Please Note. Students who commenced their degree prior to 2009 should refer to the course structure, available major subject areas and resolutions in the faculty handbook for the year they commenced. Archived downloadable faculty handbooks can be accessed on the Handbooks website.

Course Rules

To qualify for the combined award, Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting, a student must successfully complete a total of 16 units of study (96 credit points), comprising:

• eight compulsory professional accounting units of study(48 credit points);
• a major (four advanced / 6000 coded units - 24 credit points) in one of the Master of Commerce subject areas; and
• either a second major, or four elective units (24 credit points)* selected from the units offered by the Faculty of Economics and Business including from the Commerce subject areas (including up to three foundation / 5000 coded units).

* Note. Students who wish to complete the requirements for CPA or ICAA accreditation must complete a defined set of elective units of study. Please refer to the information under the heading Accreditation requirements below for details of these required units of study.

Compulsory Professional Accounting Units of Study

• ACCT5001 Accounting Principles
• ACCT5002 Managerial Accounting and Decision Making
• CLAW5001 Legal Environment of Business
• FINC5001 Capital Markets and Corporate Finance
• ACCT6001 Intermediate Financial Reporting
• ACCT6007 Contemporary Issues in Auditing
• ACCT6010 Advanced Financial Reporting
• CLAW6002 Corporations Law

Master of Commerce Subject Areas for Majors and Electives

* Note. These majors will NOT be available for 2009.

Please Note:

1. Although the same unit of study may be listed under more than one subject area (e.g. CLAW6026 is listed under Accounting, Business Law & Taxation), advanced (6000 coded) units of study cannot be counted towards more than one major. Students should also note that advanced units which are compulsory for the Master of Professional Accounting cannot also be counted towards major requirements (e.g. ACCT6001, ACCT6007, ACCT6010 and CLAW6002 which are listed under the Accounting major for the Master of Commerce, cannot be counted towards a major in Accounting within this combined degree).
2. For some of the majors listed above, students will need to complete particular foundation / 5000 level units of study as prerequisites. The required prerequisite units (where applicable) are listed in the requirements for each major.

Please Note. The requirements set out here is for students commencing their Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting degree in 2009. Continuing students should follow the degree structure outline in the Faculty Handbook for the year they commenced their degree.

Accreditation Requirements

Professional Accounting Accreditation Requirements

CPA Australia Accreditation

Students who wish to apply for CPA Australia accreditation must complete in addition to the eight compulsory units, the following units of study as electives in the Master of Professional Accounting program.

• CLAW6026 Concepts of Australian Taxation *
• ECMT5001 Principles of Econometrics
• ECON5003 Economics for Accountants OR both ECON5001 Microeconomic Theory and ECON5002 Macroeconomic Theory
• Either INFS5000 Business Information Systems OR INFS6001 BIS Management

* Note. CPA Australia permits students to complete the equivalent of this unit as an elective option within the CPA Program if not completed at University.

ICAA Accreditation

Students who wish to apply for ICAA accreditation must complete in addition to the eight compulsory units of study, the following elective unit of study as part of the required four electives in the Master of Professional Accounting program:

• CLAW6026 Concepts of Australian Taxation

Australian Computer Society (ACS) Accreditation Program

Students planning to satisfy the entry requirements of the ACS should include in their award course a prescribed set of units of study, including a major in Business Information Systems.The required units of study are listed below:

• The foundation unit of study INFS5000 Business Information Systems; and
• At least five advanced Business Information Systems (INFS 6000-level) elective units of study (30 credit points)

For further information, click on the following link: ACS accreditation.

Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) Accreditation

AHRI is the national association representing human resource management professionals and is Australia's leading human resources professional body. All courses incorporating a major/specialisation in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management are AHRI-accredited. Students wishing to satisfy the requirements for professional membership of AHRI should include this major in their course. The required units of study for the major listed under the major 'Employment Relations and Human Resource Management'.

