CIPFA and Rutgers University give students an accounting ‘passport’

By:

Professor Irfan Bora

25 Mar 19

A new international pathway will allow students to become proficient in both US and international accounting standards, says professor Irfan Bora from Rutgers University.

From left to right: Rutgers’ executive vice Dean Yaw Mensah, CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman and Professor Irfan Bora, Rutgers’ director of the master of accountancy in governmental accounting program

Globalisation has accelerated in the last twenty years, prompted by technological advances promoting greater interdependence between governments and economies.

To practice accounting and be successful in global markets, it is increasingly important for accounting students to be proficient in both US and international accounting standards. It is this that will make them valuable to the increasing number of US-based organisations operating abroad.

And it’s not just in the United States. To practice government accounting for international organisations such as the World Bank, United Nations, OECD, or the International Monetary Fund, students need to understand both US government accounting and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).

This knowledge is essential to the career mobility that will allow Rutgers international students to go back to their home countries with the right skills and expertise to work in government.

It will also open up opportunities for US domestic students who have an interest in working for international organisations in their practice of governmental accounting and public financial management by giving them this new “international governmental accounting passport” to practice both in the US and abroad.

Our partnership with CIPFA offers a professional passport of sorts - allowing students at Rutgers to accelerate their career with a globally recognised credential for professionals in public finance.

It creates a pathway for US students enrolled at Rutgers University to practice governmental accounting outside the United States, and take advantage of global opportunities.

The Rutgers’ 'master of accountancy in governmental accounting programme' is already unique in the United States, allowing students in the US and abroad to learn about US accounting standards. Under the new agreement with CIPFA, current students and graduates of the programme will be given the opportunity to qualify as a Chartered Public Finance Accountant through CIPFA’s online platform.

Rutgers students and alumni will have access to the full range of CIPFA member services, including webcasts and training videos, access to special events, and international networking opportunities. Once they qualify, CIPFA will support graduates in their on-going professional development throughout their careers in public finance.

The ‘CIPFA pathway’ opens in September 2019, and CIPFA is now taking expressions of interest from those who have already completed or are about to complete the Rutgers Master of Accountancy in Governmental Accounting Programme.

Learn more here:

Rutgers graduates will be required to complete two e-learning modules and a case study before taking an examination to qualify with CIPFA. All the pathway elements are delivered online through CIPFA’s own platform, making it accessible to individuals wherever they may be located.