CPA Exam Prep: Proven Results
In just 12 months, earn your Vanderbilt MAcc, prepare for the CPA exam, and launch your career with a Big 4 firm. With built-in exam prep and strong pass rates, you’ll be set up for success.
Curriculum at a Glance
Accelerated. Immersive. Built for exam success.
The Vanderbilt MAcc program follows a modular system, with two seven-week modules per semester. This structured, 12-month format builds core accounting knowledge quickly while integrating CPA preparation, hands-on experience, and recruiting opportunities aligned with top firms.
Here’s what that means for you:
- Choose between two distinct programs, MAcc Assurance or MAcc Valuation to align with your career goals.
- Build a strong foundation through core courses in audit, financial reporting, and accounting analytics.
- Gain real-world experience through a paid internship opportunity with a leading accounting firm.
- Prepare for the CPA exam with integrated review resources and dedicated support. MAcc Valuation students will also prepare for the CFA exam. Learn more about licensure and certification information.
- Benefit from a curriculum designed to support recruiting timelines in the fall and long-term career success.
One Accounting Degree. Two Distinct Programs.
The Vanderbilt MAcc Assurance program prepares you to be successful as an audit and assurance associate with a top global accounting firm. An audit assures investors, regulators, bankers, and others that a company’s balance sheet, cash flows, and profit and loss statements deliver a reasonable depiction of its financial health.
As an audit associate, you will assist in performing audits for a variety of clients and will have access to experts on every topic imaginable and a closely knit team of peers. It’s the science (and art) of providing expert and independent assessments that support smart business decisions. Your job is to “follow the money.” Where does it come from? Where does it go? How is it allocated? What processes are used to ensure the accuracy and veracity of these transactions?
The Vanderbilt MAcc Valuation program prepares you for a dynamic career as a valuation associate, which demands strong finance skills and accounting expertise. How do you determine the value of intellectual property? What is a brand name worth? How much should a company pay to purchase a competitor? These are just a few of the complex questions answered by valuation professionals. Your accounting course work empowers you to understand and speak the “language of business.”
As a valuation associate, you will work with leading companies and alongside the biggest names in wealth management and banking. Be part of a small, close-knit team providing specialized financial analyses and models that impact your clients’ business decisions on important matters such as strategy and acquisitions, asset management, restructuring and divestitures, and management planning.
12-Month Curriculum
Please note: Degree requirements and course information are subject to change; not all courses are offered every year. View the most recent Course Catalog containing academic policies, degree requirements and individual course descriptions for each of our degree programs.
Immersion Learning
Paid Internship Experience
Gain real-world accounting experience through a paid internship with a global accounting and professional services firm.
The program provides an internship opportunity. The knowledge I gained during my internship was invaluable, and because I found success, I received a full-time offer.
Paid Internship Experience
You’ll have an unparalleled opportunity for a 10-week paid internship with one of our partner firms.* This internship allows you to round out your education with real-world experience and gives you a chance to see what life is like as an audit and assurance professional within a Big Four firm. At the same time, it allows the firm to evaluate you. It’s a fact: Successful internships lead to full-time job offers.
Through your internship, you will expand your technical, communication, and critical-thinking skills by learning to:
- Explore conceptual and practical problems companies face.
- Appreciate the role of financial reporting in capital markets.
- Employ innovative uses of information for decision making.
- Apply key concepts to novel situations.
- Recognize legal issues.
- Understand management responsibilities for compliance.
Earn While You Learn
You can earn $11,000 or more during your internship. Plus, you will learn the language of business and likely earn the job you want. Most firms consider this internship an extended interview for post-graduate employment.
Process for Earning Internship Placement
You'll participate in a structured process for internship placement, including individualized assistance in preparing for interviews and networking events. You'll also attend several firm and school-sponsored recruiting events to learn more about the public accounting profession and career opportunities. In addition, you will have an interview during Immersion Week with each of our partner firms.
Geographic Mobility
As you go through the recruiting process with the firms, we work with you to help you find placement in your desired city. In fact, a Vanderbilt MAcc Assurance degree will open geographic doors to your career. As you advance, you will have opportunities to work in cities around the world with leading companies making headlines in every industry. For a sneak peek at where MAcc Assurance graduates have gone, take a look at where students accepted full-time offers:
Atlanta, Birmingham, Boise, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Louisville, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.
*Internships are not guaranteed. If a student has previously participated in an internship or does not receive a Big 4 internship offer then elective courses will be taken during the internship period.