Adkerson School of Accountancy

Director: Dr. Shawn Mauldin
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Kelly Walker
300 McCool Hall
Box EF
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Telephone: 662-325-1632
Fax: 662-325-1646
E-mail: kwalker@business.msstate.edu

Graduate study is offered in the Adkerson School of Accountancy leading to the Master of Professional Accountancy (M.P.A.) degree or the Master of Taxation (M.TX.) degree. The objective of graduate study at the master’s level is to further the student’s education in business and accounting in preparation for a professional career in accounting.

The Adkerson School of Accountancy cooperates in interdisciplinary programs leading to the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Business Administration degree (see the Business Administration section of this publication).

Master of Professional Accountancy

The objective of the Master of Professional Accountancy (M.P.A.) program is to further the student’s education in business and accounting while preparing for a professional career in accountancy. The accountancy program is accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, as part of the overall accreditation of the College of Business, as well as the supplemental AACSB accreditation of accounting programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Admission Criteria

An applicant to the M.P.A. program should hold a bachelor’s degree from a fully recognized four-year institution of higher learning that enjoys unconditional accreditation by appropriate regional accrediting agencies. Regular admission to the M.P.A. program requires an acceptable GMAT score, a minimum overall GPA or upper-level business GPA of 3.00, and acceptable recommendation letters. A GMAT waiver may be available to exceptional applicants.

International Applicant

An international applicant not holding a prior degree from a U.S. institution must submit an indicator of English proficiency including one of the following: (1) TOEFL score of 575 PBT (84 iBT) or (2) IELTS score of 7.0.

Provisional Admission

An applicant who has not fully met the GPA and GMAT score requirements may be admitted on a provisional basis. The provisionally admitted student is eligible for a change to regular status after receiving a 3.00 GPA on the first 9 hours of graduate courses at Mississippi State University (with no grade lower than a C). The first 9 hours of graduate courses must be within the student's program of study. Courses with an S grade, transfer credits, or credits earned while in Unclassified status cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. If a 3.00 is not attained, the provisional student shall be dismissed from the graduate program. While in the provisional status, a student is not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship.

Prerequisite Courses

A grade of C or better is required on all undergraduate prerequisite courses. The prerequisites listed below, or their equivalent, must be completed either before or during graduate coursework. A complete transcript evaluation will be more specific in individual cases.

ACC 3003	Accounting Information Systems I	3
ACC 3013	Cost Accounting	3
ACC 3023	Intermediate Accounting I	3
ACC 3033	Intermediate Accounting II	3
ACC 4013	Income Tax I	3
ACC 4033	Auditing	3
EC 2113	Principles of Macroeconomics	3
EC 2123	Principles of Microeconomics	3
FIN 3123	Financial Management	3
BL 2413	The Legal Environment of Business	3

Computer literacy and written communication skills are other prerequisites.

NOTE: Where appropriate, M.B.A. foundation courses may be used to satisfy some of the prerequisites.

Academic Performance

A grade of C or better is required on all undergraduate prerequisite courses. A student in any graduate degree program in the College of Business may not continue with grades below B in more than 6 hours of program coursework, regardless of the overall average. Thus, any program is terminated automatically when a seventh credit hour below B is recorded on program coursework. In addition, the normal MSU requirements for satisfactory progress in a graduate program will be applied.

Completion Requirements

A student must complete the required curriculum and a minimum of 30 graduate semester hours.
A student must have no more than 6 hours of C grades on program coursework.
A student must achieve a 3.00/4.00 GPA on graduate accounting work attempted.
A student must achieve a 3.00/4.00 GPA on all graduate work attempted at MSU after being admitted to the degree program.

Master of Taxation

The primary objective of the Master of Taxation (M.TX.) program is to further the student’s education in business and accounting with an emphasis in taxation while preparing for a professional career in accounting and taxation.

Admission Criteria

An applicant to the M.TX. program should hold a bachelor’s degree from a fully recognized four-year institution of higher learning that enjoys unconditional accreditation by appropriate regional accrediting agencies. Regular admission to the M.TX. program requires an acceptable GMAT score, a minimum overall GPA or upper-level business GPA of 3.00, and acceptable recommendation letters. A GMAT waiver may be available to exceptional applicants.

