Program Overview

Business Administration MBA, Accounting Emphasis

Overview

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an Accounting Emphasis is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of business principles and practices, as well as specialized knowledge in accounting. The program is tailored to meet the needs of working professionals and recent graduates seeking to advance their careers in accounting and related fields.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and demonstrate high promise of academic success. The admission process takes a holistic approach, considering factors such as grade point average (GPA), professional experience, and other relevant criteria.

Degree Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, which must be completed within a maximum of six years. At least two-thirds of the coursework must be taken while enrolled as an MBA candidate at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). Students must satisfy requirements in professional written and oral communication, business law and ethics/social responsibility, economics, and business statistics.

Business Core (18 credit hours)

The following courses or their equivalents are required of all degree candidates:

• ACCTNG 5400: Financial and Managerial Accounting (3 credit hours)
• FINANCE 6500: Financial Management (3 credit hours)
• INFSYS 5800: Management Information Systems (3 credit hours)
• MGMT 5600: Managing and Leading in Organizations (3 credit hours)
• MKTG 5700: Integrated Marketing Strategies (3 credit hours)
• SCMA 5310: Supply Chain Strategies (3 credit hours)

Strategic Management Required (3 credit hours)

Students must take one of the following courses:

• BUS AD 6990: Strategy Formulation And Implementation (3 credit hours)
• INTL BUS 5289: International Business Strategies (3 credit hours)
• MGMT 4614: Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management (3 credit hours)

Electives (9 credit hours)

Students may choose to pursue an Emphasis Area to satisfy the 9 credit hour Electives requirement or pursue an MBA with no emphasis area. No course may be used for more than one emphasis area. If no emphasis area is chosen, students have the flexibility to customize their MBA by choosing from a large collection of elective graduate courses within the College of Business Administration, in consultation with their Graduate Business academic advisor.

Emphasis Area Requirements

For the Accounting Emphasis, students must complete a minimum of 9 hours of Accounting Electives beyond ACCTNG 5400, as follows:

• ACCTNG 5404: Professional Accountancy I (3 credit hours)
• ACCTNG 5405: Professional Accountancy II (3 credit hours)
• ACCTNG 5411: Cost Systems Analysis (3 credit hours)
  • or ACCTNG 5421: Information Systems in Accounting
  • or ACCTNG 5447: Taxation of Individuals and Businesses Total Hours: 9

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of core business content in accounting, finance, information systems, supply chain analytics, management, and marketing.
• Apply core business content and principles for effective business decision making.
• Demonstrate analytical skills to solve business problems and evaluate the conditions of corporations and markets.
• Effectively communicate business insights using oral and written formats.
• Identify legal/ethical issues and implications, and make informed decisions.
• Expand leadership skills to effectively engage with stakeholders in a professional manner.
• Demonstrate a global mindset needed to effectively navigate the interconnected nature of today's business environment.
• Understand the Accounting cycle from analysis of transaction through financial statements.
• Apply key financial accounting topics related to balance sheet and income statement accounts.
• Demonstrate appropriate concepts of managerial accounting.