Are most of your graduate classes taught by full-time faculty?
Yes. We have a higher percentage of our courses taught by full-time faculty than other South Florida accounting or tax programs. The few part-time faculty members we use are professionally qualified and are regarded as experts in their respective field.

Are your graduate programs designed for full-time or part-time students?
The MPrA program is designed to meet the needs of both full-time and part-time students. Full time students may begin the program during the Summer, Fall or Spring and complete the degree requirements within one year by attending all of these sessions. Part-time students may typically complete the program by taking coursework in the evenings during the Fall and Spring Semesters, and earning additional credit hours in Summer classes.

When are your graduate classes offered?
Most of our graduate tax and accounting classes are taught during the week in the evening. We typically also offer one tax class on Saturday mornings during the Fall and Spring semesters; however, it is not possible to complete the program by attending on Saturdays only.

Do you offer any online classes?
No, we do not offer any online classes.

Which tax courses are required as prerequisites for the MPrA program?
Students who complete their undergraduate degree in Accounting at the University of Miami or it's equivalent from an AACSB-accredited institution will normally meet the prerequisites. Students must have met the prerequisite courses for any graduate courses.  Students with an undergraduate degree in accounting will normally meet the prerequisites.  However, some tax classes may require an undergraduate Corporate Income Tax course which is often not required as part of the undergraduate degree.  The courses listed below are the normal undergraduate prerequisite courses:

ACC 211    Principles of Financial Accounting
ACC 212    Managerial Accounting
ACC 311    Intermediate Financial Accounting I
ACC 312    Intermediate Financial Accounting II
ACC 301    Cost / Managerial Accounting
ACC 303    Individual Income Tax
ACC 404    Corporate Income Tax (Only required for some graduate tax courses)
ACC 402    Auditing

What are the educational requirements to sit for the CPA exam in Florida and where can I find additional information on this?
Most of our students intend to become qualified as Certified Public Accountants (CPA). While the CPA exam is a national exam administered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, its execution and licensing practices are governed by state law. For example, some states require a certain number of credit hours in particular subjects and have overall accounting and business credit hour requirements. As such, you should check with the state in which you intend to practice to determine what the specific course requirements are for that state. Note, our department is unable to make a determination of your eligibility to sit for the CPA exam. This can only be done by the appropriate state board. Requirements for the State of Florida can be viewed at http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/cpa/faq-exam.html.

For your convenience, the Florida rules that apply to most individuals are summarized here. Please check the State of Florida website noted above for updates and rules which may apply in particular circumstances.

New Rule Educational Requirements
The new rule requires a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, unless one is using the provisions of the foreign rule as explained below plus 30 semester hours in excess of the bachelor's degree to include a total education program with concentration in accounting and business. The accounting education program consists of 36 semester hours of upper division accounting courses including coverage of tax, auditing, financial, and cost accounting. The business education program consists of 39 semester hours of upper division general business courses with some exceptions. One micro-economics, one macro-economics, one statistics, one business law, and one introduction to computers course may be lower division. As part of the general business hours, applicants are required to have a total of six semester hours of business law courses which must cover contracts, torts, and the Uniform Commercial Code. Excess upper division accounting courses may be used to meet the General Business requirement. Elementary accounting classes are never acceptable for credit. Courses for non-accounting majors and any MBA courses that are equivalent to elementary accounting are not accepted for this requirement.

Accreditation
The Board accepts degrees from schools accredited by the following associations: Middle States Association, New England Association, North Central Association, Northwest Association, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Association of Independent Schools and Colleges who have been approved by the Florida State Board of Independent Colleges and Universities, and Canadian Schools who have been approved by their provincial educational bodies. If you have graduated from a school or college which is not accredited by the above mentioned means, then you must use the provisions of F.A.C. 61H1-27.001 (5) (see below).


Applicants Who Have Graduated from Non-Accredited Schools (61H1-27.001) (5)
Applicants who have graduated from a non-accredited school may still qualify to sit for the CPA examination. The candidate must take 15 semester hours of graduate classes with at least nine hours of graduate level accounting courses to include three semester hours of graduate tax. THESE HOURS MUST BE TAKEN AFTER ADMISSION TO GRADUATE SCHOOL. If the courses are taken before admission to a graduate program, the classes will not be accepted, even if the school includes them as part of the graduate program. These courses cannot duplicate other courses which the applicant has taken and they cannot be used to accredit the non-accredited degree and satisfy the educational requirements. The applicant must complete the graduate school courses to validate the non-accredited degree. The applicant must also meet all other requirements for endorsement or transfer of credit. An evaluation of foreign transcripts must be completed by an evaluation service which has been approved by the Board.


Duplicate Courses
No credit will be given for courses which duplicate another course for which the applicant has received credit. Review courses are considered as duplicates.


For the CPA requirements in other states, you should consult the State Board of Accountancy for your state. Links to the requirements for each state can be found at:

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy

List of State Boards of Accountancy

General information on the CPA exam can be found at http://www.cpa-exam.org/.

How much is the tuition for these programs?
For tuition and financial information, click here. Amounts are subject to change by the University; for updates click here.

Do you offer any financial assistance?
Through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University of Miami School of Business Administration, certain endowed and annual scholarships are made available to graduate students enrolled in Accounting-related degree programs. Click here for more information.

My Bachelor’s degree is not in Accounting but I want to become eligible to sit for the CPA exam. Do you have a program for me?
Yes. The Certificate in Accounting is designed for those who hold at least an undergraduate business degree in a field other than accounting from an accredited college or university and whose present interest or occupation is accounting. The Certificate in Accounting is awarded by the Division of Continuing and International Education and the Department of Accounting. Students must complete 36 credit hours in accounting courses above the elementary level. Additionally, the program is designed for those who have an accounting undergraduate degree and who wish to complete the requirements needed to qualify for the CPA exam or to transfer their certificate to Florida. For further information consult the Division of Continuing and International Education website.

Are there any special procedures I need to follow to qualify for graduation?
Once you have begun classes, you need to start planning for graduation. Once you have completed your first four graduate courses (12 credit hours), you need to complete an Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree. This is a one page form available from the Accounting Department. In your final semester you must then apply for graduation which is done online through MyUM.Graduation ceremonies are held only during the Fall and Spring terms but you may graduate in any term including summer.

Do you provide any assistance on-campus with career planning and job placement?
Yes. All students are encouraged to visit the Toppel Career Center for assistance with career planning as well as part-time, full-time, and internship opportunities. Representatives from local, national, and international businesses visit the campus to meet with students and to interview and discuss career employment opportunities with graduating students and alumni. Individual interviews are scheduled with visiting employer representatives.

A series of programs is offered throughout the year providing information and skill-building activities in resume development, interviewing skills, networking, securing internships, and much more. The Toppel Career Center has established a comprehensive and current career resource and research facility which contains career-related materials for use by students and alumni including employment opportunities, salary surveys, descriptions of specific careers, and the preparation necessary to attain them. The Lehman computer lab enables students to work on their job and internship search. CaneZone, an internet-based Career Management System, allows students to create a career profile, upload resumes, search for jobs and internships, and sign up for on-campus interviews. Students and alumni can also use TypeFocus, a computerized career information system, which is an excellent tool for career decision making. Career Column, a weekly e-newsletter available to students and alumni provides career information and updates about current events at the career center. An annual Accounting Career Fair is jointly sponsored each Fall by Toppel Career Center and Beta Alpha Psi (the Accounting honorary fraternity). This is a fantastic opportunity for accounting students to network with over 30 local and national firms looking to fill both internship and full-time positions.