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Meet Current MPA Student Mateen Bashiri

May 10, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Mateen Bashiri

Benefits of the Master in Professional Accounting Program
Mateen Bashiri, MPA candidate ’24, on the path to CFO

When Mateen Bashiri started his undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin, he was sure he would become a doctor. But Bashiri soon pivoted to economics, an area of study he’d enjoyed in high school. Now, he’s about to earn a master’s in accounting.

While Bashiri was still an economics undergrad, he enrolled in Texas McCombs’ Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) Bridge program, which allowed him to get a head start on his graduate MPA coursework in his senior year. He’s currently on track to graduate this spring.

Bashiri tells us why he’s pursuing an accounting master’s degree, the benefits of the MPA Bridge program, and his experience in the MPA program.

Q: How did you decide on your career path?

A: I’m from Austin originally. I went into college as a science major and was going to be a doctor. But I quickly saw that it wasn’t for me. My dad is an accountant — a financial controller for a med tech company — and a lot of other family members work in accounting, too. Growing up, I saw their careers develop. I also really enjoyed my economics classes in high school. I really like the business aspect. After getting my undergraduate degree in economics, it was close between whether I’d go into accounting or finance. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to become a certified public accountant (CPA).

Q: How did you decide to pursue an MPA degree?

A: I knew I needed my master’s degree to get the hours I needed, especially since I didn’t have an accounting background. I also knew UT students have a very high pass rate for the CPA exam; you’re prepared very well to succeed. Plus, the MPA is a great degree given that my goal is to eventually become a CFO. There are a lot of CPAs who become CFOs. This degree is such a great propellent into many other career opportunities.

Q: What benefits did you see in enrolling in the MPA Bridge program?

A: I was set to graduate a semester early from undergrad, and for most other master’s programs out there, I would have had to skip the spring semester and enroll the following fall. The Bridge program let me go right into my master’s academic work, and it really gave me a great head start for the graduate portion of the MPA program. I took one class as part of the MPA Bridge program in the summer before I graduated while finishing my undergraduate degree, and then I took two classes in the fall. After that, I started full time in the MPA program in the spring. Coming into the accounting program with an economics background also definitely helped me, especially in the foundational accounting courses. I didn’t feel at all unprepared.

Q: What has been the most exciting part of the MPA program to date?

A: The best part, even though it sounds somewhat cliché, has been meeting so many people from all across the country. I wasn’t expecting that. And a lot of us regularly keep up with each other, too.

Q: What’s your plan for after you graduate?

A: Currently, I’m taking one class and I’ll graduate this spring. I’m also working on preparing for the CPA exam, and I’m hoping to finish that over the next five or six months. Then I’ll start my new job as a financial analyst with Dell Technologies in their Accounting Development Program. Last summer, I interned with Dell, and the company offered me a full-time job. The internship was an opportunity that came onto my radar because of McCombs — there are a lot of recruiting events with many different kinds of employers.

Q: What would you say to non-accounting UT students thinking about applying to the MPA program?

A: Definitely do it. It’s been such a great experience. You get to meet great people and get very well prepared for the CPA exam. It’s nice being around people who are so driven. UT’s program is the No. 1 program for a reason. The professors are very good, really intelligent, and they present topics in an exciting way. That’s why so many have been around for a while. This program prepares you, whether you have an accounting background, or not, for long-term career success.

Meet Current MPA Student Sophia Matar

April 26, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Sophia Matar
Full Speed Ahead for This MPA Student 

Sophia Matar, MPA candidate ’24, credits McCombs’ career coaches and corporate partners with starting her off well

Sophia Matar is no stranger to the fast track. She started her undergraduate education at The University of Texas at Austin with enough dual credit and Advanced Placement coursework to graduate in just three years — majoring in economics with a minor in accounting. So, the opportunity to get a head start on graduate coursework through Texas McCombs’ Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) Bridge program was, she says, “just too good to pass up.”

She’s currently set to graduate at the end of the Spring 2024 semester, with an audit position awaiting her as she steps off the stage. She talks about accounting as both stable and dynamic, how the MPA Bridge program matched her ambitions, and how real-world exposure at McCombs gave her the confidence to land her first job.

Q: After studying both economics and accounting, what finally drew you toward a master’s in accounting?

A: I found economics coursework to be a lot more theoretical, while accounting is more structured and practical. So, the stability drew me in. But it’s also an exciting field because there are so many avenues to pursue, so many different types of jobs, and plenty of potential to work directly with clients. Some people who study accounting end up as investment bankers or as CFOs — it’s not sitting at a desk and booking journal entries.

Q: What benefits did you see in enrolling in the MPA Bridge program?

