Degree Requirements

Master in Professional Accounting

The core of the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) curriculum consists of 25 semester hours of coursework. Four of the core courses may be waived if the student has completed equivalent undergraduate work. In addition to the core, students complete 18 hours in more specialized courses. They may choose one of the three tracks designed by the faculty—financial reporting and assurance, managerial accounting and control, and taxation—or they may choose courses to meet their specific academic and professional goals in the generalist curriculum.

Depending on their undergraduate backgrounds, students must earn from 30 to 43 semester hours of credit to complete the program; all MPA students must complete at least 19 semester hours in accounting. Students must complete at least two long-session semesters in residence in the MPA program. In order to graduate, the student’s overall, MPA, and accounting grade point averages must each be at least 3.00.

Master of Science in Accounting

The Master of Science in Accounting is offered only to students who are enrolled in the doctoral program in accounting. This degree is offered in three options: with thesis, with report, and without thesis or report. The thesis option requires at least 30 semester hours of credit; the report option, at least 33 hours; and the option without thesis or report, at least 36 hours. All coursework must be logically related, and the student’s entire program must be approved by the student’s primary adviser and the graduate adviser. The Graduate Studies Committee’s approval is not required.

Doctor of Philosophy

The coursework for the doctoral degree includes four nonaccounting core courses, five accounting seminars, and coursework in two supporting fields outside accounting. Students also write first-year and second-year research papers. Those without teaching experience complete Business Administration 398T and teach an entry-level accounting course. Four or five years are generally needed to complete the coursework and dissertation phases of the degree program.