Master’s programmes that combine accounting, control and audit attract many applicants every year, for a simple reason: they lead directly to audit and accounting firms, and the master’s in accounting, control and audit (master CCA) exempts students from most of the DSCG exams. Programme titles vary from one university to another, and some tracks lean towards audit and chartered accountancy, others towards management control. This article focuses on the audit and accounting side: what these programmes offer, how selection panels choose, how to build a suitable CV and letter, the national platform’s calendar and the mistakes to avoid.
What the programme offers and who it is for
Under the label “audit and management control”, there are in fact several families of master’s programmes.
The CCA master’s (accounting, control, audit). This is the benchmark university programme for chartered accountancy and audit. According to Onisep, the national careers information body, its graduates are exempt from five of the seven DSCG exams, making it a direct route to the chartered accountancy traineeship. It is often taken on a work-study basis, within a university school of management (IAE) or a faculty of economics and management.
“Audit” or “audit and control” master’s programmes. They prepare students for external audit, internal audit and internal control, with less emphasis on tax and law than the CCA master’s, and sometimes without the DSCG exemptions.
“Management control and organisational audit” master’s programmes. They lean towards performance management, budgets and management information systems. For that side, which belongs more to corporate finance, the jobs and expectations are described in the article on how to become a management controller 🔗.
These programmes are mainly aimed at holders of a bachelor’s in economics and management, a CCA bachelor’s, the DCG or a business school degree, with a genuine interest in accounting. To compare this route with the DSCG, see our article CCA master’s or DSCG.
Selection criteria and admitted profiles
Since selection at master’s entry became the norm, first-year applications go through the national Mon Master platform. Each programme publishes its expectations and criteria; the same elements are found almost everywhere.
Academic results. Panels look at bachelor’s grades, especially in financial accounting, advanced accounting, management control, tax and company law. Steady progress is reassuring; a single weak grade can be explained in the letter.
Consistency of the path. A CCA bachelor’s or a DCG are expected profiles. A candidate from another economics and management bachelor’s must show that they have taken the necessary accounting courses or have caught up.
Professional experience. Internships in a firm or a finance department, work-study, a student job in accounting: panels see them as confirmation of the plan. For a work-study master’s, the search for an employer often starts at the same time as the application.
The professional plan. Panels look for a precise plan: chartered accountancy, statutory audit, internal audit, internal control. A candidate who can explain why this master’s and not another stands out.
English. Programmes geared towards group audit expect a verifiable level of English, sometimes evidenced by a test score.
Building a suitable academic CV
The CV for a master’s application is a student CV, but it must be read by an academic and a professional, often in a few minutes. It fits on one page.
Header and summary. Current degree, institution, and plan in one line: “Third-year CCA bachelor’s student, two internships in accounting firms, applying for the work-study CCA master’s to prepare for the chartered accountancy traineeship.”
Education first. Bachelor’s or DCG with the institution, years, honours if any, and two or three key subjects with their grades if they are good. If you have already passed DCG or DSCG units, say so: our article on presenting the DCG, DSCG and DEC on a CV shows how.
Experience. Each internship or job is described by its concrete tasks: data entry, account matching, reconciliations, VAT returns, attending a stock count. Volumes (number of client files, invoices processed) give the measure.
Projects and commitments. A bachelor’s dissertation, a group project analysing published accounts, the treasury of a student association or club: they show genuine interest in the subject.
Skills. Excel with a precise level, accounting software used during internships, English with a score or experience.
The audit assistant CV example shows how a DCG then DSCG path, with a work-study placement and a busy season, is presented on one page.
Succeeding with your cover letter and interview
The letter
A master’s application letter is structured in three stages:
- your path and what it has taught you, linking two or three experiences or courses to the content of the master’s;
- why this master’s: its orientation (chartered accountancy, audit, internal control), its rhythm (work-study or full-time study), its professional lecturers, its exemptions;
- your plan: the target job, what comes next (chartered accountancy traineeship, DEC, firm or industry).
Avoid general phrases about a “passion for numbers” and show that you know the programme: its units, its partnerships, the rhythm of its work-study. This site does not offer a letter-writing tool; our article on the cover letter for an audit internship gives an adaptable structure.
The interview
Many master’s programmes hold an interview after a first selection on paper. It covers:
- the plan: why audit or chartered accountancy, what job in five years;
- the path: explanations about a grade, a change of direction, an internship;
- sometimes a few technical accounting questions, at bachelor’s level. Our article on accounting questions at interview helps you revise them;
- work-study: how far your search for an employer has got, which firms you have contacted.
Calendar and application documents
The Mon Master platform publishes the programme offer and the calendar of the procedure every year. The main stages are generally as follows:
- publication of the programme offer at the start of the calendar year;
- submission of applications over a period of a few weeks, usually between February and March;
- review of applications and interviews in the spring;
- admission results in the main phase at the start of the summer, followed by a supplementary phase for remaining places.
Work-study programmes sometimes have a different calendar, with earlier answers. Check the current calendar on the platform and on each programme’s website.
The usual documents:
- CV and cover letter, sometimes one letter per programme;
- transcripts for all years of the bachelor’s;
- internship or employment certificates;
- proof of English level if the programme requires it;
- for work-study, a job offer or the status of your search if required.
Common mistakes and plan B
The most common mistakes:
- sending the same letter to every programme, without adapting the paragraph about the master’s;
- confusing the CCA master’s, the audit master’s and the management control master’s in the letter;
- submitting a two-page CV with unrelated experience;
- failing to explain a weaker semester or a change of direction;
- neglecting the work-study search for a programme that requires it.
Plan B, if the application does not succeed:
- the DSCG route, prepared in a lycée, a school or by distance learning, leads to the same chartered accountancy traineeship;
- a year of experience in a firm or an accounting department strengthens the file for a new application;
- the Mon Master supplementary phase, for places still available;
- a work-study placement on the DCG or DSCG, if you do not yet have the required bachelor’s level: see finding a DCG work-study placement in an accounting firm.
To prepare your application, the CV editor helps you present education, internships and projects on one clear page, and produces a PDF readable by the platforms and by the screening software some firms use when you look for a work-study placement.
Sources
- Mon Master, the national master’s platform 🔗.
- Onisep, the DSCG higher diploma in accounting and management 🔗 and the chartered accountancy track 🔗.
Frequently asked questions
Does the CCA master’s award the DSCG?
No, but it exempts students from five of the seven exams. The remaining exams must then be passed to obtain the DSCG, or you can register for the chartered accountancy traineeship under the conditions set by the Order.
Can you enter a CCA master’s without a CCA bachelor’s?
Yes, with a bachelor’s in economics and management, a DCG or a business school degree, if the file shows a sufficient level in accounting. Each programme specifies its expectations.
Do you need to have found your work-study placement before being admitted?
It depends on the programme. Some admit students on condition that they find an employer before the start of the year; others require a signed contract. It pays to start the search as soon as you submit your application.
How many programmes can you apply to on Mon Master?
The platform sets a maximum number of applications, separate for full-time study and for work-study. Check the rules for the year on the platform’s website.