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There are more employment and career opportunities in accounting than there are in many other areas of study because the management of financial information underpins all business activity.
Massey University's recent graduates have been employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst and Young – these are known as the ‘Big Four’ international accounting and consulting firms. Our graduates have also found jobs with companies such as Fonterra, Toyota, New Zealand Post (Business and Industry) and BNZ Bank (Finance), as well as Mid-Central Health and Audit New Zealand (public sector).
Becoming a professional accountant is a prestigious achievement, which will make you even more sought-after by employers.
Massey University’s Bachelor of Accountancy is the best degree to choose if you wish to become a professional accountant. It is a specialised accountancy degree - the only Bachelor of Accountancy offered in New Zealand.
Check the planning pages on the degrees below for specific requirements for professional body membership or talk to a Massey student advisor. It is very important for professional membership that you choose the right courses in your degree.
Do some research as to which professional accountant you'd like to become and make sure you include any courses they require in your study programme.
The Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) is the professional body for practicing accountants in Australia and New Zealand and membership is particularly important if you wish to become a financial accountant or auditor. On top of completing your degree you need to complete three years of work experience.
CPA Australia offer a programme to become a Certified Practicing Accountant which also involves completing work experience.
For membership of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) you need to complete further examinations and three years' work experience.
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) membership requires some more study after you have completed your degree. You will then become a CGMA (Chartered Global Management Accountant).
The study of accountancy prepares you primarily for careers in accounting roles and in business. However, there are also opportunities to work in education, the corporate or public sector, or as a consultant providing business or tax advisory services. An accountancy major can also lead to a career within general management.
Many of our graduates start their careers in accounting but later move into other areas. They are able to take with them the financial and non-financial performance evaluation skills that are so important for senior executives.
If you have a more generalist career like the above in mind, the best degree to study at Massey University is the Bachelor of Business (Accountancy). If you are not sure which path you want to take, and want to keep your options open for becoming a chartered accountant, make sure you get advice from an academic administrator at Massey. You can then include the required courses for becoming a professional accountant in your degree as electives.
The Business Internship is available to high-achieving undergraduate business students in their final year. Students will complete 180 hours in the workplace over two semesters (timing negotiated between the student and organisation). Past students have undertaken a wide range of projects including software systems implementation, marketing planning, social media initiatives and operational analyses.
I was delighted that I got the chance to complete Massey’s MPAF programme with its first class technology and very experienced professors.
Andrea Li
NASDAQ - Accountant
Master of Professional Accountancy and Finance
I loved my time at Massey and my study led to the start of my career as an auditor at KPMG, where I am applying all that I learnt.
Carl Gray
Bachelor of Business (Accountancy)
I am definitely confident in saying that MPAF has laid very solid foundations for me to step into the workforce.
Flora Wang
Audit New Zealand, Auditor
Master of Professional Accountancy and Finance
Massey’s online learning community Stream is such a useful tool. It provided me with so much useful information and a forum to ask questions comfortably.
Forrest Butler
Bachelor of Business (Accountancy), minor in Māori Studies
There are many aspects to Massey that made my tertiary experience significantly better than how I anticipated university study would be. That includes approachable lecturers, that were easy to have discussions with (in terms of both study and beyond), and they had a lot of wisdom and experience to share.
Hema Bansal
Bachelor of Business (Accountancy)
The BAcc has truly set me up well for my career as an accountant and auditor, and the experience and knowledge that I gained enabled me to secure a position with Deloitte before I had even completed my degree.
Kayla Burrows
Deloitte Auditor
My degree not only gave me a solid foundation for my accounting career but also gave me the right attitude, people skills and soft skills to take on the real corporate world. Vinaka vakalevu Massey.
Tupou Veiogo
Deloiitte Consultant/Analyst
Bachelor of Business (Accountancy)
The education that I received from Massey has prepared me well in starting my accounting career.
Zoe Yang
Bachelor of Accountancy