Melbourne Institute Of Technology

About the course

Accounting is an international profession practised in all national settings across the globe. It is the language of business, and involves reporting financial information about the organisation to both internal management for operational decision making and resource management, and, external groups for various purposes including, evaluating the company’s performance, profitability and sustainability, decisions about the allocation of capital resources, and, for legal, taxation and statutory requirements. The importance of accounting is growing in the competitive global economy as companies deal with international accounting standards and global competition which requires maintaining cost control and increasing profit.

The MIT Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) provides international career portability based on the rigour of the course, up-to-date knowledge and skills which are valued across the globe. This is particularly true now as international accounting standards are being adopted internationally. The rigour of the MPA course is the determinant of its value and international portability not the country from which it is obtained. Graduates are able to add value in the complex global environment. This degree is accredited by CPA Australia, ICAA and IPA providing an internationally recognised qualification for graduates.

Accounting is practised in a variety of national and international settings and this course provides depth in the accounting discipline covering theoretical and technical knowledge including management accounting, external reporting, international accounting standards, auditing, taxation, corporate regulation and law, auditing and compliance. In addition the course includes study in the disciplines of Ethics, Economics, Business Computing, Law, Management, Marketing and Communication are included. MPA graduates well rounded professionals who meet the entry requirements of professional accounting organizations in Australia, who possess professional skills and ethical awareness with a professional accounting credential valued globally.

Aim and Objectives

The Master of Professional Accounting  aims to provide graduates who will:

• Possess a body of  knowledge in accounting that demonstrates a thorough understanding of the discipline and its application
• Possess the technical knowledge, competency and skills required to become members of the relevant professional bodies
• Be capable of independent and life-long learning
• Exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Be able to analyse and adapt knowledge to different contexts
• be ethically aware and possess appropriate professional skills
• Be culturally aware and able to adapt to diverse environments
• Demonstrate initiative and professional responsibility

Teaching Methodology

Small classes provide an interactive learning climate where students are able to interact with Lecturers in lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials.  Further, graduates will demonstrate superior business communication skills by completion of a unit in professional Communication in Trimester 1 followed by a further Unit in Professional Communication in Trimester 3. The full-time student workload per unit is 12 hours made up of both teacher-directed learning in lectures, tutorials, workshops or laboratory sessions, and, student-directed learning of private study and assignment work.

Conditions of entry

Applicants must have successfully completed the equivalent of a 3 year Australian Bachelor degree and have a demonstrated  language competence with an IELTS of 6.5 overall with no individual band below 6.0

Mature age applicants can be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis having regard to prior study, employment and professional experience.

Graduates of the Graduate Diploma of Accounting can be admitted into second year of the program with 120 Credit Points.

Course Structure

In order to graduate from the Master of Professional Accounting students must complete 16 units (240 credit points). Each unit is worth 15 credit points and full-time students undertake 4 units per semester.

Graduates of the Graduate Diploma of Accounting can be admitted into the second year of the program with 120 Credit Points.

MPA students are required to complete the following study program.

Trimester 1
MIT565702 Foundations of Accounting
MIT634602 Communication
MIT533804 Economics
MIT551904 Quantitative Methods

Trimester 2
MIT665707 Financial Accounting and Reporting
MIT665702 Management Accounting
MIT565707 IT and Accounting Systems
MIT534604 Business and Company Law

Trimester 3
MIT734603 Professional Communication
MIT765702 Theory and Current Issues in Accounting
MIT633203 Business Finance
MIT565814 Marketing and Management

Trimester 4
MIT717403 Ethics
MIT765813 Auditing
MIT665812 Taxation Law
AND EITHER MIT665819 Services Marketing OR
                         MIT665915 Human Resource Management

Career opportunities

Graduates will be able to be employed in the following fields of professional accounting:

Public accounting
Auditing, internal and exteranl
Management Consulting
Taxation
Teaching
Business Administration
Management Accounting
Financial Accounting
Forensic Accounting

Professional Accreditation and Memberships

Upon completion of the Master of Professional Accounting, graduates are eligible for membership of:  CPA Australia (CPA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA), and the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA).  Each of the above professional accounting bodies is a member of IFAC, the international professional accounting organization.