Charles Sturt University
Master of Professional Accounting (12 subjects)
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 18 months
- Course Type: Master's
Gain an accredited professional accounting qualification through online study, developing technical knowledge across accounting and related business disciplines while meeting academic requirements for CPA Australia and CA ANZ.
Course overview
The accredited Master of Professional Accounting (12 subjects) from Charles Sturt University provides a professional accounting qualification designed to meet the academic requirements of CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ). Designed for graduates from non-accounting disciplines, the course develops technical and theoretical knowledge across accounting and related business disciplines.
Throughout the online program, you will develop knowledge across accounting standards, auditing, taxation, corporate finance, business law, data analysis, ethics and professional practice. You will strengthen your ability to apply accounting principles, analyse business problems, understand regulatory requirements and communicate effectively in professional accounting contexts.
The course prepares graduates for professional accounting roles across areas such as private or public practice, commerce, industry and the public sector. It also forms part of an articulated pathway with the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting and Graduate Diploma of Accounting, allowing eligible students to continue their studies with applicable credit.
Key facts
12th July, 2027
What you will study
To earn the Master of Professional Accounting (12 subjects), you must successfully complete units totalling 96 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 8 credit points.
Core units:
- Accounting Standards, Application and Disclosures
- Global Perspectives of Accounting
- Risk-Based Auditing
- Interpreting and Communicating Accounting
- Data Analysis for Financial Decision-making
- Contemporary Cost Accounting for Management Decision-making
- Ethics, Governance and Developments in Accounting Thought
- Professional Practice
- Economics for Business
- Corporate Finance
- Business and Corporations Law
- Taxation Principles and Application
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
Applicants will normally be required to hold an undergraduate degree from a recognised Australian tertiary institution or a qualification deemed equivalent. However, applicants with other academic and/or professional qualifications acceptable to the university will be considered.
Applicants are required to hold an undergraduate degree from a recognised Australian tertiary institution or an equivalent qualification. The undergraduate degree must be in a field other than Accounting or not recognised by the Australian Accounting professional bodies for associate membership. Applications without a tertiary qualification may be admitted to the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting or Graduate Diploma of Accounting on the basis of professional attainment and/or work experience.
English Language requirements
Standard English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements apply. Contact the university or visit their website for more information.
Recognition of Prior Learning
You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, graduates will be able to:
- Become successful, ethical and professional accountants able to think and act independently, tolerate ambiguity and think creatively.
- Understand and be able to apply principles and analytical techniques from economics, commercial law, business communications and quantitative methods, in the accounting context, for the recognition and solution of accounting and other business problems and the identification of sustainable opportunities in the business environment.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the technical skills essential for the professional accountant in the global environment.
- Listen and communicate effectively, to collaborate with colleagues and to demonstrate interpersonal skills of negotiation and co-operation.
- Recognise and analyse the impact of the business environment on accounting theory and its application, including the regulatory requirements controlling the accounting process, to anticipate, deal with and initiate change in the accounting and business environment.
Career outcomes
As a graduate of the Master of Professional Accounting, you could provide auditing, advisory, taxation, insolvency and recovery services to clients or put your budget planning, management accounting, internal auditing, strategic planning and policy formation skills to work in any-sized organisation.
You could also make a difference by applying your financial accountability, budgeting and performance measurement, policy formulation and cost-benefit analysis skills for the public good. Whatever industry you'd like to work in and wherever you'd like to live, Charles Sturt University's accounting courses can take you there.
Fees and FEE-HELP
Indicative annual fee in 2026: $34,960 (Full-fee paying place)
Indicative annual fees are based on your first year of study.
A student’s annual fee may vary by:
- The number of units studied.
- Choice of units.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.