Military members—and in some cases their spouses and dependents—qualify for financial assistance covering tuition, housing, and books. Azusa Pacific is a Yellow Ribbon University, Military Friendly School, and Best for Vets College, so you can be confident that you’ll receive the benefits and flexibility you need to complete your education.

Admission

Program Code

Use the following program code when applying: GACC01

Admission Requirements—Domestic Applicants

The university graduate and master’s in accounting program admission requirements below must be met before an application is considered complete. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

International students have a separate application procedure that precedes the standard admission process.

Applicants must possess:

• A bachelor’s degree in accounting or equivalent
  A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
• A minimum 3.0 GPA
  A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4-point scale.
• Potential as a scholar
  An assessment of student’s total qualifications — the rigor of their undergraduate studies, academic performance, extensive work experience, and personal references — is made.

Applicants must submit:

• A Graduate Application for Admission (using the above mentioned code)
• A $45 nonrefundable application fee
• Official transcripts
• A letter to the dean
• A résumé of work experience
• Three letters of recommendation
• GMAT or GRE scores (waived for students with 3.3 GPA or higher)
  Request scores from either the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) be sent to APU. Scores must be five years old or less.

Send all materials to:

Graduate and Professional Center
Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions
Azusa Pacific University
PO Box 7000
Azusa, CA 91702-7000

What to Expect

After all admission materials have been received by the Graduate and Professional Center, the faculty or department chair reviews the applicant’s file. The student is notified in writing of the admission decision. It is recommended that applications be submitted two months prior to the start of classes for the desired semester to allow for processing.

Admission is based on a review of each applicant’s academic achievements, GMAT score, work experience, personal statement, and references. While the entirety of an applicant’s package is considered, accepted applicants generally fit into one of the following categories:

Regular Program Acceptance – Students admitted to the program in this group typically have undergraduate degrees in accounting or the equivalent or the dean’s approval, along with GPAs of 3.3 or higher and GMAT scores of 550 or higher. Most students are admitted under this category. The GMAT requirement may be waived for applicants with outstanding academic performance, at the program chair’s discretion.

Conditional Program Acceptance – Students admitted to the program provisionally typically have undergraduate GPAs between 3.0 and 3.29 or GMAT scores between 500 and 549. Only a limited number of applicants in this group are accepted into the program. If admitted, provisional students must maintain a 3.0 or higher overall GPA in the first 12 units of coursework with no course grade below a B-.

Admission Requirements—International Applicants

Azusa Pacific University is authorized under federal law by the U.S. CIS and the U.S. Department of State to enroll nonimmigrant, alien undergraduate and graduate students. APU issues and administers both the I-20 and DS 2019 (F-1 and J-1 status documents respectively).

To apply for a graduate program at APU, the following requirements must be fulfilled in addition to meeting the domestic applicant and program-specific admission requirements specified by the program.

International applicants must:

• Meet all standard admission requirements
  International applicants must fulfill the domestic applicant and program-specific admission requirements in addition to meeting the following criteria.
• Demonstrate proficiency in English
  Proficiency is evidenced by a TOEFL/IELTS score that meets program-specific requirements. Applicants should refer to APU’s English Proficiency Requirements to learn more. Applicants who do not meet this requirement may seek conditional admission to the university by enrolling in the APU American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI) to gain English proficiency. (Some programs allow for other ways to demonstrate proficiency while others do not accept conditional admission through ALCI; please check with an international enrollment advisor for further details.)

International applicants must also submit:

• An International Graduate Application (using the above mentioned code)
• A $45 (U.S.) nonrefundable application fee
• Official transcripts
• Proof of English Proficiency
• An affidavit of financial support and a bank statement
• A copy of a valid passport.
• A résumé showing work experience
• Three recommendations

Send all materials to:
International Center
Azusa Pacific University
901 E. Alosta Ave.
PO Box 7000
Azusa, CA 91702-7000
USA

What to Expect

After the International Center receives all admission materials, a committee of department faculty reviews the applicant’s file. The applicant is then notified of the committee’s decision within approximately two weeks.

Note: This information is current for the 2016-17 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change.

Accreditations

Azusa Pacific University receives accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). In addition, the School of Business and Management receives accreditation from the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), and is a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).