Accounting (MS)
The Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) offered by the Barowsky School of Business (BSB) is a one-year intensive program targeting recent college graduates and working professionals who are interested in a career change or acquiring new skills in accounting with a focus on accounting analytics. The goal of this program is to equip graduates to prepare for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and enable them to use analytics to formulate accounting solutions for businesses. BSB’s graduate business degree programs adhere to the highest standards for business education as evidenced by the School’s accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), the organization that accredits the best business schools in the world.
Students enrolled in this one-year ‘hybrid’ program will learn accounting, auditing, taxation, and other subjects with an emphasis in analytics. At the end of the program, students will complete a practicum where they will apply these tools and concepts to real-world business problems. Graduates will be prepared for careers such as accountant, auditor, tax analyst, and financial analyst in accounting firms, financial institutions, companies, government and non-profit organizations.
The MSA is suited for graduates with a strong quantitative background, as well as business professionals who want to change careers and working professionals who are interested in developing their skills in accounting analytics.
The MSA is a 12-month program that consists of twelve 3- unit courses including a practicum for a total of 36 units. Students will take two courses per term, which is over a seven-week (two-month) period.
Graduate degree candidates must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 ('B') or higher in the graduate program and may have only two final grades of 'C' in their coursework at the time of graduation. Any grade below 'C' (2.0) will not satisfy the graduation requirement for a graduate degree. Students may repeat courses in which they received a grade of 'C' or below. If a student repeats a course in which they received a grade of 'C' or below, the most recently earned letter grade will determine whether a degree requirement has been met. All the letter grades for all the registered courses during the graduate program will be listed on the transcript.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Apply accounting principles to operate at the decision-making level
- Incorporate data analytics to devise accounting solutions for organizations.
- Employ data visualization techniques to communicate accounting data effectively.
- Identify accounting risks, frauds, and ethical issues to formulate appropriate strategies for businesses.
- Demonstrate skills necessary to take the CPA exam.
Required Courses
| MSA 5601 | HY: Intermediate Financial Accounting I | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5602 | HY: Intermediate Financial Accounting II | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5603 | HY: Business Law, Ethics, and CSR Financial Reporting | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5604 | HY: Accounting Analytics & Visualization | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5605 | HY: Advanced Managerial Accounting | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5606 | HY: Financial Statement Analysis | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5607 | HY: Federal Taxation of Business Entities | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5608 | HY: Auditing Analytics and Risk Management | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5609 | HY: Forensic Accounting and Analytics for Fraud Detection | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5610 | HY: Advanced International Accounting | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5611 | HY: Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting | 3.00 units |
| MSA 5620 | HY: Accounting Practicum | 3.00 units |
Total Credit Hours: 36