MPA (Master of Professional Accountancy)
Graduate Overview
Program Update
We are no longer accepting applications for the MPA program. The MBA with Accounting emphasis is available as an alternative. Please request information or contact us at gradbus@uww.edu for more details.
To ensure a high quality graduate student group, all Master of Professional Accountancy students must have an undergraduate degree from a recognized institution and meet one of the admission criteria provided below. Many applicants will qualify for admission without GMAT/GRE scores.
Our interactive evaluation form can also help you review the admission requirements and the documentation needed for official admission review.
If you do not meet the admission requirements, please email or call us at (262) 472-1945 to see if you could be admitted on a conditional basis.
International students must meet additional criteria and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Contact us for information and assistance.
Applicants must satisfy any one of the criteria from any of the following categories:
Military Service
- Qualified veteran or currently active military personnel
Education
- AACSB- or ABET-accredited degree with a 3.0 GPA or higher
- Regionally-accredited undergraduate degree with a 3.25 GPA or higher
- Graduate degree from a regionally-accredited or equivalent institution
- UW-Whitewater graduate business certificate
Work Experience
- Four or more years of professional work experience
- Two or more years of professional work experience with a 3.0 GPA
- Approved professional certification
GMAT Scores*
- A composite score of at least 1,100 based on the following formula
- (GMAT score) + [200 x (overall undergraduate GPA based on a 4-point scale)]
- A composite score of at least 1,150 based on the following formula
- (GMAT score) + [200 x (last half of undergraduate GPA based on a 4-point scale)]
- A composite score of 950 - 1,100 for consideration of conditional admission based on the following formula
- (GMAT score) + [200 x (overall undergraduate GPA based on a 4-point scale)]
*GRE scores are converted to comparable GMAT scores
The UW-Whitewater Master of Professional Accountancy has been updated to allow students to select more of the classes they take. With more than 40 electives to choose from, students can customize their degree plan to better match their career interests.
To earn the UW-Whitewater MPA, you must complete:
- Breadth (12 credits)
- Electives (18 credits)
Additional information, including course descriptions and program policies, can be found in the Graduate Catalog.
UW-Whitewater Master of Professional Accountancy students will select from a set of electives related to a specific discipline to complete an emphasis that will be noted on their transcripts. This structure allows students to tailor the degree program to match their interests and career goals.
More than one emphasis may be completed; however, courses cannot be used to satisfy requirements in more than one emphasis. Courses by MPA emphasis can be found in the Graduate Catalog.
The Taxation emphasis prepares students for careers in public accounting as well as publicly-traded and private companies. Going beyond the simple preparation of tax returns, the taxation emphasis allows students to develop deep research and technical skills. The taxation emphasis also affords students the ability to explore specific tax areas including corporate, partnership, and international tax.
The Audit and Analytics emphasis prepares students for careers in both internal and external audit disciplines. Students have the opportunity to choose from courses that address advanced audit issues; evidence-gathering activities; internal control design and assessments; business and information technology risk analysis; analysis, design and development of modern information systems; reporting on controls and business processes; professional audit standards and ethical concepts; fraud detection and reporting; and contemporary business data analytics topics such as data management, data mining, business intelligence, and process innovation.
The Finance emphasis prepares students for careers in public accounting as well as publicly-traded and private companies by providing a solid knowledge base in corporate financial management. Students have the opportunity to choose from courses that address financial statement analysis, business valuation, international financial principles, capital budgeting, and portfolio selection and management.
The International Business emphasis prepares students for careers in public accounting as well as publicly-traded and private companies by providing a solid knowledge base to understand the global business environment. Students have the opportunity to choose from courses that address sustainability and environmental reporting, as well as other international issues that arise in economics, finance, management, and marketing.
Because MPA graduates typically complete the program immediately following their bachelor's degree and do not yet have extensive work experience, the benefits of their master's are generally more appreciable with time. On average, accounting professionals with master's degrees earn $22,000 (32%) more per year than those with bachelor's degrees1 and are typically promoted faster. Information from surveyed UW-Whitewater MPA graduates is shared below, as well as industry-reported salary information that reflects more of a mid-career average.
MPA Placement Rate2
100%
Highlighted Employers3
Baker Tilly LLP, Deloitte & Touche LLP, EY, Grant Thornton LLP, KPMG, PwC, Smith & Gestland, Wegner CPAs, Wipfli LLP, Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Common Titles3
Assurance Associate, Auditor, Forensic Associate, Staff Accountant, Tax Accountant
Industry Salary (national average)
UW-Whitewater Salary Estimate (6 months or less after graduation)3
$52,049
1 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, 2015
2 Based on 2018 - 2019 survey data
3 Self-reported data from survey respondents
4 Payscale.com national salary data (1 to 20+ years of professional experience)