KPMG And Two Leading Universities Expand Master Of Accounting Program To Include Tax

NEW YORK, May 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, announced that the Villanova School of Business and the University of Southern California (USC) Leventhal School of Accounting have expanded their offering in the KPMG Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics Program to include a tax concentration for the 2020-21 academic year.

The schools, which join the University of Mississippi's Patterson School of Accountancy in including tax as part of the curriculum, are among nine universities throughout the country involved with the KPMG program. Applications are being accepted through May 19 for the 2020-21 program for all participating institutions. Additional information, including a listing of the schools and how to apply, is available on the program's website.

"Disruptive new technologies and the growing urgency among many companies to reimagine their tax function are requiring tax professionals to expand their skills and knowledge beyond their traditional tax technical competencies," said Jeffrey C. LeSage, Americas Vice Chairman—Tax at KPMG, and a Villanova graduate. "We're excited that this expansion of the tax concentration within the KPMG master's program at top universities will help prepare tax and accounting professionals for the future."

Frank Casal, KPMG's Audit Vice Chair, added: "The program positions the participants and the firm to offer a unique perspective on how advances in emerging technologies will continue to enhance quality in the profession."

Select students in the groundbreaking KPMG program at eight of the nine participating universities will receive full-tuition funding plus a stipend toward room and board, as part of KPMG sponsorship, as they study an integrated curriculum of accounting, audit and tax courses and get hands-on experience with real-world technologies and advanced data and analytics, the firm said. In addition, the students will take part in an internship with a KPMG Audit or Tax team during the program and be offered full-time positions with the firm upon graduation.

With the addition of tax to the Villanova School of Business and the USC Leventhal programs, KPMG total sponsorships for the class of 2021 will increase to approximately 195, including audit and tax. 

To date, 51 students have graduated from the KPMG Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics Program since its launch in August 2016 at The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business and the Villanova School of Business, and are now working at the firm. Another 134 students are expected to earn their degrees this summer and start working full time at KPMG in the fall.

A brief video of participants at Ole Miss talking about the program's tax expansion at the university in 2018 can be accessed here.

About KPMG LLP
KPMG LLP is one of the world's leading professional services firms, providing innovative business solutions and audit, tax, and advisory services to many of the world's largest and most prestigious organizations.

KPMG LLP is the independent U.S. member firm of KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"). KPMG International's independent member firms have 207,000 professionals working in 153 countries and territories. Learn more at www.kpmg.com/us.

SOURCE KPMG LLP