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 or to include an emphasis in one of the following areas: Taxation, Auditing & Assurance, Valuation & Advisory Services, Experiential, or Information Technology. 

Academic Calendar

2014 Fall Semester

2015 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 (applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or above from an accredited U.S. institution may apply for a GMAT waiver)
• 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

 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 (2014-2015)

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

MAcc Emphases

There will be a presentation on the MAcc Emphases during Orientation week.   You will inform us if you intend to pursue an Emphasis in Auditing, Tax, Integrated Winter Field Experience, Information Systems, or Valuation at that time. 

Emphasis in Auditing - Students who pursue the Emphasis in Auditing take 9 credits of advanced auditing courses. Three of these credits must include Advanced Auditing and Audit Research, which is offered in the fall semester.  Additional credits are acquired in the spring semester and students can choose from:  Governmental and Non-Profit Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, Forensic Accounting or Auditing Information Systems.  Students also have the option to take Accounting Information Systems and Advisory Services in the fall semester. 

Emphasis in Taxation - Students who pursue the Emphasis in Taxation take 9 credits of tax courses beyond the introductory level (Introduction to Taxation or its equivalent).  Three of these credits must be taken in the fall semester as Federal Tax Research.  Additional credits are acquired in the spring semester and students can choose from:  Influence of Taxation on Business Decisions, Estate and Financial Planning, Key Business Taxation Topics and Related Planning, International Taxation, Partnership and LLC Taxation, or Taxation of Mergers and Acquisitions.

Emphasis in Valuation - Students who pursue the emphasis in Valuation will need to complete 6 credits beyond Financial Statement Modeling and Valuation, offered in the fall semester.  Other courses for the emphasis will be offered in the spring semester include:  Forensic Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, Data Analysis & Simulation for Accounting, Driving Corporate Performance, Project Management, Probability (Math Dept #501), or Mathematical Statistics (Math Dept #552).

Emphasis in Information Technology – Students who pursue the Emphasis in Information Technology take nine credits of information technology oriented classes. Three of these credits must include Accounting Information Technology and Advisory Services, which is offered in the fall semester. Additional credits are acquired in the spring semester and students can choose from: Auditing Information Systems, Database Management, Supply Chain Management, Modeling and Simulation, Advanced Modeling Techniques, Lean Toolkit, and Six Sigma Toolkit.

Integrated Winter Field Experience – Students who have secured a winter internship can pursue this emphasis. They will take three required courses in the spring semester.  The first course is integrated with the winter internship and extends over the first half of spring semester.  During the second half of spring semester, students round out this emphasis with the following courses:  Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting and Driving Organizational Performance.

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 45.5 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. Principles of Accounting, Statistics, Financial Management, and Cost Accounting are fulfilled by courses taken by all MBA students during the first-year curriculum. The rmeaining prerequisites – Intermediate Accounting I and II, Auditing and Introduction to US Federal Taxation - may 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 carry extra fees and students will be billed for the applicable credit hours at the summer tuition rate. (Intermediate Accounting I and II are taught as a single, 3-credit, class)