Accounting - M.S.A. Download to print

The Master of Science in Accounting is for students interested in specializing in accounting. Students take accounting courses with courses in the various business disciplines, allowing them to become well-rounded professionals. The combination of coursework with the option of an internship provides students with a strong theoretical foundation in accounting as well as an understanding of the practical applications of the discipline. The program also emphasizes the development of communication, interpersonal and analytical problem-solving skills through the use of case studies, team and individual projects, and computers for accounting and auditing applications. Upon completion and 150 semester credit hours, students will be considered as having met the educational requirement for sitting for the CPA exam in Ohio. 

Students in the Master of Science in Accounting have the option to select a concentration from the following: Assurance Services or Taxation.

The Assurance Services concentration allows students to specialize their degree with courses in advanced auditing and IT auditing. Graduates are prepared for responsible leadership positions in public, corporate, nonprofit and government accounting. Upon completion and 150 semester credit hours, students will be considered as having met the educational requirement for sitting for the CPA exam in Ohio. 

The Taxation concentration allows students to specialize their degree with courses in corporate and partnership taxation and tax planning. Graduates are prepared for responsible leadership positions in public, corporate, nonprofit and government accounting. Upon completion and 150 semester credit hours, students will be considered as having met the educational requirement for sitting for the CPA exam in Ohio.

Minimum 3.000 overall undergraduate GPA; minimum 3.000 accounting GPA, if applicable, official transcript(s), minimum 500 overall GMAT, minimum 40th percentile in verbal and quantitative sections, goal statement, three letters of recommendation, resume and TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB or PTE, if applicable.

GMAT requirement will be waived for recent (within 5 year) Kent State Univeristy undergraduate accounting graduates with a minimum 3.500 overall GPA and a minimum 3.500 accounting major GPA (includes ACCT 23020, ACCT 23021 and all attempts of upper division ACCT courses).

Please refer to the university policy for graduate admission.

Minimum of 30 semester hour of coursework. Additional coursework is required if students do not have an undergraduate degree in accounting.

MSA Program Learning Objectives:

1. Prepare students for a professional career in accounting and, in particular, prepare the student to take and pass the Uniform CPA Examination.
2. Provide a comprehensive understanding of complex financial accounting issues, reporting and regulatory issues and taxation issues with the ability to understand constraints, develop conclusions and cite the professional accounting literature in support of these decisions.
3. Develop the ability to recognize, utilize, select and analyze both the information provided by systems and the systems themselves in place in a variety of business structures and companies; students will also develop the skills needed to identify how companies gather, process, store and deliver information useful in decision making.
4. Students will develop a competence in verbal and written communications, interpersonal skills, ethical decision making and computer applications.