COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program at the University of Southern Mississippi requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate-level business coursework, with at least 27 of those hours completed at the 600-level, ensuring advanced academic rigor and specialization in accounting. Within these requirements, students must complete a structured set of core accounting courses designed to build deep expertise in financial reporting, auditing, taxation, and analytical decision-making. The required curriculum includes ACC 605 Current Accounting Theory and Research, which focuses on contemporary issues and frameworks in accounting practice, and ACC 608 Financial Statement Analysis and Business Valuation, which develops skills in interpreting financial data for decision-making and valuation purposes. Students also complete ACC 610 Advanced Auditing and ACC 615 Audit Analytics and IT Auditing, both of which emphasize modern auditing standards, risk assessment, data analytics, and information systems auditing techniques. Additional required coursework includes ACC 620 Advanced Cost Accounting Analytics, which explores managerial accounting systems and cost analysis for strategic planning, ACC 630 Corporate and Partnership Taxation, which provides in-depth knowledge of tax structures and compliance, and ACC 631 Advanced Tax Topics, which builds expertise in complex and specialized areas of taxation. In addition to these core requirements, students must complete 9 hours of approved graduate-level business electives, allowing them to tailor their studies to specific interests such as finance, analytics, or advanced accounting applications. Notably, ACC 611 and FIN 611 do not count toward the required 30 graduate business hours for the MPA degree. This structured curriculum ensures that graduates gain both theoretical understanding and applied technical skills necessary for professional accounting careers, CPA exam preparation, and leadership roles in auditing, taxation, corporate finance, and advisory services across public, private, and governmental sectors.