Professional accreditation
Professional accounting accreditation
(1) CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ)
Completion of the core units for the Master of Professional Accounting satisfies the requirements of both Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and CPA Australia for accreditation under the Accredited University program pathway. The foundation competency areas that are required by the two main professional accounting bodies in Australia, and the accredited University of Sydney units of study that cover them, are shown under the professional accounting accreditation guide link under Postgraduate courses in the Accounting Discipline area of the Business School website.
As accredited units are subject to review by the professional accounting bodies, students should check the CAANZ and CPA Australia websites for units accredited in the year they commenced their course.
If required, the Postgraduate Discipline Coordinator for Accounting can put you in touch with the Accounting Accreditation Liaison Officer for the Accounting Discipline who can provide further advice on professional accounting accreditation.
(2) Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
The ACCA will allow four foundation unit exam exemptions for students who have completed the Master of Professional Accounting as follows:
- Accounting in Business (AB)
- Management Accounting (MA)
- Financial Accounting (FA)
- Corporate and Business Law (LW)
In addition, students who successfully complete specified accredited units of study within the Master of Professional Accounting are also eligible for up to a further five specific exam exemptions.
| Course exemption | Units required to be completed |
|---|---|
| Performance Management (PM) | ACCT6008 Managerial Accounting and Decision Making |
| Taxation (TX) | CLAW6026 Taxation Law and Practice |
| Financial Reporting (FR) | ACCT6001 Intermediate Financial Reporting and ACCT6010 Advanced Financial Reporting |
| Audit and Assurance (AA) | ACCT6007 Contemporary Issues in Auditing |
| Financial Management (FM) | FINC5001 Foundation in Finance |
As of 2017, the ACCA Accelerate Program provides the opportunity for high achieving students from the University of Sydney Business School Master of Professional Accounting program to commence the professional level papers as early as the end of the first year of postgraduate studies with the exam fees waived providing they take their first exam within 12 months of graduating.
Further information on the ACCA exam exemptions based on the year of graduation can be found on the ACCA website under ACCA exemptions calculator database at accaglobal.com/an/en/help/exemptions-calculator.htm