Students who earn an associate degree in accounting at Santiago Canyon College are well-prepared for a variety of entry-level positions, as well as promotional opportunities, in such areas as accounts receivable/payable, income tax preparation, payroll and more.

However, those seeking to aim higher are encouraged to enter a unique program that will fast-track them toward an eventual master’s degree in this in-demand field.

Created through a partnership between SCC and UC Irvine, the SCC and UCI 2+2+1 Masters of Accountancy Pathway Program closes the gap between a community college and a graduate degree. Students spend two years completing prerequisite courses at SCC, earn a bachelor’s degree at UCI (or another accredited four-year university) over the next two years and complete UCI’s Master of Professional Accountancy Program the final year: hence the term “2+2+1.”

“Students are so much more marketable with a master’s degree,” said DeAnna Martin, SCC accounting professor. “They’re far more valuable with any accounting firm that hires them to be an upper-level employee. And this advanced degree is especially helpful if students want to get their CPA license.”

In partnership with UCI staff, Martin and Melissa Shirah, a fellow SCC accounting professor, were instrumental in creating the 2+2+1 Pathway Program four years ago.

Interested students meet with a Santiago Canyon College counselor, with the plan to complete Accounting 101 (financial accounting) and Accounting 102 (managerial accounting) while maintaining a 3.0 grade point average. They later transfer to UC Irvine, or another accredited four-year university, to earn a bachelor’s degree in any major. While doing so, they’re expected to complete the following UCI undergraduate classes (or their equivalent at another university): Intermediate Accounting I and II, Taxation and Auditing. The final year involves matriculating into and completing UCI’s MPAc Program.

“UCI is keeping it wide open for any student who wants a career in accounting,” Martin said. “Anyone who takes Accounting 101 and 102 here at SCC can jump on the UCI Pathway. Students with a 3.0 GPA can then receive conditional admittance into the graduate program, along with a minimum $10,000 scholarship once they matriculate.”

“Those interested in the Pathway Program can major in anything, but students should also consider the (business-related) prerequisite undergraduate courses,” Shirah said. “We have a lot of students who major in other things and then come back to accounting because accounting is very employable.”

Santiago Canyon College students interested in this program may gain admission to UC Irvine through the university’s Transfer Admission Guarantee, provided they’ve met the requirements prior to transferring.

The scholarship is only one benefit of the 2+2+1 Pathway Program. Students receive early mentoring with SCC professors and counseling staff, assistance from an SCC transfer success coordinator and UCI student ambassadors, continued mentorship and career guidance at UCI, and all manner of networking and professional-development opportunities through the university’s Paul Merage School of Business.

Those in the fast-paced MPAc Program, ranked No. 2 in California in 2024 by online business- and tech-news platform the TFE Times, can choose from two specialized career tracks, Data Analytics or Tax, and may also explore the university’s new ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Pathway. More than 98% of UC Irvine MPAc students are employed within six months of graduation.

SCC/UCI Pathway Program students who receive a master’s degree have an inside track to an assortment of promising careers in accounting. “The Big Four Firms (Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG) recruit students specifically from UCI’s MPAc,” Martin said. “Their top candidates come out of this program.”

The majority of accounting master’s degree students eventually take the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam. CPA-exam preparation is a particular focus of UC Irvine’s MPAc Program. “The CPA is the gold standard of accounting,” Shirah said. “If you have your CPA, you’re most employable, and it shows that you’ve reached a certain level of understanding in accounting.”

Damian Lara, a second-year accounting major at Santiago Canyon College, has gained provisional approval into the 2+2+1 Pathway Program. Signing on, he said, was simple. “UCI counselors reviewed my resume and interviewed me,” he said. “They asked things like why I’d like to be an accounting major, what I plan to do with the degree, and how I plan to make an impact as an accountant. …  Along with counselors, UCI student ambassadors guide incoming students, answering questions and providing helpful insights.”

Lara noted that Martin recommended him for the Pathway Program and that college staff have been exceedingly helpful throughout the process. Put simply, he said, “The SCC accounting professors are great.”

“This program provides an amazing opportunity that a lot of people haven’t known about for years,” Martin said. “If more students knew about it, they’d jump on it.”