Master in Professional Accounting Admissions Blog

Insider Information for Prospective Texas McCombs MPA Students

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Austin Takes the Lead as the #1 City to Launch Your Career

Austin Takes the Lead as the #1 City to Launch Your Career

July 12, 2023 / / 0 Comments

In a recent analysis conducted by Bankrate, the top 50 metro areas in the US were evaluated based on three key factors: rent affordability, employment opportunities, and quality of life. Austin emerged as the number one city for millennials and members of Gen Z entering the workforce!

As graduation season wraps up, young adults across the country are embarking on their post-college journeys and contemplating where to start their careers. Austin is a city that embodies the perfect balance between work and play. With its booming job market, affordable living, and vibrant culture, Austin has become a magnet for young professionals seeking a head start in their careers.

The city’s strong economy has been driven by the presence of major tech companies, including Dell, IBM, Apple, Facebook, Samsung, Google and Tesla, which have established their operations in the area. Austin is also home to several major accounting firms, such as Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY, that offer a wide range of accounting, tax, and consulting services.

The Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) program at Texas McCombs stands out as the nation’s top-ranked program. Pursing a masters in accounting at McCombs and establishing a foundation in Austin allows graduates to gain access to a network of industry leaders and exciting career opportunities, setting them on the path to a successful and fulfilling professional journey in Austin.

Beyond its professional appeal, Austin boasts a vibrant cultural scene and an exceptional quality of life. The city is renowned for its live music venues, festivals, and diverse culinary offerings. With its numerous parks, hiking trails, and proximity to the beautiful Texas Hill Country, Austin provides ample opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts to unwind and stay active.

Join us at an MPA event to learn more and make Austin your destination!

Sells Award 2022

Three McCombs MPA Students Recognized with Elijah Watt Sells Award!

May 30, 2023 / / 0 Comments

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) recently announced the winners of the prestigious 2022 Elijah Watt Sells Award. The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the AICPA in 1923 to acknowledge outstanding performance on the CPA Exam. To qualify for the award, candidates must achieve a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, pass all four sections on their first attempt, and complete their testing within the designated year. Out of the approximately 67,000 individuals who took the exam last year, 50 candidates met the criteria to receive this esteemed award.

Among the group of CPA candidates who demonstrated exceptional aptitude and commitment, three students from the Texas McCombs MPA program were honored with the Elijah Watt Sells Award. The Texas McCombs MPA curriculum lays a solid educational foundation for the CPA exam. In fact, 37 of our students have received the Sells Award since 2014. CPA candidates from Texas McCombs typically have higher pass rates than the state and national average.

Congrats to the 2022 Award Winners!

  1. Danielle Beaulieu: A graduate of New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and English literature, holds a Master in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Currently employed at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, DC, Danielle’s remarkable achievement showcases her expertise and dedication in the field of accounting.
  2. John Gerling: An alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master in Professional Accounting. John is currently working at Ernst & Young in Austin, TX, where he continues to contribute his skills and knowledge to the accounting profession.
  3. Wilson Wu: A graduate of the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting, pursued his Master in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. He is currently employed at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Houston, TX, where he continues to excel in his accounting career.

Texas McCombs is incredibly proud of the three exceptional students from the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) Program who were honored with this award. Their remarkable achievements are a testament to their unwavering dedication, diligence, and mastery of the accounting profession. As we celebrate the accomplishments of Danielle Beaulieu, John Gerling, and Wilson Wu, we commend them for their exceptional performance on the CPA Exam and for upholding the values of excellence and professionalism. Their achievements serve as an inspiration to current and future MPA students, highlighting the possibilities that await them with dedication and hard work.

Dean Mills wins Outstanding Educator Award

Dean Lillian Mills Receives Prestigious Outstanding Accounting Educator Award

May 15, 2023 / / 0 Comments

We are thrilled to announce that Dean Lillian Mills, the esteemed leader of The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, has been honored with the highly coveted 2023 Outstanding Accounting Educator Award from the American Accounting Association. This prestigious recognition underscores her remarkable contributions to the field of accounting and her exceptional dedication to educating future accounting professionals.

The award committee selected Mills after reviewing over 30 nomination letters from her research co-authors, peers at top academic institutions nationwide, former students from around the world, and Texas McCombs colleagues.

Mills is recognized as the most prolific and impactful tax researcher in the accounting academy, according to Steve Kachelmeier, chair of the McCombs Department of Accounting. Mills is known for her enthusiasm and passion for accounting, dedication to her students, and her uncanny ability to make complicated tax-related topics understandable and applicable. Dean Mills is a true trailblazer in the realm of accounting education.

