Program Overview

Master of Science in Accounting (MSA)

The Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program at the University of Central Florida prepares students for careers as professional accountants and consultants in the public accounting industry, financial institutions, government, and nonprofit organizations. The program offers a choice of specialization in either Assurance, Management, or Taxation.

Program Overview

The MSA program is designed to develop students' skills and competencies in accounting, taxation, and business law. The program emphasizes independent learning, with cases and research projects that involve work outside the classroom. Students are encouraged to develop and enhance their skills and competencies through various approaches, including written reports, case analyses, and oral presentations.

Program Requirements

The MSA degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours, including:

• 15 credit hours of required courses:
  • ACG6185 - Financial Statement Analysis (3)
  • ACG6415 - Advanced Accounting Information Systems (3)
  • ACG6805 - Accounting Theory (3)
  • ACG6835 - Ethics and Professionalism in Accounting and Auditing (3)
  • BUL5332 - Advanced Business Law Topics (3)
• 9 credit hours of specialization courses:
  • Assurance:
    • ACG6636 - Advanced Auditing (3)
    • ACG6675 - Operational Auditing (3)
    • At least one of the following:
      • ACG6305 - Advanced Managerial Accounting (3)
      • ACG6685 - Fraud Auditing (3)
      • TAX5015 - Advanced Tax Topics (3)
  • Management:
    • ACG6305 - Advanced Managerial Accounting (3)
    • ACG6675 - Operational Auditing (3)
    • At least one of the following:
      • QMB6358 - Software Tools for Business Analytics (3)
      • TAX5015 - Advanced Tax Topics (3)
  • Taxation:
    • TAX5015 - Advanced Tax Topics (3)
    • TAX6065 - Tax Research (3)
    • TAX6845 - Tax Planning and Consulting (3)
• 6 credit hours of restricted electives:
  • Students can take additional ACG, TAX, or BUL courses as restricted electives (except for ACG 6425 and BUL 6444, which are not eligible for MSA credit).
  • Most MBA electives may be taken as restricted electives.
  • Up to three hours may be selected from outside the College of Business, with approval from the program adviser.

Comprehensive Exam

Satisfactory completion of an end-of-program comprehensive written examination is required. The MSA program does not require a thesis.

Program Prerequisites

All business and accounting foundation core requirements can be completed after a student has gained admission to the program, but must be satisfied before graduate coursework can be undertaken. The business foundation core includes:

• ACG 2021 - Financial Accounting (3)
• ACG 2071 - Managerial Accounting (3)
• ECO 2013 - Macroeconomics (3)
• ECO 2023 - Microeconomics (3)
• QMB 3003 - Quantitative Business Tools I (3)
• QMB 3200 - Quantitative Business Tools II (3)
• FIN 3403 - Business Finance (3) The accounting foundation core includes:
• ACG 3131 - Intermediate Financial Accounting I (3)
• ACG 3141 - Intermediate Financial Accounting II (3)
• ACG 3361 - Cost Accounting I (3)
• ACG 4401 - Accounting Information Systems (3)
• ACG 4651 - Auditing (3)
• ACG 4803 - Advanced Issues in Financial Accounting (3)
• TAX 4001 - Taxation of Business Entities and Transactions (3)

Admission Requirements

Applicants must submit:

• One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended
• A 3.0 GPA in upper-division accounting and tax courses
• A rťsumť
• A goal statement Applicants with a recent undergraduate accounting degree will likely have completed most, if not all, of the foundation prerequisite courses. Before taking any foundation courses, please have your undergraduate transcripts reviewed by the MSA Program Adviser.

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation.