Program Description

The two-semester Master of Accounting (MAcc) Program prepares students of varied backgrounds for careers with professional services firms, financial services companies, not for profits and corporations. Students have the option of graduating with a general degree, an Emphasis in Taxation, an Emphasis in Auditing & Assurance or an Emphasis in Valuation & Advisory Services. 

Academic Calendar

2013 Fall Semester

2014 Spring Semester

Fact Sheet

The MAcc program is designed for high-caliber students committed to achieving individual success by contributing their knowledge, integrity and skills to the business world. Problem-solving ability and intellectual acuity are fostered via teamwork with student colleagues as well as via extensive interaction with faculty and leading experts in the accounting field today.

Website: http://mason.wm.edu/macc

Length of program

9 months with additional summer study sometimes required

Format

Full-time, two semesters; additional summer classes required for non-Accounting majors

Admissions requirements

• GMAT
• Transcripts
• Two letters of recommendation
• Application and fee
• A non-refundable application fee of $80 is required of all applicants, with the exception of active military candidates.
• Interview for qualified candidates
• TOEFL or IELTS for non-native speakers of English who did not obtain their undergraduate degree after a full course of study at a university in an English-speaking country.

Prerequisites

Principles of Accounting, Statistics, Financial Management, Intermediate Accounting I and II, Auditing, Cost Accounting, and Introduction to (US) Federal Taxation.

Application deadlines

(Class of 2014) Rolling basis

Rankings

#1 in Small Programs: Public Accounting Report, 2009 & 2010.

Class profile

• Average age: 23
• Average GMAT: 643
• TOEFL: 107 ibt
• IELTS: 8.0
• Average GPA: 3.4

Recent Recruiters of MAcc graduates

Admiral Administration, Alverez & Marshal, Baker Tilly, BDO Seidman, Capital One, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Goodman & Co., FTI, Grant Thornton, Jefferies & Company, Johnson Lambert & Co., Keiter, Stephens, Gary, Hurst & Shreaves, KPMG, Kroll, LarsonAllen, Mitchell Wiggins & Company, McGladrey & Pullen, Navigant Consulting, Tate & Tryon, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PWC China, VERIS Consulting, Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer, Witt Mares, Virginia Global Assets Group, Yount, Hyde & Barbour.

Tuition and Other Expenses (2013-2014)

For information about financial aid, scholarships, or Graduate Assistantships, please see the section entitled “Student Financial Aid, Scholarships, & Graduate Assistantships .”

Winter Field Experience

The MAcc program is proud to offer a Winter Field Experience (WFE) option for students in the Spring semester each year. Placement in the program is competitive. Students apply for WFE opportunities during the Fall semester at the same time they apply for full-time jobs. Those students who are offered a WFE generally work the 10 weeks between the New Year holiday and Spring Break. An elective course in Business Law (3.0 credits) is offered in a blended format – two on-campus meetings in December followed by meetings online – in order to accommodate WFE recipients. (Please note: Students who have already taken a 3-credit Business Law course may not be eligible to take this course.) WFE students must take a Winter Field Experience course (3.0 credits) in which they develop an independent study topic under the guidance of a professor. The purpose of the course is to provide an opportunity for students to explore a field of interest and gain valuable experience in that area. In addition, it will clarify the relationship between the Master of Accounting program of studies and the workplace. Upon return to campus, WFE students must complete their MAcc studies by choosing from a variety of elective courses offered by the MAcc program and taught in an abbreviated, seven-week format.

All students who pursue a Winter Field Experience must meet with the Director of the MAcc program to discuss their course choices.

The MBA-MAcc Dual Degree Program

MBA/MAcc candidates must meet the admission requirements for each program. Programs will share test score reports, recommendations and transcripts but applicants must file a separate application for In-State tuition privileges for each program.

The dual degree program requires 46.5 credit hours of coursework in the MBA program and 30 credit hours of coursework in the MAcc program. The MAcc and MBA degrees will be both be awarded at the conclusion of both degrees. Students will participate in graduation at the end of the second year.

The MAcc program requires eight prerequisite courses for admission. These courses are Principles of Accounting, Statistics, Financial Management, Intermediate Accounting I and II, Auditing, Cost Accounting and an Introduction to US Federal Taxation course. The first five of these prerequisites are fulfilled by courses taken by all MBA students during the first-year curriculum. The last four of these prerequisites – Intermediate Accounting I and II Auditing and Introduction to US Federal Taxation - must be taken as summer “bootcamp” intensive classes during either the summer preceding matriculation into the MBA program or the summer preceding matriculation into the MAcc program. These courses do carry extra fees and students will be billed for eight credits at the summer tuition rate. (Intermediate Accounting I and II are taught as a single, 3-credit, class.)

All MAcc students are considered for academic awards based on their performance in the MAcc program. Dual-degree students will be evaluated according to their performance in the MAcc program only when such awards are judged: grades for courses taken during the MBA program will not be considered.
 

MAcc Courses Overview

The curriculum for the MAcc program consists of core courses, which all students must take; required courses, which must be taken if an equivalent course has not been completed prior to enrolling in the MAcc program; and elective courses.

Note: Not all electives are offered each year.
 

Courses

The courses in the Financial Markets Module are required courses and must be completed as part of the degree requirements. Students who have successfully completed an equivalent course prior to enrollment will be waived from this course with the approval of the Director and will take an elective in place of the waived course.

• BUAD 504 - Equity Valuation and Financial Statement Modeling
• BUAD 507 - Fixed Income Securities and Securitizations
• BUAD 508 - Derivatives and Risk Management

The courses in the Professional Accounting Module are core courses and must be taken by all students without exception.

• BUAD 502 - Professional Accounting I
• BUAD 503 - Professional Accounting II

Communications and Professional Development is a core course and must be taken by all students without exception. The remaining courses in this module are electives. Students may choose electives in the Professional Development Module according to their educational background and career goals.

• BUAD 506 - Communications & Professional Development
• BUAD 595 - Advanced Auditing and Audit Research
• BUAD 595 - Corporate Taxation
• BUAD 595 - Federal Tax Research and Corporate Tax
• BUAD 595 - Tax Compliance, Research & Planning