The University of Texas is also featured in our ranking 30 Top Affordable Master’s in Accounting/Master’s of Accountancy Degree Programs.
The University of Texas is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. Also known as the University of Texas at Austin, UT Austin, UT or simply Texas, this public research university was founded in 1881. Located just one mile from the Texas State Capitol, UT became a member of the Association of American Universities of 1929, making it the third university in the southern U.S. to be elected. UT boasts the eighth-largest enrollment for a single campus in the country, with more than 50,000 graduate and undergraduate students and more than 24,000 staff and faculty.
UT Austin operates research facilities, 17 libraries, and seven museums. A Public Ivy institution that offers Ivy League-comparable education at a more affordable price, UT Austin is a major center for academic research, and members of the university faculty have received the National Medal of Science, the Turing Award, the Emmy Award, the Wolf Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Nobel Prize. In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked UT Austin 18th among public universities and 56th among all universities. Specifically, the Master in Professional Accounting program is ranked as the number one graduate accounting program by U.S. News & World Report for 11 years in a row.
Master in Accounting Degrees From the University of Texas
Students seeking a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas can choose from one of three options: a traditional Master in Professional Accounting (MPA), an integrated MPA, or an ECON-MPA. Undergraduate majors for the MPA program are mostly in the field of accounting, but other business majors, economics, and other liberal arts degrees are also popular.
The Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) degree is available to students who hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline. Ranked as the number one graduate accounting program in the country, students taking case-based, challenging graduate-level courses that draw on creativity and prepare them for the future. The MPA provides both specialized knowledge and a solid accounting foundation tailored to each student’s specific career goals. Core courses include information technology for accounting, taxation, assurance services, financial accounting standards and analysis, legal environment of business for MPAs, financial management, and financial and managerial accounting.
Within the traditional MPA, students also have the option to tailor their MPA coursework to more closely align with their specific career goals. Students may choose from one of four tracks such as financial reporting and assurance, generalist, taxation, managerial accounting and control or opt to earn an internal audit certificate.
The integrated Master in Professional Accounting (iMPA) allows students to complete graduate-level courses while they earn their undergraduate degree. Coursework requirements will vary depending on each student’s specific graduate catalog. Students have the option to choose one of the same four tracks that are offered in the traditional MPA program, but all four options require a total of 36 hours of graduate coursework.
Finally, the ECON-MPA is designed for current UT Austin undergraduate students who are earning a bachelor’s degree in economics. Students who pursue the ECON-MPA track will earn both a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Master in Professional Accounting degree. Prospective students should keep in mind that admission to the program is extremely competitive. However, once accepted, students have many opportunities to interact with up-and-coming and established professionals while gaining firsthand perspectives of the business world’s global focus. Students may choose to study abroad or obtain hands-on experience by interning at major businesses for UT credit. In addition, one of the most compelling benefits of following the ECON-MPA track is the high percentage of employment offers that graduate students receive once they complete the program.
Students may join the MPA Council or other McCombs School of Business-affiliated student organizations. MPA Career Services offers one-on-one advising as well as a number of job search and professional development jobs throughout the year. According to UT, approximately 99% of 2016 Texas MPA graduates consider the MPA program a good investment, and MPA graduates are highly sought after by some of the biggest and most well-known companies in the world. Recent recruiters include Deloitte, Capital One, Apple, Amazon, and Walt Disney Company.
University of Texas Accreditation Details
The University of Texas at Austin is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award doctorate, master’s, professional, and bachelor’s degrees. Accreditation is an indicator that the school has met, and is expected to continue to meet, the accrediting body’s established standards of excellence and quality, thus assuring the public and students that the education offered is solid and trustworthy.
University of Texas Application Requirements
Prior to applying for master’s-level accounting courses at UT, students must first take several prerequisites that cover topics such as managerial accounting, financial accounting, statistics, microeconomics, and macroeconomics. In order to apply to both UT and the MPA program, students must complete an online application and pay the nonrefundable application fee. The school also requires a statement of purpose essay, two letters of recommendation, and a professional resume in MPA format. Applicants must also provide a copy of official transcripts from all previously attended institutions as well as their official GRE or GMAT scores. International applicants must supply their official IELTS or TOEFL scores.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The cost of enrollment in the UT MPA program is determined by the program length, the student’s residency status, and the number of credit hours he or she takes per semester. For instance, a Texas resident earning the traditional MPA can expect to pay $24,855 for the 31-hour program or $38,424 for the 43-hour program. A Texas non-resident can expect to pay $43,138 or $61,814 for the 31-hour or 43-hour program, respectively. Students pursuing the integrated MPA track (iMPA) are able to pay for up to half of their graduate-level courses at the undergraduate tuition rate by taking graduate courses during their fourth year of undergraduate studies. Students are then charged graduate tuition rates in their fifth year, or the last two long semesters of the program.
The University of Texas at Austin offers several types of financial aid options to eligible students such as federal loan programs and scholarships, including McCombs School of Business scholarships, university-wide scholarships, fifth-year accounting scholarships, Department of Accounting scholarships, and other third-party accounting scholarships. In addition, University of Texas MPA students may be eligible to serve as teaching assistants and work to cover the cost of tuition.