Enrolment Guide

Students should check the particular requirements for accreditation with CPA Australia or ICAA to ensure that they select the appropriate elective units of study. Students wishing to have accreditation with CPA or ICAA should refer to the information under the heading Accreditation requirements for details of the required elective units of study they will need to complete.

Degree Progression Examples

The following tables illustrate degree progression examples for:

1. the generic Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting;
2. Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting with the required units for CPA Australia accreditation; and
3. Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting with the units required for ICAA accreditation.

Please Note. The information listed in these degree progression examples are meant as a guide only. Students should always check the requirements for individual units of study. Students are advised to plan their degree based upon their individual needs and to contact the Student Information Office if they need any assistance in planning their progression in their degree. (In these examples "MCom" refers to the Master of Commerce)

1. Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting (generic example)

Please Note. This example shows only the basic generic compulsory requirements for the combined degree. If students wish to meet CPA or ICAA requirements they they must complete additional specific elective units of study as illustrated in the following program of study examples.

2. CPA Accreditation Requirements

The following example illustrates the progression of a full-time student completing four units of study per semester to meet CPA accreditation requirements in the Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting.

* Note. Students must complete all these units of study. All of these units are offered for both Semester 1 and Semester 2 enrolments and have no prerequisite requirements. Therefore they can be completed in any order.

Please Note.

• This program of study is meant to be a guide only. Students may be able to undertake the required units of study for this degree in a different sequence to that listed above. Students should also note that this example has been developed using 2009 offerings of units of study and there is no guarantee that the units listed above will be offered in the same semesters in the years after 2009. Units of study listed above may also be available in Summer or Winter School sessions.
• The options for a Commerce major are restricted if students choose to follow this CPA accreditation. Students can complete the following majors: Accounting, Business and Security, Business Information Systems, Business Law, Business Statistics, Finance, International Business, Organisational Analysis and Strategy, Quantitative Finance, Strategic Management, Supply Chain and Logistics Management, Taxation, and Transport Management.

3. ICAA Accreditation Requirements

The following example illustrates the progression of a full-time student completing four units of study per semester to meet ICAA accreditation requirements in the Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting.

Please Note. This progression is meant to be a guide only. Students may be able to undertake the required units of study for this degree in a different sequence to that listed above. Students should also note that this example has been developed using 2009 offerings of units of study and there is no guarantee that the units listed above will be offered in the same semesters in the years after 2009. Units of study listed above may also be available in Summer or Winter School sessions.

Sample degree progressions - majors and major combinations

Please click on the links below to download some of the major/unit of study combinations for the Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting.

Please Note. The information listed in these program of study examples are meant as a guide only. Students should always check the requirements for individual units of study and majors. Students are advised to plan their degree based upon their individual needs and to contact the Student Information Office if they need any assistance in planning their progression in their degree.

• Major in Accounting
• Major in Banking
• Major in Business and Security
• Major in Business Decision Sciences
• Major in Business Information Systems
• Major in Business Law
• Major in Business Statistics
• Major in Economics
• Major in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management
• Major in Entrepreneurship
• Major in Finance
• Major in International Business
• Major in Marketing
• Major in Organisational Analysis and Strategy
• Major in Quantitative Finance
• Major in Strategic Management
• Major in Supply Chain and Logistics Management
• Major in Taxation
• Major in Transport Management

For possible combinations of majors available under the combined degree please refer to the information below:

Master of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting: Possible major combinations

Entry Requirements

For entry into this degree, students must have completed a bachelor's degree, graduate diploma, graduate certificate or equivalent from a recognised tertiary institution with a minimum credit (65 percent) average.

For details of the English language requirements for entry into this course, please refer to the webpage titled 'English Language Requirements for International Students' under the Admissions information on the University's website.

Duration of Course

Full-time: A typical full-time student will undertake three or four units of study per semester, completing the 16 units in four to five semesters (two to 2.5 years).

Part-time: Students undertake one or two units per semester, typically completing the program in four to six years.