Master of Science in Accounting:
The Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) Program provides a pathway for students who wish to acquire the skill sets necessary to pursue and to advance in a career in accounting and business. It is open to students with an Accounting, Business, or Non-Business undergraduate degree. The flexible MSA curriculum allows students with undergraduate degrees in accounting and business to integrate a variety of elective courses in Fraud & Forensic Accounting, Taxation or Business Analytics. An undergraduate degree in non-accounting/non-business will integrate core accounting courses and electives in a variety of management concentrations. No prerequisites are necessary to enter the program.
The MSA degree incorporates a powerful combination of accounting, analytical and strategic management skills. It meets the 150-hour requirement for the Certified Public Accountant’s (CPA) designation, the curriculum is updated regularly to accommodate any changes to the uniform CPA exam, and it meets the licensing requirements for the state of Massachusetts. If you are planning to licence in another state, visit NASBA.org for specific information regarding your state of interest. While enrolled in the program, you will be exposed to faculty members who are industry experts and leaders in the various accounting fields and disciplines they are teaching. The overall goal of the program is to equip students with the content and expertise essential for personal and professional success.
Core Accounting Skills:
- Tools and emerging technologies
- Accounting data interpretation
- Strategic planning skills
- Financial budgeting and modeling
- CPA examination core concepts and competencies
Learning Goals and Objectives:
1. Technical Skills
- 1.1 Communication - The ability to articulate and deliver financial information and recommendations in both written and oral presentation format.
- 1.2 Tools - The ability to create, use, understand, and interpret the results of computerized databases and spreadsheet analyses (including tax software for tax courses).
2. Environment
- 2.1 Ethics - The ability to recognize an ethical issue and analyze the potential outcomes for the relevant constituencies and make a reasoned judgment.
- 2.2 Law - The ability to understand statutory provisions governing business processes and to understand laws governing auditor conduct.
- 2.3 Client - The ability to understand varying client environments and identify inherent risks, appropriate controls, and control risks including risks from industry, regulatory, and environmental sources.
3. Knowledge Application
- 3.1 Problem Definition - The ability to identify a key problem in an accounting context (or tax context, for tax courses; or accounting and tax context, for ethics courses).
- 3.2 Analysis - The ability to interpret accounting standards (or tax laws, for tax courses) and analyze information to draw reasoned, ethical conclusions.
- 3.3 Decision-Making - The ability to make ethical choices among one or more alternatives with the intention of moving toward some desired state of affairs in an accounting context (or tax context, for tax courses).
Admission Requirements:
A bachelor’s degree is required to gain entry into our MS in Accounting program. However, the curriculum is customizable based on undergraduate major, and no prerequisites in accounting or business are required to enroll in the program.
Program Requirements
Master of Science in Accounting on campus/hybrid
with an Accounting (or Business with Concentration in Accounting) undergraduate degree:
*The last intake for this program is Fall 2020.
The on-campus/hybrid Master of Science in Accounting for accounting majors, is composed of 18 credit hours of core and 14 credits hours of electives for a total of 32 credit hours.
Core Courses: 18 credits
- ACC 5225 - Ethics in the Accounting Profession Credits: 2
- ACC 5410 - Accounting Analytics Credits 4
- GACC 5100 - Contemporary Issues in Accounting Credits: 4
- GACC 5500 - Taxation of Business Enterprises Credits: 4
- GMGT 5130 - Professional Skills Credits 2
- GMGT 5140 - Effective Managerial Communication Credits 2
Elective Courses: 14 credits
Students can choose electives from the following:
- Any ACC 5000 level or higher (excluding ACC5050)
- GACC 5310 - Accounting Information Systems Credits: 2
- GACC 5320 - Not-For-Profit and Government Accounting Credits: 2
- GACC 5340 - Business Law for Accountants Credits: 2
- GACC 5360 - Forensic Accounting Credits: 2
- DSA 5010 - Foundations of Data Management Credits: 4
- DSA 5020 - Foundations of Statistical Analysis Credits: 4
- DSA 5200 - Data Visualization Credits: 4
Student may also choose to pursue a concentration in one of the follow areas:
- Forensic Accounting
- Taxation
Business Analytics
The Business Analytics concentration equips students with introductory knowledge and skills in extracting decision-guiding insights out of data, and synthesizing the resultant insights with related theoretical and experiential knowledge. Students are introduced to core elements of data management, preparation, analysis, visualization, and result interpretation and communication, in a theory and application context. This Business Analytics concentration is intended to serve as an immersive first step for students interested in developing general business analytic capabilities.