Mills has chaired the department for four years before being named permanent dean of McCombs in 2021, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She has won numerous teaching awards throughout her career and continues to mentor McCombs doctoral candidates. Dean Mills cherishes the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge knowledge creation and sharing alongside her esteemed colleagues, finding constant joy and inspiration in her work.

The accolade includes a monetary prize, a citation, and a unique glass art piece to be presented in August at the association’s annual meeting in Denver, sponsored by the PricewaterhouseCoopers Foundation. Mills’ work with students and faculty members inspires the McCombs community to new heights and has had a lasting impact on generations of tax scholars. Learn more about the award here.

Terri's class

Peek into an MPA Class: Financial Planning for Wealth Management

May 10, 2023 / / 0 Comments

In 2016, Terri Holbrook created a new course in financial wealth management for students interested in investments, tax planning, and all areas of personal wealth management. In class, students learn financial planning strategies, to develop research techniques and methods of analysis in the personal financial planning process.

The course has become incredibly popular, with many students eagerly signing up each year. What makes this course so special? According to Holbrook, it’s all about hands-on learning and real-world experience.

Rather than relying solely on lectures and textbook material, Holbrook’s course is project-driven and case-based. At the beginning of the semester, students are introduced to a simulated four-generation family, and throughout the course, they receive emails from this client requesting assistance with a variety of financial issues, including retirement planning, investment portfolios, tax liabilities, and estate planning. By working through these scenarios, students gain valuable experience in the real-world challenges that personal wealth advisors face every day.

One of the key benefits of this course is its relevance to today’s job market. According to Holbrook, there is a significant shortage of financial advisors and planners, with many current advisors nearing retirement age and looking for younger professionals to take over their client base. Additionally, the baby boomer generation is currently transferring significant amounts of wealth to younger generations who may lack financial knowledge. For students interested in a career in financial planning and advisory, this course can be an excellent opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in a field with significant job opportunities.

The course has lasting personal benefits even for students not interested in a career in financial advising. Learning how to manage personal finances, invest wisely, and plan for retirement are skills that will serve students well throughout their lives.

Terri Holbrook’s course in financial wealth management is an excellent opportunity for students to gain real-world experience and develop valuable skills that will serve them well both personally and professionally. With a focus on hands-on learning and a simulated client scenario, this course provides an excellent foundation for students interested in pursuing a career in financial planning and advisory, as well as those simply looking to improve their personal financial management skills.

Interested in learning more about the MPA Program? Dive deeper into the program here.

REGISTER: Meet Current MPA Students and Alumni

April 19, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Want to learn more about the Master in Professional Accounting program from students and alumni who have experienced it first-hand? Join our virtual panel on Thursday, April 20 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT! Current MPA students and alumni will discuss why they chose to study accounting and provide details about their experiences in the program, including their favorites classes, recruiting and employment opportunities, and life at Texas McCombs. Plus, you’ll have the chance to ask the panelists questions!

Register Now!

Event Details:
Thursday, April 20
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT
Virtual – Zoom

Meet the Panelists!

Paul Nabhan  |  MPA ’12
Associate, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

Paul earned his master’s in accounting through the integrated Master in Professional Accounting (iMPA) program at Texas McCombs. Paul is an attorney and CPA based in New York City. His primary practice involves representing financial institutions, corporate borrowers, and private equity sponsors in complex structured and leveraged finance transactions.

 

Letitia Wu |  MPA ’23
Current Student

Letitia is currently in the traditional Master in Professional Accounting (tMPA) program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in both accounting and operations & information management from Georgetown University. Letitia is pursuing the generalist track within the MPA program and is also a MPA ambassador. She is open to connecting with prospective students as they consider attending McCombs!

 

Alec Weissman  |  MPA ’19
Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company

Alec earned his master’s in accounting through the integrated Master in Professional Accounting (iMPA) program at Texas McCombs. He lives in Dallas, Texas and has experience in both public accounting and management consulting. Alec’s strengths include developing 3-5 year strategies, leading high-performing teams, standing up transformation offices, and driving effective implementation of cross-functional projects.

 

Austin Hayes  |  MPA ’23
Current Student

Austin is a Texas native and is currently finishing his degree in the integrated Master in Professional Accounting (iMPA) program. While in the program, he pursued the taxation track and completed an internship with Deloitte. Austin is now looking forward to rejoining Deloitte after graduation!

