Master in Professional Accounting Admissions Blog

Insider Information for Prospective Texas McCombs MPA Students

Category: MPA Bridge (page 1 of 2)

MPA Tailgate Event: Texas vs Florida Football

The recent MPA tailgate was more than just pre-game fun—it was a testament to the camaraderie within the MPA community. One student shares their unique experience as a former University of Florida undergrad cheering for the Texas Longhorns while donning a Florida Gators jersey!

The MPA tailgate was a great bonding experience for students within the MPA program. It was great seeing my friends from different classes come together, wear burnt orange, and get excited for the Longhorns’ SEC matchup against the Gators. Many of us rooted for different teams throughout our undergrad, but this game meant much more to me since I did my undergrad at the University of Florida and was a photographer for the Florida Gators’ athletics program. When I showed up to the tailgate with a Texas Longhorns hat and Florida Gators jersey, my fellow MPA students made sure to get a good laugh, and it made for a lot of fun. This MPA community really thrives off of each other as we are all battle the stresses that come with a prestigious academic program together. I also made sure to fuel up with some catered Chick-fil-A.

As for advice I have for new/prospective students, prioritize and make time for friends and meet fellow students through social outings such as the MPA tailgate. Having friends in all of your classes will make you look forward to your 8 am classes, give you a sense of home away from home, and provide you with lifelong friends down the road. I am looking forward to what the next semester brings and hope we can all get together for a baseball or basketball outing.

-Craig Haas

Learn more about the Master in Professional Accounting program

MPA student at football game MPA students enjoying tailgate

MPA students at tailgate

Register: Join Us for Our Virtual MPA Panel Night

Join us for an evening of insight and connection at the MPA Panel Night! This event offers a unique opportunity to hear from Texas McCombs faculty, current students, and alumni. Learn about the program’s academic strengths, explore student experiences, and discover how an MPA can shape your career.

Register: MPA Panel Night

Thursday, November 14, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Zoom Webinar

Texas McCombs Master in Professional Accounting Degree is Now STEM Certified!

As of this fall, the Texas McCombs Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) degree is now STEM certified by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) designation acknowledges the MPA program’s heavy emphasis on quantitative methods, statistical analysis, and technological applications. Students in the program receive a traditional accounting education along with an abundance of wide-ranging opportunities to apply technology and data analysis skills in nearly every course.

The certification benefits international students, as graduates with STEM designated degrees can stay in the U.S. to work for three years, instead of just one year, through the Optional Practical Training program.

Read more…

 

REGISTER: Join Us In Person to Learn About Specialized Master’s Options for UT Students

Connect with the Specialized Master’s recruiting and admissions team to discover the range of master’s programs offered at McCombs. As a UT undergraduate, you can take advantage of the opportunity to earn a master’s degree by staying just one more year at UT.

The info session will cover admission requirements, career outcomes, important dates, and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and dive into what makes the McCombs School of Business Specialized Master’s programs highly ranked and well sought after.

Specialized Master’s programs for UT undergrads include:

  • Accounting
  • Business Analytics
  • Finance
  • Information Technology & Management
  • Marketing

REGISTER: SPECIALIZED MASTER’S INFO SESSION FOR UT STUDENTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. CT

BERNARD AND AUDRE RAPOPORT BUILDING (BRB) 2.136

REGISTER: Join Us In Person for the MPA Bridge Meet and Mingle!

Are you a current UT non-accounting major interested in expanding your career opportunities? Join us in person at the MPA Bridge Meet and Mingle to learn how you can complement your bachelor’s degree with our Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) degree. Meet and mingle with MPA staff and current MPA students who started their program with a non-business background. Plus, enjoy some Plucker’s on us! Open to all UT majors.

REGISTER: MPA BRIDGE MEET & MINGLE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 6-7 pm

ROWLING HALL SPECIAL EVENTS ROOM, RRH 5.210

 

Stop By to Chat with MPA Students and Admissions Staff!

Interested in the Master in Professional Accounting program? Stop by for some coffee in the McCombs Hall of Honors to speak with a current student or an admissions team member, and learn more about earning your accounting master’s degree in just one year! No registration is needed.

Wednesday, October 23, 2024
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Hall of Honors, CBA 2.200

REGISTER: Join the October 16 MPA Bridge Information Session!

Are you a current UT undergraduate looking to expand your career options? This program allows you to begin working towards a Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) while finishing your bachelor’s degree in your senior year—regardless of your major.

Join our upcoming virtual info session to discover how the MPA Bridge program can fast-track your path to success. You’ll hear all about the admissions process, curriculum, career prospects, and what life is like in the program.

REGISTER: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16 – 5:00 PM CT

We look forward to meeting you soon!

Jasmin Blas-Mendieta

Jasmin Blas-Mendieta, MPA Senior Recruiting and Admissions Officer.

 

Application Tips: Crafting Your Resume

Your resume provides an important opportunity to showcase your accomplishments and skills. Be sure to highlight honors, awards, language or computer skills, extracurriculars, volunteer and leadership experiences, internships, full-time work experience (if applicable), and other experiences outside of the classroom that developed your skills.

You may have noticed on the MPA admissions website that we provide MPA application resume guidelines (See tMPA resume guidelines or MPA Bridge resume guidelines) and an MPA application resume template (See tMPA resume template or MPA Bridge resume template). Although this resume format is not required, we highly recommend using the MPA template if you are in the process of reconstructing your resume. If admitted, you will be required to use this format during the recruiting process, and our MPA career coaches will work with you to fine-tune your resume.

