Program innovations set MACC alumni apart
Bethany Lares’ (BS Accountancy ’20, MACC ’22) senior staff members recognized her data analytics expertise in a recent performance evaluation by her employer. “My seniors are coming to me asking for help on Alteryx, which is crazy because they have more experience than me. But guess what I have? Knowledge of this program.” When colleagues ask how she knows about all this, Lares has three words, “ASU master’s degree.”
The MACC curriculum has incorporated data analytics training since 2018, thanks in part to its partnership with KPMG, a global professional services firm, and a recent doubling down on technology in the curriculum gives graduates valuable expertise.
“The profession is moving more toward data analytics—working with big data and being able to communicate what that means and how to work with it,” says Philip Drake, clinical professor of accountancy. “We’re focusing on helping accountants be able to work in the world that is coming.”
Core courses include hands-on group projects to help students fine-tune their skills. “Working on the group projects helped me understand how to collaborate with other people who are different from me and people who are like me,” Lares says. “Because, at work, I don’t get to choose my co-workers, and that’s how it was with the projects. You learn to work through it; communication is a big part.”
The MACC program recently added electives for the first time, allowing students to tailor their degrees. These include courses on up-and-coming issues in accounting, such as sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG).
This is critical because the Securities Exchange Commission has proposed rules to require companies to disclose their ESG plans.
In another update, CPA exam preparation is part of the curriculum. “We work with students to make sure that they are in a position to be able to take time to study for the CPA exam while doing their coursework,” Drake says. “It’s very beneficial for the students and the firms. It’s a win-win for everybody.”