New Master of Professional Accountancy Now Enrolling Grad Students

The University of California, Davis is the institution to attend for aspiring Certified Professional Accountants (CPA). The newly established Master of Professional Accountancy (M.P.Ac.) is a unique one-year graduate degree program. In conjunction with the UC Davis Office of Graduate Studies, the UC Davis Graduate School of Management is the first to offer such a program within the University of California system.

The development of the program is a proactive response to legislation, which requires that beginning in January 2014 accountancy candidates must enroll for an additional year of post-secondary education. "Offering this degree is both timely and essential," says UC Davis Graduate School of Management Dean Steven Currall. "This is a chance for the Graduate School of Management to blend together the professionals who need new accountants and the future accountancy students."

In order to receive the degree, the M.P.Ac. program requires that students pass an examination after advancing to candidacy at the end of all coursework. Largely designed around California's new law, the program seeks to ensure that students are able to attain the education necessary to pursue an accounting career in the state.

The program will induct its first class in fall 2012. "This is a wonderful opportunity," says Will Snyder who has the distinction of serving as both the executive director and faculty for the new graduate program. "If you have any thoughts about becoming a CPA, you should definitely check it out. You can come to an information session or review program information on the website." (See information session above.)

Snyder's passion to teach brought him back to academia after being retired for just 25 days from his 24 years as a professor at San Diego State University. When he learned about the new M.P.Ac. program and the position opportunity, Snyder thought, "That needs to be me."

The program will be very rigorous, says Snyder, but he also emphasizes the support system students will have from faculty members and each other. "The rewards and opportunities that come with completing the program are so tremendous – they surpass the program's rigor."

Applications are currently being accepted. There are two more rounds to turn in applications: March 31 and June 1.

For more information about this exciting new program, go to the M.P.Ac. website.