Master of Science in Accounting
Program Description
The Master of Science in Accounting program is designed to provide students with the advanced study in accounting necessary to prepare for the CPA examination. This program equips students with the knowledge and skills needed in the profession of accounting.
Graduates of the MS in Accounting program are prepared for employment opportunities with industry, government, and public accounting firms.
The MS in Accounting requires thirty graduate credit hours and can be completed in one year (12 months) by full time students who first enroll in either fall or summer semesters.
All classes in the MS in Accounting program are taught only at the Huntsville campus.
Mission
As a professional program the mission of the MS in Accounting is to provide students with the functional competencies necessary to enter the accounting profession and to enable students to meet the minimum educational requirements for taking the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination in Texas.
Vision
The MS in Accounting program provides students with a thorough grounding in the technical core competencies for entry into the accounting profession as identified by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). In 1999 the AICPA established the Core Competency Framework for Entry into the Accounting Profession (the Framework). That Framework identifies six functional competencies as most aligned with the value contributed by accounting professionals:
- decision modeling
- risk analysis
- measurement
- reporting
- research
- leveraging technology
The MS in Accounting program allows students to meet the minimum legislatively mandated requirement of 150 hours of college credit to qualify to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination in Texas. An additional requirement is that the student must have completed 30 hours of advanced accounting course work to qualify to sit for the examination. The MS in Accounting program provides the course work necessary to meet these requirements over and above the 120 hours for undergraduate degree completion.
Admissions
- Complete the online graduate application form
- Pay the application fee
- Submit official transcript(s) from all previous college work (except SHSU graduates)
- Submit an official GMAT score
- Submit a current resume (e-mailed to graduate@shsu.edu )
Graduate Application Deadlines
U.S. Citizens
- Fall - August 1
- Spring - December 1
- Summer - May 15
International Students
- Fall - June 25
- Spring - November 12
- Summer - April 9
Admission Criteria
- Meet or exceed one of the following formulas:
- 200 (Undergraduate GPA) + GMAT Score >= 11001
- 200 (Advanced Hours Undergraduate GPA) + GMAT Score >= 11502
- Have a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0
- Have a minimum advanced accounting coursework GPA of 3.0
- Hold a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from a U.S. Institution
- GMAT Waiver Requests: Undergraduate GPA1 of 3.5 or higher allows for a comprehensive review of academic performance and consideration for the GMAT waiver
1 | The Undergraduate GPA is the GPA from courses taken at the degree granting institution. Transfer grades are not used in the computation. |
2 | The advanced hours undergraduate GPA is the GPA from junior- and senior- level courses taken at the degree granting institution. Transfer grades are not used in this computation. |
Degree Requirements
Stem Requirements for Non-Business Graduates and Non-Accounting Graduates
Students seeking admission to the Master of Science in Accounting Program who do not have a baccalaureate degree in accounting from an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) accredited university will be required to take substantial stem courses before being allowed in the MS in Accounting program. Baccalaureate degrees from foreign universities not accredited by AACSB International are treated as non-business degrees. Additionally, graduate stem courses (5300s) do not apply to the 30-hour graduate credit hour requirement of the ACCT degree. Contact the graduate advisor for details.
Stem Courses Required
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Stem Courses Required | ||
ACCT 2301 | Principles Of Financial Acc | 3 |
ACCT 2302 | Principles Of Managerial Acc | 3 |
ACCT 3313 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 |
ACCT 3314 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 |
ACCT 3324 | Prn Accounting Systems Design | 3 |
ACCT 3347 | Cost Accounting | 3 |
ACCT 3353 | Income Tax Accounting | 3 |
ACCT 4315 | Advanced Accounting I | 3 |
ACCT 4316 | Advanced Accounting II | 3 |
ACCT 4372 | Auditing Principles | 3 |
BANA 5300 | Quantitative Tools For Busines (or both BANA 2372 and MGMT 3370) | 3 |
BUAD 3335 | Business Communication | 3 |
BUAD 3355 | Business Law | 3 |
ECON 5300 | Economic Principles And Policy (or both ECON 2302 and ECON 2301) | 3 |
FINC 3320 | Business Finance | 3 |
MGIS 3310 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
MGMT 3310 | Principles Of Management | 3 |
MKTG 3310 | Principles Of Marketing | 3 |
Total Hours | 54 |
Master of Science in Accounting Course Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Master of Science in Accounting | ||
Courses | ||
ACCT 5311 | Adv Topics-Financial Reporting 1 | 3 |
ACCT 5324 | Info Sys Auditing & Assurance 1 | 3 |
ACCT 5336 | Gov & Not-For-Profit Acc 2 | 3 |
ACCT 5352 | Corp & Pass Thru Entity Tax 1 | 3 |
ACCT 5379 | Prof Ethics & Responsibility 2 | 3 |
ACCT 5399 | Advancd Auditng Theory & Pract 2,3 | 3 |
Restricted Electives | ||
Select three of the following: | 9 | |
Seminar in Accounting Theory | ||
Financial Statement Analysis | ||
Managerial Accounting Applcatn | ||
Estate Planng,Trusts,Nonprofit | ||
Erp Business Proc Integration | ||
COBA Electives | ||
Select any graduate course from the College of Business Administration 4 | 3 | |
Total Hours | 30 |
1 | Course is only offered during the Fall semester |
2 | Course is only offered during the Spring Semester. |
3 | ACCT 5399 is the capstone course that satisfies the comprehensive exam requirement. A grade of B or better is required for graduation. |
4 | Any graduate course in COBA except 5300s or ACCT 5304. Non-COBA courses must be approved by the Chair of the Department of Accounting. |