Accounting M.P.A.

Major in Accounting

(Major Code: 5301)

Options

Plan I (Non-Thesis)
Plan II (Thesis)

General Requirements

Admission: Applicants with an undergraduate overall GPA of 3.0 or higher and a GPA for accounting courses above principles of 3.0 or higher may opt out of taking the GMAT exam by submitting the GMAT Score Waiver Request Form.
Conditional Admission: Students that do not qualify for regular admission are granted conditional admission when the applicant has an undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher and scores in the 30th percentile or higher on the composite score of the GMAT exam.
Students not qualifying for regular or conditional admission will be denied admission and may consult with the dean of the Graduate School for assistance on future admission possibilities or possible committee review for conditional admission based on special circumstances consistent with House Bill 1641.

Students who enter the M.P.A. degree program on conditional status may be required to take leveling courses in areas where a grade of “C” or lower was earned. Students seeking the M.P.A. degree must establish proficiency in the following areas in addition to requirements for the M.P.A. degree:

Introductory, intermediate, tax, systems, cost accounting auditing
Economics
Statistics
Marketing
Management
Finance

Proficiency may be established by courses taken in an undergraduate program, by completing advanced-standing examinations or by taking the following courses or their equivalent:

ACCT 6300 - Financial Accounting 3
ACCT 3311
ACCT 3331
ACCT 3332
ACCT 3371
ACCT 3375
ACCT 4351
MGT 6300 - Business Management 3
MKT 6300 - Managerial Marketing 3
FIN 6300 - Managerial Finance 3
CIDM 6300 - Statistical Methods in Business and Economics 3
ECON 6300 - Topics in Contemporary Economic Theory 3

Additional Requirements

Students must complete 36 semester hours in advanced and graduate courses, including at least 18 semester hours in accounting. At least 18 semester hours must be in 6300-level courses (excluding ACCT 6300 , ACCT 6305 , MGT 6300 , MKT 6300 , FIN 6300 , CIDM 6300 , and ECON 6300 ).

The following graduate courses are required:

Nine hours of advanced graduate accounting electives (excluding ACCT 6300 and ACCT 6305)

Other Graduate Business Electives

Three semester hours from:

Six semester hours of graduate elective courses in economics (ECON), finance (FIN), or computer information and decision management (CIDM).

Plan I: Non-Thesis

Six hours of advanced graduate accounting electives (excluding ACCT 6300 and ACCT 6305)

Plan II: Thesis

Comprehensive Exam

During the last semester of course work for the M.P.A. degree, the student will be required to take a comprehensive written and/or oral exam covering the M.P.A. core courses. The examination will be administered by a three-member graduate accounting faculty committee. If the student fails the first examination, one semester or the equivalent (16 weeks or two summer sessions) must elapse before the student takes the exam again. Additional course work or directed study will be recommended for the student in the interim.