 

Take a peek inside an MPA class

Peek into the Classroom: Financial Statement Analysis

April 13, 2023 / / 0 Comments

As a student in the MPA program, you can take many interesting and challenging classes that will help prepare you for a successful future in accounting. One such class is Financial Statement Analysis taught by Dr. Patrick Badolato. This case-based course is unique in that it moves away from mechanical calculations and towards critical thinking by using an array of financial information to understand past performance and form predictions for the future. It involves interdisciplinary discussions that dig into the “why” behind the data. In class, students holistically use ratios, financial statements, footnotes, and other information to tackle perspectives such as: What business reasons and strategies drive performance?

This class provides a lifetime of value for students in the MPA program and highlights the many ways accounting is valuable in the business world. Learn more about Financial Statement Analysis from Professor Badolato and an MPA student in this video!

Want to learn more about Professor Badolato, the classes he teaches, and why he loves accounting? Watch the video below!

Does this class sound interesting to you? If you are exploring a future in accounting and want to know more about how the MPA program can help you reach your career goals, attend an info session or meet with admissions.

peek inside the classroom

Peek into the Classroom: Corporate Tax

April 6, 2023 / / 0 Comments

As a student in the MPA program, you can take many interesting and challenging classes that will help prepare you for a successful future in accounting. One such class is Corporate Tax. A fundamental aspect of all financial transactions is the tax cost of the transaction. Understanding how businesses and individuals are taxed is crucial for accounting professionals. Corporate Tax, focusing on the taxation of C corporations and their shareholders, is taught by Professor Donna Johnston-Blair, an MPA student favorite.

In Corporate Tax, students learn about the life cycle of a corporation from a tax perspective. The class starts with the tax consequences of incorporation. The next step in a C corp’s tax life cycle is the calculation of a corporation’s taxable income (students even practice preparing a corporate tax return). Professor Johnston-Blair also explores various strategies that C corps and their shareholders can employ to minimize their tax burden, including deferring income, accelerating deductions, and taking advantage of tax credits.

In the second part of the course, the focus shifts to the tax consequences of corporate distributions and then, the corporation’s end (aka, liquidation). These transactions create unique tax consequences for a corporate shareholders. Understanding these consequences can set an accounting professional apart from their peers.

While learning the corporate tax rules, students also explore ethical and professional issues that arise for tax professionals related to tax evasion, tax avoidance and tax fraud.

“Donna brings everything I learned in tax together. She’s always available inside and outside the class and provides thorough explanations and constructive advice. She is the most charming and lively professor I can ever ask for! My MPA experience would not be the same without her!”
– Letitia Wu, MPA Student

Corporate Tax provides MPA student with a comprehensive understanding of taxation of C corps. Professor Johnston-Blair encourages class discussion and incorporates real-life examples to help students understand both the complexities and the nuances of C corp taxation.

Taxation of Entities 1 Class

Taxation of Entities 1 Professor Johnston-Blair in action!

Does this class sound interesting to you? If you are exploring a future in accounting and want to know more about how the MPA program can help you reach your career goals, attend an info session or meet with admissions.

Accounting++?

REGISTER: Accounting ++ “?” Webinar

March 16, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This spring, the Texas McCombs MPA Program has been hosting the “Accounting++” series, to introduce students to various careers in which accounting knowledge is valued. At each event, we highlight a career path that benefits from having a master’s degree in accounting (MPA). Our final event is titled Accounting ++ “?”. If you are thinking of choosing a major or applying to the MPA program, register now to hear from accountants with diverse backgrounds working in a variety of areas to get your questions answered.

Event Details:
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
5:30 – 6:30 pm CT

Register Now!

Meet the Panelists!

BillBill Fan
Tax Analyst, SpaceX

SpaceX designs and builds its reusable rockets and spacecraft. Their goal is to reduce space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars. Bill works in their tax function to ensure that SpaceX is both meeting its tax reporting and compliance obligations and operating in a tax-efficient manner.

 

VirginiaVirgina Hoskins
Director, Department of Physics, UT Austin

The Physics Department at UT is an internationally recognized research college and ranks highly in the National Research Council surveys of doctoral programs in the US. Virginia’s work ensures that the Department can meet its current and aspirational goals, by stewarding its financial processes.

 

NikkiNikki Ellis
Tax Manager, Deloitte

Deloitte provides tax compliance and consulting services to public and private companies. Digitization, ESG, and workforce mobility fundamentally affect the taxes companies pay and make this an interesting and challenging area of work. Tax professionals are their client’s strategic advisors. They work to assess their client’s tax obligations accurately and efficiently, ensuring that they are well served and that governments have the resources to meet their operating needs.

