Master of Accountancy (MAcc, MAc, or MAcy), alternatively Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcy or MPA or MPAcc) or Master of Science in Accountancy (MSAcy), is a graduate professional degree designed to prepare students for public accounting and to provide them with the 150 credit hours required by most states before taking the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. A Master of Professional Accounting can also be obtained from Australian universities to qualify for the Australian CPA or CA.
This specialty program usually runs one year in length and contains from ten to twelve three semester credit courses (30 to 36 semester hours total). The program may consist of all graduate accounting courses or a combination of graduate accounting courses, graduate tax courses and other graduate business electives. The program is designed to not only prepare students for the CPA examination but also to provide a strong knowledge of accounting principles and business applications.
Graduates entering corporate accounting or consulting often additionally (alternatively) pursue the Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) or other certifications.