The new Master of Professional Accounting at Griffith University is the only tertiary program to be offered in Queensland with a recognised pathway to professional membership.
Delegates from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Griffith Business School (GBS) this week to formalise a strategic collaboration in teaching, research and the recognition of ACCA qualifications.
“We are very excited by the MOU as it provides a global qualification for our students, helping them to achieve another level of employability world-wide,’’ said Griffith University Academic Provost Professor Adam Shoemaker.
“Griffith is now one of only a few universities in Australia with an ACCA-recognised pathway program and the only one in Queensland.”
To be introduced in 2016, the new Master of Professional Accounting provides exemptions for ACCA Fundamentals Level F1-F9 exams and offers a choice of three streams — professional, international professional and academic.
ACCA is the largest global professional accounting body with 450,000 students studying via distance directly with ACCA, or through a pathway program, taking their global external exams. ACCA is widely recognised through South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and China.
“There are hundreds of university degrees offered in these countries, with partial accreditation with ACCA, where students must pass external examinations to complete their ACCA qualification,’’ said Griffith Business School Head of Accounting, Professor Peter Best.
“Many of these students would like to complete a master’s program and their ACCA qualification which is well recognised in their home country and around the world.
“We look forward to next year welcoming a new cohort of students from across the globe.”
The Master of Professional Accounting is designed to provide an international study experience for non-accounting graduates and accounting graduates with partial ACCA accreditation to complete a master’s degree, achieve exemptions for the ACCA fundamental level exams and receive academic support for their professional level exams.