 

CedricCedric Kudowor
Senior, Accounting & Reporting Advisory, Deloitte

Deloitte provides audit and assurance services to help organizations ensure that their businesses operate efficiently and profitably, following applicable governing standards. Auditors, by verifying and testing the information in financial and other regulated reporting, enhance the trust placed in the financial markets and, in so doing, help a multi-trillion dollar capital market system function with greater confidence.

 

JohnJohn Strother
Senior Consultant, Modeling Advisory, Deloitte

Deloitte’s valuation and modeling services teams work with clients to better forecast and analyze various data points to better understand risks facing their businesses, to reduce costs, and to accurately price acquisitions and sales. Their clients include public and private companies in industries such as private equity, real estate, manufacturing, and technology.

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including nearly 90 percent of the Fortune 500 and more than 7,000 private companies.

FACULTY PANEL

REGISTER: Meet Texas McCombs MPA Faculty

March 14, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Want to hear from faculty who teach in the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) program at Texas McCombs? Join us on Wednesday, March 22 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT as distinguished faculty discuss the program’s curriculum, what you’ll learn in the classes they teach, and how earning an MPA degree from UT Austin will set you up for success in the workforce.

Register Now!

Meet the panelists:

braden

Braden Williams
Associate Professor of Accounting

Braden Williams is an Associate Professor of Accounting in the McCombs School of Business. His research examines the way that firms respond to tax incentives and tax enforcement—frequently in a multijurisdictional setting—and has been published in top accounting journals. He has taught introductory and corporate tax classes to students in the BBA & MPA programs.

 

Lisa Lisa Koonce
Professor of Accounting

Lisa Koonce, Deloitte and Touche Endowed Chair in Accounting, has earned a number of awards and has been consistently elected to the McCombs MBA Program Faculty Honor Roll since 2000. Her research and teaching interests include the judgment and decision making implications of financial reporting. Dr. Koonce’s teaching interests are financial accounting and judgment and decision making in accounting.

 

SaraSara Toynbee
Associate Professor of Accounting

Sara Toynbee’s research examines how recognition, measurement, and disclosure issues in financial accounting influence the usefulness of financial reports. She also has research that examines the determinants and consequences of the matching process in the executive labor market.

 

zachZach Kowaleski
Associate Professor of Accounting

Zach Kowaleski studies the effect of the institutional setting on behavior using the audit and broker-dealer settings. His work has been published in numerous accounting journals. Zach teaches Auditing and Assurance Services. Zach was formerly an Economic Research Fellow at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and worked 4years in PwC’s audit practice.

Meet the MPA ambassadors

Meet the MPA Student Ambassadors

March 13, 2023 / / 0 Comments
Are you interested in the Master in Professional Accounting program at The University of Texas at Austin? Learn about life at Texas McCombs, employment recruiting, and living in Austin first-hand from our MPA student ambassadors! Ambassadors are current students who are available to answer questions about their experiences in the MPA program.

Get to know our student ambassadors:

Joseph
Joseph Hsu
  • Favorite Netflix show: The Crown
  • Go-to Austin food: BBQ
  • Best study spot: Robert B. Rowling Hall
  • Home Country: Taiwan
  • Career Interests: Audit/Assurance Services

Armani

Armani Sampat
  • Favorite Netflix show: Seinfeld
  • Go-to Austin food: Street Tacos
  • Best study spot: Perry-Castañeda Library
  • Home country: India
  • Career Interest: Taxation

Jack

Jack Rollings:
  • Favorite Netflix show: Ozark
  • Go-to Austin food: Granny’s Tacos
  • Best study spot: Merit Coffee
  • Hometown: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
  • Career Interests: Audit/Assurance Services

Landon

Landon Christensen:
  • Favorite Netflix show: The Office
  • Go-to Austin food: Chuy’s
  • Best study spot: Campus
  • Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona
  • Career Interest: Taxation

Lynn

Lynn Ashby
  • Favorite Netflix show: Last Chance U
  • Go-to Austin food: Cabo Bob’s
  • Best study spot: Study Rooms in Robert B. Rowling Hall
  • Hometown: Houston, Texas
  • Career Interests: Advisory, Forensics

Melissa

Melissa Liang
  • Favorite Netflix show: Sandman
  • Go-to Austin food: Tex-Mex
  • Best study spot: MPA Student Lounge
  • Homecountry: Taiwan
  • Career Interests: Audit or Taxation
What is something that surprised you about the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) program?

MPA ambassadors share what surprised them about the MPA program!

Keep in mind that our ambassadors are not directly involved in the admissions process and therefore cannot answer admissions-related questions. Visit our admissions web page for details about the admissions process and reach out to the MPA admissions team MPA@mccombs.utexas.edu if you have any questions.

Our ambassadors look forward to hearing from you!

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