Requirements:
- DSA 5010 - Foundations of Data Management Credits: 4
- DSA 5020 - Foundations of Statistical Analysis Credits: 4
- DSA 5200 - Data Visualization: Credits 4
Forensic Accounting:
Understanding and comprehending how to identify fraudulent activity when conducting an audit is part of the investigative action accountants take to help pinpoint deception or criminal activity. By completing the Fraud & Forensic concentration , students are introduced to topics around fraud examination, cyber security and tax fraud. The skills acquired will equip students with the tools needed to identify inaccurate reporting and fiscal malfeasance that can occur in organizations
Requirements:
- ACC 5350 - Criminal Tax Investigation Credits: 2
- ACC 5370 - Cyber Security Credits: 2
- ACC 5450 - Fraud Examination Credits: 4
- GACC 5310 - Accounting Information Systems Credits: 2
- GACC 5360 - Forensic Accounting Credits: 2
Taxation:
Taxation is a key sector in the accounting industry. Organizations are always looking for strategic ways to maximize revenue and minimize tax. By completing the Taxation concentration students are introduced to advanced topics in taxation, and have the option to gain more specialized insight into either personal tax or corporate tax. The course content is focused on issues related to Tax Research, Procedures and Ethics, International Taxation, Estate & Gift Taxation, Personal Tax Planning, Advanced Flow-Through Tax Entities, and Criminal Tax Investigation. Students will learn valuable tax planning and tax return preparation skills that will equip them with the knowledge to excel within a variety of industries. {1} Please note, prerequisites may apply to this program.
Requirements:
- ACC 5350 - Criminal Tax Investigation Credits: 2
- ACC 5550 - Advanced Flow Through Tax Entities Credits: 2
- ACC 5350 - Criminal Tax Investigation Credits: 2
- ACC 5330 - Tax Research Procedures & Ethics Credits: 4
- Choose two of the following:
- ACC 5560 - International Tax Inbound Credits: 2
- ACC 5570 - International Tax Outbound Credits: 2
- ACC 5420 - Personal Tax Planning Credits: 2
- ACC 5430 - Estate and Gift Taxation Credits: 2
Program Requirements
Master of Science in Accounting, Online
with an Accounting (or Business with Concentration in Accounting) undergraduate degree: Launched January 2019
The online Master of Science in Accounting for accounting majors, is composed of 18 credit hours of core and 14 credits hours of electives for a total of 32 credit hours.
Core Courses: 18 credits
- ACC 5225 - Ethics in the Accounting Profession Credits: 2
- ACC 5410 - Accounting Analytics Credits: 4
- GACC 5100 - Contemporary Issues in Accounting Credits: 4
- GACC 5500 - Taxation of Business Enterprises Credits: 4
- GMGT 5130 - Professional Skills Credits: 2
- GMGT 5140 - Effective Managerial Communication Credits: 2
NOTE: If a student has NOT taken Auditing as an undergraduate, they must integrate GACC5150 Assurance Services Credits 4 cr. into the curriculum.
Elective Courses: 14 credits
Students can choose electives from the following:
- Any ACC 5000 level or higher (excluding ACC5050)
- GACC 5310 - Accounting Information Systems Credits: 2
- GACC 5320 - Not-For-Profit and Government Accounting Credits: 2
- GACC 5340 - Business Law for Accountants Credits: 2
- GACC 5360 - Forensic Accounting Credits: 2
- DSA 5010 - Foundations of Data Management Credits: 4
- DSA 5020 - Foundations of Statistical Analysis Credits: 4
- DSA 5200 - Data Visualization Credits: 4
Student may also choose to pursue a concentration in one of the follow areas:
- Forensic Accounting
- Taxation
Business Analytics
The Business Analytics concentration equips students with introductory knowledge and skills in extracting decision-guiding insights out of data, and synthesizing the resultant insights with related theoretical and experiential knowledge. Students are introduced to core elements of data management, preparation, analysis, visualization, and result interpretation and communication, in a theory and application context. This Business Analytics concentration is intended to serve as an immersive first step for students interested in developing general business analytic capabilities.
