The South Carolina MACC Advantage
Confidence, high-level communication skills and the promise of career acceleration: these are the pillars of success, three things you will have upon graduation from the University of South Carolina MACC program. From day one, we are dedicated to letting our students choose their own pathway depending on where they want to work post-graduation, with access to all the resources needed to prepare for not only the CPA exam but for your upcoming lifelong career.
Small classes in a close-knit family environment with world-renowned faculty deliver a distinct advantage. Columbia's vibrant atmosphere and thriving cultural scene pair well with the academic rigor of the program, creating an unparalleled graduate program experience.
Go Beyond the CPA
Passing the CPA exam and obtaining your first job are important steps and while we certainly expect that from our students, our primary focus is what happens next: your career. This is why our core MACC curriculum focuses on ensuring you will possess a strong technical knowledge of accounting principles and demonstrate critical thinking skills to:
- Identify client problems, issues and opportunities and develop sound solutions and recommendations
- Analyze data, identify and react to trends
- Exhibit the communication skills necessary to interact well with clients, coworkers and other professionals
10 Classes in 10 Months
The South Carolina MACC program is not a lock-step program. There are two program tracks — taxation (TAX) and business measurement and assurance (BMA) — each with the flexibility to select electives based on your individual career and academic interests. We also offer specializations and certificates for students wanting to focus their courses in a specific area.
You can take virtually any graduate level course offered at South Carolina in our program — including study abroad courses — to create your own, unique program of study.
CPA Exam Success
The MACC program includes a required simulated CPA exam, focused study/test weeks integrated into each semester, access to free or discounted study materials and individual study plans to assist in your studying efforts. Many of our students complete all four parts of the exam prior to graduation. South Carolina MACC 2014 graduates had an 84 percent pass rate on the CPA Exam (NASBA custom school report) compared to the national average of 55 percent.
Study in the South, Work Anywhere
Wherever you picture your future career, we are here to help make it happen. The reputation of our MACC program is well known by accounting firms and corporations large and small because they value the skills our students learn here. The MACC program began over 50 years ago and has had consistent and quality placement for students — 100 percent of U.S. domestic students are placed in firms throughout the state, region and nation.