南伊利诺斯大学艾德华兹维尔分校

The Master of Science in accountancy (MSA) in the School of Business provides an advanced professional plan of study designed to prepare individuals for careers as professional accountants in public accounting, industry, or nonprofit and governmental sectors. Through the Department of Accounting, students learn the skills and knowledge needed to enter the accounting field and to form a foundation for advancement to the highest levels of the profession.

The MSA is designed to be completed on either a full-time or part-time basis. Full-time students with recent undergraduate degrees in accounting can complete the program courses and elective requirements in one year. Part-time students with a recent undergraduate degree in accounting can complete the program courses and elective requirements in two years. Depending on the number of courses taken each semester, students with undergraduate degrees in non-business fields can complete the program and elective requirements in two to four years. Courses in the MSA program are offered in an evening/hybrid format. Accelerated eight-week courses meet one evening per week. This flexible format combines traditional classroom instruction with online assignments. Beginning in spring 2019, courses will be offered in seven-week formats.

Program Format

The program can be completed through a mix of online courses and traditional courses offered on evenings/weekends.

Specializations

Business Analytics

Students may opt to complete a specialization in business analytics. To complete the specialization, MSA students must complete eight graduate courses including ACCT 565, ACCT 580, and three additional ACCT courses, plus satisfy the following business analytics requirements:

One course in Quantitative Methods (MBA 521 or ECON/FIN 515)
One course in Information Fundamentals (ACCT 561 or ACCT 567)
CMIS 566 – Introduction to Business Intelligence and Analytics
One elective from the following courses: CMIS 563, CMIS 564, ECON/FIN 517, FIN 525, FIN 541, MKTG 548, MKTG 544, MKTG 562, MKTG 563, MKTG 595;
CMIS 567 - Business Analytics Capstone (3)

Career Opportunities

MSA graduates qualify to sit for the CPA exam in Illinois and have rewarding careers in public accounting as auditors, tax specialists or consultants. Graduates who work in corporate accounting may be employed as managerial accountants, internal auditors, income tax specialists, systems experts or management consultants. In the nonprofit sector, accountants play important roles in governmental entities, health care organizations and charitable agencies. Based on their wide range of business exposure and knowledge, many accountants ultimately move into high-level management positions.