Master of Science in Accounting

Henry Elrod
H-E-B School of Business and Administration
elrod@uiwtx.edu
210.283.3564

The University of the Incarnate Word master’s degree program in accounting offers a thirty-hour graduate degree designed to provide the opportunity for concerned and enlightened persons to achieve the professional competencies required for entrance to the accounting profession, as well as to provide candidates the credentials required by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy to sit for the national CPA licensing examination.

ADMISSION

The program offers three routes for admission:

• Senior standing as an accounting major with a 3.0 GPA in the undergraduate prerequisite accounting courses.
• Baccalaureate degree with an accounting major or business with an accounting concentration, with a 3.0 GPA in the undergraduate prerequisite accounting courses.
• Baccalaureate degree not in business, or otherwise not presenting the minimum undergraduate prerequisite accounting and business courses.

Applicants with the baccalaureate degree, without the minimum undergraduate prerequisite accounting and business courses, may be admitted on a probationary status.  Applicants admitted on probationary status will be required to complete the undergraduate accounting and business course deficiencies prior to enrollment in the last full semester of study.  Applicants accepted in the 3/2 program may take graduate level courses during the senior year with the consent of the academic advisor.

All applicants for admission must present an acceptable score on the GMAT examination, and an application including a statement in the form of a persuasive essay, detailing the applicant’s reasons for pursuing the Master of Science in Accounting degree.  Grade point averages, GMAT scores, prior work experience (if any) and the applicant’s statement will be considered in the admission decision.  Other than the 3.0 GPA requirement in the prerequisite accounting courses, there are no minimum scores required. 

An applicant with a lower GMAT score may overcome such deficiency with a high undergraduate GPA and an outstanding essay; an applicant with lower undergraduate grades might overcome the deficiency with a high GMAT.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

All candidates are required to complete a minimum of 150 semester hours of study, including both undergraduate and graduate hours.  Candidates in the 3/2 program will be awarded both the MS in Accounting and the BBA with an Accounting concentration at the completion of the 150 hour program.
All candidates must satisfy the following prerequisite undergraduate business and accounting courses:

Principles of Accounting I & II	6
Personal Productivity Application (or test out)	3
Microeconomics	3
Macroeconomics	3
Principles of Management	3
Principles of Finance	3
Principles of Marketing	3
Business Law	3
Statistics or Quantitative Methods	6
Intermediate Accounting I & II	6
Auditing	3
Federal Tax I (Individual)	3
Any other upper division accounting courses	12

All undergraduate course prerequisites must be satisfied prior to enrollment in the last full semester of study.

All candidates must have access to a laptop computer with Microsoft Excel and Word, and all candidates must have access to the Internet and compatible email service. Prior to enrolling in the last full semester of study, all candidates must satisfy the computer literacy requirement.

All candidates must complete the following graduate courses:

Required Courses
ACCT	6338	Accounting for Nonprofit Organizations	3
ACCT	6340	Financial Reporting	3
ACCT	6341	Advanced Managerial Accounting	3
ACCT	6345	Federal Income Tax (Corporate, partnership & Research)	3
ACCT	6348	Advanced Auditing	3
ACCT	6350	Problems in Accounting	3
Elective Courses
ACCT	63XX	One graduate level accounting elective	3
		Choose the accounting elective from:
	5335	Accounting Internship
	6330	International Accounting
	6335	Law for Accountants
	6336	Financial Statement of Analysis
	6337	Managing and Accounting for Investments
Other		Non-accounting electives (choose three courses)
ECON	6311	Managerial Economics
BMGT	6338	Sustainability Performance & Reporting
ECON	63XX	Econometrics
BMDS	6380	Quantitative Methods in Business

The State of Texas requires 30 hours of approved upper division accounting courses, plus 21 hours of approved upper division business courses, and an approved three semester hour course in ethics, included within a total of 150 semester hours, and a degree, as qualifications to sit for the CPA examination.  Not less than half of the 30 accounting hours must be from traditional on the ground classroom courses.