Students Share About Their Experiences in the Professional Program in Accounting
Students share how they’ve benefitted from joining the Professional Program in Accounting (PPA) at the Jindal School. PPA has everything you need to launch a professional accounting career.
Bachelor’s and Master’s in Accounting in Five Years
The Professional Program in Accounting (PPA) is an opportunity to obtain a Master’s in Accounting one year after successful completion of the Bachelor’s in Accounting.
PPA allows you to trim at least one year (if not longer) from the time it takes to complete both a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in accounting.
PPA students take all of their accounting courses together as a cohort, which provides a collaborative learning experience.
See the PPA degree plan
CPA Exam Review
During the last semester of your graduate year as a PPA student, you will begin sitting for parts of the CPA Exam while completing your graduate degree, with the goal of completing all four parts of the CPA Exam by June 1.
Get CPA exam and review course information
Public Accounting Internship
PPA students are heavily recruited during their junior year to complete an internship at a public accounting firm. These internships provide PPA students with valuable experience in assurance or taxation, client service, and networking with other accounting professionals.
Find our more about PPA’s public accounting internshipsInternship Testimonials
Cathy Li, PPA 15
FORVIS
In my senior spring semester, I had the opportunity to intern with the tax department at FORVIS. It was an amazing internship, and I learned so much more than I thought possible! I worked on a wide range of projects, met incredible people, and gained invaluable real-world experience.
Abigail Muse, PPA 15
Moss Adams Tax
At Moss Adams, I had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of different types of projects and tax returns that gave me practical experience in how to provide client value and operate within the world of public accounting. Although my first tax returns seemed dauntingly insurmountable, my coworkers were always available to answer both short and long questions about aspects of work that I didn’t understand. I’m so grateful for how the PPA program and Moss Adams have trained me to succeed in public accounting and I look forward to rejoining Moss Adams full time after graduation.
Class Profile – Professional Program, 2023
65
Number of Graduates
3.72
Average GPA at Admission
100%
Placement to Internships
100%
Placement to Full-Time Jobs
The PPA program was founded in 2007 and continues to be one of the prestigious programs at UT Dallas. The table below features class profiles for the PPA classes.
| Graduate Year | PPA Class | Number of Graduates | Average GPA at Admission | Placement to Internships | Placement to Full-Time Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 11 | 65 | 3.75 | 98% | 98% |
| 2021 | 12 | 58 | 3.70 | 97% | 98% |
| 2022 | 13 | 59 | 3.73 | 98% | 98% |
| 2023 | 14 | 66 | 3.72 | 100% | 100% |
| 2024 | 15 | TBD | 3.70 | 100% | 98% |
Student Testimonials
Lalitha Sankaramanchi, PPA 15
KPMG Audit
PPA has had the biggest impact on my college career- giving me opportunities to recruit with amazing firms, allowing me to find a support system among my peers and mentors in the program, and pushing me to grow as a student and young professional. I don’t know where I’d be without PPA and the people in it who have shaped me into who I am today!
Ted Atkins, PPA 15
Grant Thornton Audit
The PPA program really helped me integrate well into the corporate world of networking as well as remainder of my college years. PPA gave me a group of peers to rely on as we went through the recruiting experience and harder classes together. I feel that I’ve created life-long friendships and am glad to see my own personal and professional growth as well.