Requirements:
- DSA 5010 - Foundations of Data Management Credits: 4
- DSA 5020 - Foundations of Statistical Analysis Credits: 4
- DSA 5200 - Data Visualization: Credits 4
Forensic Accounting:
Understanding and comprehending how to identify fraudulent activity when conducting an audit is part of the investigative action accountants take to help pinpoint deception or criminal activity. By completing the Fraud & Forensic concentration, students are introduced to topics around fraud examination, cyber security and tax fraud. The skills acquired will equip students with the tools needed to identify inaccurate reporting and fiscal malfeasance that can occur in organizations
Requirements:
- ACC 5350 - Criminal Tax Investigation Credits: 2
- ACC 5370 - Cyber Security Credits: 2
- ACC 5450 - Fraud Examination Credits: 4
- GACC 5310 - Accounting Information Systems Credits: 2
- GACC 5360 - Forensic Accounting Credits: 2
Taxation:
Taxation is a key sector in the accounting industry. Organizations are always looking for strategic ways to maximize revenue and minimize tax. By completing the Taxation concentration students are introduced to advanced topics in taxation, and have the option to gain more specialized insight into either personal tax or corporate tax. Students will learn valuable tax planning and tax return preparation skills that will equip them with the knowledge to excel within a variety of industries. {1} Please note, prerequisites may apply to this program.
Requirements:
- ACC 5350 - Criminal Tax Investigation Credits: 2
- ACC 5550 - Advanced Flow Through Tax Entities Credits: 2
- ACC 5350 - Criminal Tax Investigation Credits: 2
- ACC 5330 - Tax Research Procedures & Ethics Credits: 4
- Choose two of the following:
- ACC 5560 - International Tax Inbound Credits: 2
- ACC 5570 - International Tax Outbound Credits: 2
- ACC 5420 - Personal Tax Planning Credits: 2
- ACC 5430 - Estate and Gift Taxation Credits: 2
Master of Science in Accounting, Online
with a Business undergraduate degree: Launched January 2019
The online Master of Science in Accounting for business majors, is composed of 24 credit hours of core and 8 credits hours of electives for a total of 32 credit hours.
Core Courses: 24 credits
- ACC 5225 - Ethics in the Accounting Profession Credits: 2
- GACC 5060 - Financial Accounting & Reporting I Credits: 4
- GACC 5070 - Financial Accounting & Reporting II Credits: 4
- GACC 5080 - Introduction to Federal Income Taxation Credits: 4
- GACC 5150 - Assurance Services Credits: 4
- GACC 5320 - Business Law for Accountants Credits: 2
- GMGT 5130 - Professional Skills Credits: 2
- GMGT 5140 - Effective Managerial Communication Credits: 2
NOTE: If student has NOT taken a financial or managerial accounting course as an undergraduate student, GACC5050 Foundations of Accounting Credit: 4 must be included in the curriculum
Elective Courses: 8 credits
Students can choose electives from the following:
- Any ACC 5000 level or higher (excluding ACC5050)
- GACC 5100 - Contemporary Issues in Accounting Credits: 4
- GACC 5310 - Accounting Information Systems Credits: 2
- GACC 5320 - Not For Profit & Government Accounting Credits: 2
- GACC 5340 - Business Law for Accountants Credits: 2
- GACC 5360 - Forensic Accounting Credits: 2
- GACC 5500 - Taxation of Business Enterprises Credits: 4
Master of Science in Accounting, Online
with a degree outside of Business or Accounting: Launched January 2019
The online Master of Science in Accounting, for students with a non-accounting/non-business undergraduate degree is composed of 32 credit hours of core courses and 6 credit hours of elective courses for a total of 38 credit hours.
Core Courses: 32 credits
- ACC 5225 - Ethics in the Accounting Profession Credits: 2
- FIN 5050 - Finance Concepts Credits: 2
- GACC 5050 - Foundations of Accounting Credits: 4
- GACC 5060 - Financial Accounting & Reporting I Credits: 4
- GACC 5070 - Financial Accounting & Reporting II Credits: 4
- GACC 5080 - Introduction to Federal Income Taxation Credits: 4
- GACC 5150 - Assurance Services Credits: 4
- GACC 5310 - Accounting Information Systems Credits: 2
- GACC 5320 - Business Law for Accountants Credits: 2
- GMGT 5130 - Professional Skills Credits: 2
- GMGT 5140 - Effective Managerial Communication Credits: 2
Elective Courses: 6 credits:
Students can choose electives from the following:
- Any FIN 5000 level or higher
- Any MGT 5000 level or higher
- Any MKT 5000 level or higher
- DSA 5010 - Foundations of Data Management Credits: 4
- DSA 5020 - Foundations of Statistical Analysis Credits: 4
- DSA 5200 - Data Visualization Credits: 4
- GMGT 5220 - Responsibility & Integrity Credits: 4
- GMGT 5920 - Leading Effective Teams Credits: 2
- GMGT 5930 - Leading Organizational Change Credits: 2
- GMGT 5940 - Leading Creativity & Innovation Credits: 2
- GMGT 5950 - Stakeholder Management Credits: 4