Professional Accountancy, MPAC

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Master of Professional Accountancy, MPAC

B401, 713-221-8252
MDCOBGradAdvising@uhd,edu

The Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAC) will prepare students for leadership roles in accounting by producing graduates ready to take the highest certification in the field, the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. This student-focused education is a gateway to success for analytical decision makers. The Marilyn Davies College of Business is nationally accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the most prestigious business accrediting organization in the world.

All MPAC courses are offered conveniently in evenings or weekends for working professionals. Full-time students can graduate from the program in one year by taking 10 courses (four courses in both the fall and spring semesters and two courses in the summer). Students also have the option to enroll part-time in fewer classes and graduate in subsequent semesters.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the UHD MPAC program will be able to do the following:

Formulate discipline-specific accounting strategies and develop valuable critical thinking skills to assess business risks and make business decisions.
Communicate accounting information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Work productively with others to accomplish established goals.
Apply ethical principles and professional standards to make informed decisions.

Admissions Criteria

The GMAT may be optional if an applicant has fulfilled the necessary criteria.

The GMAT is not required if the following criteria is met:

Undergraduate Degree Holders: Have an overall GPA of at least 2.50 in upper-division courses with a minimum of 12 credit hours of upper-division Accounting courses at an institution with AACSB Business accreditation, and an overall GPA of at least 2.75 in the Accounting courses.
Applicants must have earned an overall GPA of a 2.75 or higher in the following accounting courses: ACC 3300, ACC 3301, ACC 3302, ACC 3303, ACC 3304, ACC 4301, ACC 4302, and ACC 4304.

In the event an applicant does not meet the GPA requirement, they may be required to submit their resume, arrange for an interview with the Program Director, and/or submit an official GMAT score report completed within the last five years.

Admissions Materials

Official transcript(s) from all post-secondary institutions attended should be submitted either electronically or by sealed mail from your prior institution to:

University of Houston-Downtown
Office of Graduate & International Admissions
One Main Street, Suite GSB 308
Houston, TX 77002

All documents must be received from the degree/credit granting institution.

Submission of Apply Texas Application form
Payment of application fee
Evaluations from foreign institutions must include the course by course evaluation with GPA indication. Submit official TOEFL score report if you graduated from a University where English is not the native language. Minimum score needed is 81 for IBT (TOEFL) and 6.5 for the IELTS exam. Submit to the Graduate & International Admissions Office as described above.

Admissions Process

The Assistant Director initially reviews transcripts to determine if an accumulative 2.75 GPA has been earned in undergraduate accounting prerequisite courses. Transcript courses from universities outside of UHD, are determined if equivalent evaluated for equivalency to UHD accounting by the department chair. Prerequisite courses by the Assistant Director. A cover sheet is provided for each applicant and submitted to the Program Director for their review. In the event an applicant has a GPA below a 2.75, the applicant could be required to submit a resume and/or repeat a prerequisite course to improve their GPA. The Program Director will review the applicant’s resume and grades to determine if the applicant’s work background would most likely lead to success in the program. The Program Director will communicate with applicants by sending a letter of admissions and a letter of intent via email. The Program Director will communicate via email for applicants that are denied admissions to the program.

Admissions Appeals

The following link provides the appeal form. The Program Director will process an applicant’s appeal request and will make the final decision.

http://uhd.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6EyTxxENvotGRz8

General Degree Requirements

Required Core Courses (18 hours)

Prescribed Elective Courses (6 hours)

Choose a minimum of two courses from the following*:

ACC 6311 - Seminar in Financial Accounting
ACC 6313 - Analysis of Financial Statements and Entity Valuation
ACC 6317 - Advanced Managerial Accounting
ACC 6319 - Taxation of Entities
ACC 6321 - Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting
ACC 6322 - Accounting Internship
ACC 6323 - Applied Data Analytics for Accountants
(*It is strongly recommended that students who are interested in obtaining a CPA take as many Prescribed Accounting Electives as possible to best prepare them for the CPA exam, in consultation with an academic advisor).

Elective Courses (6 hours)

Choose a maximum of two courses from the following:

Additional Requirements

Minimum Grade Point Average to remain in the MPAC program

While enrolled in any graduate program, students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Sections 3.4 and 3.5 of UHD Policy 03.A.07 (Academic Probation and Suspension) outline the procedures related to probation, suspension, and satisfactory progress for graduate students. A student whose cumulative graduate GPA drops below 3.0 is placed on probation and must maintain a 3.0 or higher semester GPA in each subsequent semester until the cumulative graduate GPA is raised to 3.0 or above.

A graduate student on probation who does not achieve a graduate program GPA of at least 3.0 in the subsequent term will be suspended from the university. After one year, a suspended student may apply for reinstatement, at the discretion of the Assistant Director of the program. A graduate student who receives grades of “C” in 9 or more graduate semester hours is subject to dismissal. According to UHD’s Grading System policy (PS 03.A.04), below average work (grades of “D” or “F”) is not acceptable and constitutes grounds for a graduate student’s dismissal from the program. Please note that according to the university grading policy, “All credit hours attempted as part of a graduate degree will be calculated in the GPA.” Transferred grades, from other institutions, are not calculated in a graduate student’s GPA. Please note that a graduate program may have more stringent requirements on C grades or probation/suspension, so students should consult their program handbook or website for these more specific restrictions.

Transfer of Graduate Credits

A maximum of six credit hours may be transferred from another AACSB accredited university. A minimum grade of B is required for the course to transfer. All petitions for transfer credit must be submitted to the Marilyn Davies College Graduate Advising Office before taking the course.

Attendance Policy

Students enrolled in the UHD MPAC program are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Absences can be detrimental to academic performance and should be avoided. However, working professionals occasionally may have unavoidable absences as a result of unexpected business travel or other emergencies. It is the students’ responsibility to inform professors of the nature of the absences at the earliest practical opportunity, preferably in advance. Students are responsible for all information and assignments from missed classes. In cases where absences reach a frequency that, in the professor’s opinion, make it unlikely that the student can successfully complete the course, withdrawal from class will be recommended.