The MPA application resume guidelines include:

  • Resume length
  • Font and font size
  • Margins
  • Tips for listing education, achievements, experience, and work eligibility

If you need to submit an updated version of your resume after you submit your application, you can do so in the McCombs application portal (Submitted Applications tab > Submit an Update). Be sure to submit any updates as soon as possible. We cannot guarantee that updates will be included in your application review, as it will depend on when you submit the updated resume and where your application is in the review process with the admissions committee.

Application Tips: Submitting Your Transcripts

What exactly are the steps for submitting your transcript(s) for your MPA application? Read on for the details!

MPA BRIDGE

You will provide a copy of a (free) UT Academic Summary in the admissions application.

Steps: (See the MPA Bridge admissions packet for additional details.)

  1. List all colleges and universities attended, including junior or community colleges, on the “Educational Information” page of the admissions application. (Tip: Select Add Record to add a college or university to your list of institutions attended. Type University of Texas Austin in the “Institution Name” field to search for UT Austin.)
  2. For UT Austin only, upload a PDF of a Academic Summary in lieu of an official UT transcript.  You do not need to provide copies of transcripts from any other colleges or universities attended.

TRADITIONAL MPA

You will provide your transcripts in two locations: 1) in the McCombs application portal (for the MPA admissions committee application review) and 2) in the MyStatus portal (for UT’s Office of Graduate Admissions). The Office of Graduate Admissions is responsible for verifying the validity of transcripts and degrees and calculating an upper-division GPA (based on junior- and senior-level courses and graduate courses, if applicable).

Steps: (See the tMPA admissions packet for additional details.)

  1. Order official transcripts from every four-year university or college you attended, and have them sent to you directly. Applicants who attended The University of Texas at Austin should download a PDF copy of a UT Academic Summary instead of ordering a transcript. Transcripts from junior or community colleges should be requested if you completed our pre-enrollment requirements or any accounting courses at these institutions. If you are unable to obtain an official transcript in PDF format, scan your paper transcripts to a PDF.
  2. List all colleges and universities attended, including junior or community colleges, on the “Educational Information” page of your McCombs online application. (Tip: Select Add Record to add a college or university to your list of institutions attended.)
  3. Upload a PDF copy of each transcript. Current and former UT Austin students should upload a free Academic Summary in lieu of a UT transcript.
  4. Pay your Application Fee in UT’s Office of Graduate Admissions MyStatus portal after submitting your application.
  5. After paying your application fee, upload the transcripts to the MyStatus portal or have your transcripts sent electronically via SPEEDE or Parchment (see the Submit Transcripts section of this Office of Graduate Admissions web page for detailed instructions). Former University of Texas at Austin students will pay a  $20 transcript fee in lieu of uploading UT Austin transcripts.

Tip: Store any official paper transcripts safely. If you are offered admission and intend to enroll, you will then send your official paper copy transcripts to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Tip: If you attended a university outside the U.S., a foreign credential evaluation from WES or another organization is not required. However, if a transcript is written in a language other than English, a complete and official English translation must be uploaded together with the original transcript.

Should I submit my transcript without my fall grades? 

If you are a traditional MPA U.S. applicant or MPA Bridge applicant, we recommend submitting a transcript (or UT Academic Summary) without your fall grades if you are aiming to apply early and your fall grades are net yet posted. We will reach out to you if we need your fall grades before making a decision. That said, we recommend waiting to submit your transcript with your fall grades if:

  1. (For non-accounting majors:) You are taking pre-enrollment courses in the fall, (See tMPA pre-enrollments or MPA Bridge pre-enrollments)
  2. (For accounting majors:) You are enrolled in several upper-level accounting classes in the fall, or
  3. Your upper-level GPA will be improved substantially with your fall grades.

If you are a traditional MPA international applicant (not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident), you should submit your application with transcript before either the early November 1 or final January 14 application deadline, even if the fall grades are not posted. After your fall grades are available, you can provide a copy of an updated transcript in the McCombs application portal.

Please contact the MPA admissions team if you have additional questions!

Application Tips: Recommendation Letters

The Texas McCombs traditional MPA and MPA Bridge admissions applications require at least two letters of recommendation. Keep reading for answers to frequently asked questions about recommendations.

Who should write my letters of recommendation?

Through the recommendation letters (and admissions essays), we aim to learn about your strengths, personal qualities, skills, and the potential for success in the classroom and as a business professional. Choose references who know you in an academic or professional context and are familiar with your abilities, achievements, and career aspirations. Also consider references who can provide unique and diverse viewpoints. If you are currently in school, we prefer recommendations from faculty members, although feel free to supplement with a third recommendation from a professional work or extracurricular experience. Although only two recommendation letters are required, the MPA admissions committee will review all that are submitted.

How should my references submit their recommendation letters?

Letters are received directly from the recommender via a secure portal. You will be asked to provide the names and email addresses of at least two recommenders in the “Letters of Recommendation” section of the application. When you select “Continue,” your recommenders will be sent an email notification with a link to a secure portal where they will be asked to complete an online questionnaire and upload a recommendation letter.

Tips:

  • Complete this part of your application first. This will allow your recommenders to get started while you’re working on the other components of your application.
  • Contact your recommenders to let them know they will receive an email. The message is sent from a general McCombs School of Business email address and may end up in their junk/spam email folder.
  • Monitor the status of your recommendations in the McCombs application portal. You can resend notifications from the portal as needed.

What should I do if I already submitted my online application but need to send a request to an additional recommender?

After you submit your application, you will have the option in the McCombs application portal to add recommenders and send them an email request.

Older posts