As most readers will know, in 2025, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy approved a new pathway to CPA licensure: 120 credit hours, passage of the CPA Exam and two years of work experience. This new option has been enacted in most states, affording an alternative to the traditional requirement of 150 credit hours, passage of the exam and one year of experience.

The Adkerson School of Accountancy equips students for either pathway, providing undergraduates with broad exposure to content from all CPA Exam sections. Yet even with this strong academic foundation, most candidates for licensure will require additional, focused preparation to pass the exam.

“Our graduate accounting programs offer the greatest value and likelihood of success because they’re intentionally structured to provide the advanced preparation needed,” says ASAC Director Shawn Mauldin.

MSU Master of Public Accountancy (MPA) and Master of Taxation (MTax) students have demonstrated impressive pass rates on the core sections of the exam as well as the discipline sections. Many take sections of the test concurrent with their studies and graduate having passed some or all of the exam.

Exam readiness is only part of the programs’ value. Through intensive study, close interaction with faculty and employers and sustained exposure to complex issues, graduate students are transformed into CPA-ready professionals with superior critical thinking and communication skills, proficiency in AI, data analytics and other technology and collaboration and teamwork capabilities.

As a result, employers gain new hires who are better prepared for complex work and capable of contributing at a higher level from the start than those with undergraduate training alone.

Mississippi State’s MPA and MTax graduates enter the professional environment with flexibility across audit, tax and advisory careers and tremendous potential to progress quickly and far.