A: My plan was to graduate in three years, and I saw the Bridge program as a way to start my graduate studies in my third year of college and then finish my master’s in my fourth year. Finishing two degrees in four years was just too good to pass up. It definitely helped to save money, too.

Q: What aspects of the one-year MPA program have you enjoyed and have been helpful for you?

A: I’ve gotten so much help with professional development. McCombs’ career coaches have met with me multiple times, helping me with interview prep and to rework my résumé. Because of all their help, I now feel extremely confident in my networking skills.

It’s also been really helpful to hear from so many guest speakers in classes — people who are out working in the field right now. Hearing their experiences has helped me to understand that not everybody is on the same path, but that accountants come from many different backgrounds and succeed in a wide range of really interesting roles. Right now, for example, I’m in an internal audit class and we’re paired with a company to do internal audit work for them. It’s so great to get that experience while I’m in school.

Q: What’s your plan for after graduation?

A: Initially, I figured I would do general consulting after graduation. But during my MPA experience, I’ve been exposed to so many different ways in which to be an accountant, and I realized that I really like the internal side of audit versus the external side. I ended up taking a tech risk consulting position with EY, where I’ll be doing internal control work and risk assessment.

Q: What about advice for potential accounting program applicants?

A: The program is well worth it — and not just because of the coursework, even though that has been instrumental for me. It’s valuable because you have access to real-world experiences and one-on-one development opportunities. McCombs’ MPA program is one of the most well-known and prepares you very well for whatever accounting path you choose.

Meet Current Student Josh Tarplin

March 22, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Josh Tarplin

From the Chem Lab to the Photo Studio to PwC
Josh Tarplin, MPA candidate ’24, on finding his passion for auditing

Accounting wasn’t on Josh Tarplin’s radar as a career until he started running his own business, a photography studio he ultimately ran in the U.K. Before that, he was on track to becoming a chemical engineer — as a teen he worked on research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Tarplin talks about his circuitous path to accounting, why it’s now his ideal career, and what he’s learned during his time in the traditional Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) program.

Q: You started in science, then started your own creative business. How did that come about?

A: I took a lot of science classes in high school, worked at the NIH doing research, and came to Yale as a chemical engineering major. But in college, I also took a photography class, and I really fell in love with it. So, I double majored in fine art focused on photography and the history of art, with a focus on visual theory. My plan was to work as a fine artist, like a hermit in the studio — that was the dream. I started in fashion photography, a mix of the commercial and the creative, and I opened my own studio in Los Angeles, working with Instagram brands and then companies.

Q: When did it first occur to you that accounting was an important subject to study?

A: With my photography business, I started working in London more than in L.A., and that’s where I first discovered accounting. I’d never known an accountant besides the nice woman who prepared my taxes. In running my studio, I didn’t have financial records. I didn’t know how to account for my expenses. So, I started giving myself an online education in accounting, and I really fell in love with it. It’s so different from art, but it supports any other endeavor you’re trying to pursue. Accounting is a really good framework, and whatever you’re doing — from operating Apple to designing and printing your own T-shirts — you have to have this knowledge to be able to function on your own in a commercial world, and also to protect yourself.

Q: What has your experience in the MPA program been like?

A: I’m loving it. It’s a discipline that’s internally consistent, which is very rare. But at the same time, there’s so much creativity and room for exploration. The classes I’ve found the most interesting have involved discussions of the issues between regulators and companies. The Accounting faculty are really interested in teaching what’s going on in the actual standards or in the actual internal revenue code. It’s introducing an idea from a textbook and then giving the inside scoop as to how it functions. I’m so happy that I found something that I love as much as I love making art.

Q: Are you still doing photography?

A: I’d much rather give someone a photograph they love than have it hang in a gallery and then get sold to someone I’ve never met. I see art as a weekend activity now. I’m excited to be fully in the world of accounting.

Q: What’s your plan for after you graduate?

A: I’ll be working at PwC in Houston. I really love auditing — I love seeing the forest through the trees of the numbers. I think that comes from my art history visual theory background. Numbers on a page symbolize this whole world of a company.

I’m interested in being exposed to different companies and the investigatory aspect, to investigate and find (or not find) fraud. It’s the idea that auditors are the guardians of the capital markets.

Q: What would you say to students thinking about studying accounting at McCombs?

A: It’s the best program in the country, the world really. It’s not just the ranking that drew me, but it’s who’s teaching here: the best talent for both teaching and research. The program offers a holistic experience in learning accounting that you can take in so many different directions. You can explore anything. The program is a one-year ticket to know how to do anything you want to do in the world that involves people trusting you with money — which is really everything.

 

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