Master of Professional Accounting
The Master of Professional Accounting equips you with the skills to change careers and become an accountant. This postgraduate accounting degree can be completed in as little as one year.
The Master of Professional Accounting is designed for people with an unrelated degree who want to retrain as an accountant and work towards registration with leading professional accounting bodies – including the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ). It's a good choice if you want to become a member of professional accounting bodies or change careers to work as an accountant.
You'll advance your understanding of accounting from a strategic business perspective and develop the financial expertise for senior management roles. Roles may include chartered accountant, management accountant, chief financial officer, finance manager, forensic accountant, business consultant, tax specialist or a role in senior management.
Download programme guides
- Entry requirements
- What you study
- Career opportunities
- Professional accreditation
- Related programmes
Minimum entry requirements
If you have New Zealand qualifications
- Must have completed a bachelor’s degree (in any discipline) with a B- grade average or higher in courses at level 7 or equivalent
If you have qualifications from another country
See entry requirements for students from other countries. Select your country from the dropdown menu.
Select country
Accepted qualification:
Bachelor's degree (in a relevant professional subject)
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
Minimum 3 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a
Minimum scores
Accepted qualification:
1. Diploma IV-Sarjana sains terapan AND / OR
2. Sarjana (SI)
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
4 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a
Minimum scores
Accepted qualification:
Bachelor's degree
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
Minimum 3 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a
Minimum scores
Accepted qualification:
1. Bachelor’s degree from prestigious university awarded up to 2022 AND / OR
2. Bachelor’s degree awarded from 2022 with an entry qual of Year 12 AND / OR
3. Bachelor’s degree from Section 1 institute as per NOOSR AND / OR
4. Doctor of Medicine/Juris Doctor/Bachelor of Laws AND / OR
5. Doctor of Dentistry/Optometry/Veterinary Medicine
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
4 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a
Minimum scores
Accepted qualification:
Bachelor's degree
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
Minimum 4 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a
Minimum scores
Accepted qualification:
Bachelor's degree
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
4 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a
Minimum scores
If your country is not listed, view our general entry requirements for postgraduate programmes
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic) 6.5 overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in each band.
IELTS may be waived (at the discretion of the Programme Director)
- For a student who has completed a qualification, the language of instruction for which was English, and which was awarded within the last 3 years
- For a student who has lived and/or worked in an English speaking environment for 3 years
Contact us to find out more about the Master of Professional Accounting
Email business.postgrad@aut.ac.nz
Phone +64 9 921 9906
To graduate with a Master of Professional Accounting, you must successfully complete the courses below. Cross-credits are not available for this postgraduate accounting qualification.
Complete the following courses
- ACCT860 Financial Accounting
- ACCT861 Management Accounting for Business
- ACCT862 Taxation in New Zealand
- ACCT863 Accounting Information Systems
- ACCT865 Advanced Financial Accounting
- ACCT866 Strategic Management Accounting
- ACCT867 Finance for Accountants
- ACCT869 Accounting Regulations and Business Law
- ACCT960 Auditing
- ACCT995 Applied Professional Accounting Project
- ECON863 Economics and Quantitative Methods
Study planners for this programme
Download our study planners to see what your studies will look like in the Master of Professional Accounting, depending on when you’ve started your studies at AUT:
- November 2024 start: Master of Professional Accounting study planner
- March 2025 start: Master of Professional Accounting study planner
- November 2025 start: Master of Professional Accounting study planner
Ready to enrol in your courses?
Find out how you can enrol in the courses and classes for your programme, whether you’ve just joined AUT as a new student or you’re already studying with us. If you’re looking for more info on a specific course use our course search.
Skills you will develop
The outcomes for graduates of the Master of Professional Accounting are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
Accounting offers excellent job opportunities both in New Zealand and internationally. There's strong demand for highly skilled accountants and senior managers with a strategic understanding of accounting and finance.
Careers include:
- Chartered accountant
- International accounting firms
- Management accountant
- Chief financial officer
- Finance manager
- Forensic accountant
- Senior management
- Business consultant
- Tax specialist
The Master of Professional Accounting provides you with the academic requirements for membership in:
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
- Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)
- Certified Practising Accountants Australia (CPA Australia)
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
Check their websites below for information about the benefits of professional membership and the opportunities for certified and registered chartered accountants.
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) website
Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) website
Certified Practising Accountants Australia (CPA Australia) website
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) website
Other professional programmes
Pathway to a PhD
High-achieving professional master’s degree students with at least an A- grade average over the 120 points in level 8 professional master’s degree courses can qualify to apply to the Doctor of Philosophy by completing the Master of Business with a B+ grade average or higher. You'll receive 60 points of credit towards the Master of Business, and will need to complete another 120 points.
($21,523 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
($53,100 tuition fees + $1,719 student services levy)
2025 fee: $57,587 (for 180 points)
($55,800 tuition fees + $1,787 student services levy)
- Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.