International Applicant

An international applicant not holding a prior degree from a U.S. Institution must submit an indicator of English proficiency including one of the following: (1) TOEFL score of 575 PBT (84 iBT) or (2) an IELTS score of 7.0.

Provisional Admission

An applicant who has not fully met the GPA and GMAT score requirements may be admitted on a provisional basis. The provisionally-admitted student is eligible for a change to regular status after receiving a 3.00 GPA on the first 9 hours of graduate courses at Mississippi State University (with no grade lower than a C). The first 9 hours of graduate courses must be within the student's program of study. Courses with an S grade, transfer credits, or credits earned while in Unclassified status cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. If a 3.00 is not attained, the provisional student shall be dismissed from the graduate program. While in the provisional status, a student is not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship.

Prerequisite Courses

The prerequisites listed below, or their equivalent, must be completed either before or during graduate coursework. A complete transcript evaluation will be more specific in individual cases.

ACC 3003	Accounting Information Systems I	3
ACC 3013	Cost Accounting	3
ACC 3023	Intermediate Accounting I	3
ACC 3033	Intermediate Accounting II	3
ACC 4013	Income Tax I	3
ACC 4033	Auditing	3
EC 2113	Principles of Macroeconomics	3
EC 2123	Principles of Microeconomics	3
FIN 3123	Financial Management	3
BL 2413	The Legal Environment of Business	3

Computer literacy and written communication skills are other prerequisites.

NOTE: Where appropriate, M.B.A. foundation courses may be used to satisfy some of the above prerequisites.

Academic Performance

Master's Degree Completion Requirements

A student must complete the required curriculum and a minimum of 30 graduate semester hours.
A student must have no more than 6 hours of C grades on program coursework.
A student must achieve a 3.00/4.00 GPA on graduate accounting work attempted.
A student must achieve a 3.00/4.00 GPA on all graduate work attempted at MSU after being admitted to the degree program.

Consult the Director, Adkerson School of Accountancy for further information.

Master of Professional Accountancy

Required Accounting Courses
ACC 6063	Income Tax II ¹	3
ACC 8013	Seminar in Financial Accounting Theory	3
ACC 8023	Advanced Managerial Accounting	3
ACC 8033	Assurance and Audit Data Analysis	3
ACC 8043	Fraud Examination and Data Analysis	3
Accounting Electives		9
Select three of the following:
ACC 8053	Financial Accounting Policy
ACC 8063	Research in Tax Practice and Procedures
ACC 8073	Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders
ACC 8093	Taxation of Partnerships, S Corporations, Trusts, and Estates
ACC 8113	Advanced Individual Taxation and Wealth Management
ACC 8123	Tax Topics
ACC 8183	International Accounting
Business Electives
Select 6 hours of graduate-level business or accounting courses.		6
Total Hours		30

¹Unless completed as an undergraduate.

NOTE: No more than 9 hours at the 6000-level can count toward the degree.

Master of Taxation

Required Tax Courses
ACC 8063	Research in Tax Practice and Procedures	3
ACC 8073	Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders	3
ACC 8113	Advanced Individual Taxation and Wealth Management	3
ACC 8093	Taxation of Partnerships, S Corporations, Trusts, and Estates	3
ACC 8123	Tax Topics	3
Electives (Choose 3 of the following courses)		9
ACC 8013	Seminar in Financial Accounting Theory
ACC 8033	Assurance and Audit Data Analysis
ACC 8043	Fraud Examination and Data Analysis
ACC 8053	Financial Accounting Policy
Any approved graduate-level accounting or business courses		6
Total Hours		30

NOTE: No more than 9 hours at the 6000-level can count toward the degree.

Graduate Minor in Accounting Data Analytics (9 credit hours total)

In lieu of 6 hours of graduate-level business or accounting courses, a student may elect a Graduate Minor in Accounting Analytics by selecting ACC 8043 as one of the accounting electives and by selecting the two courses below:

ACC 8143: Accounting Data Analytics
BIS 8413: Data Analytics

Graduate Minor in Business Analytics (9 credit hours in total)

In lieu of the 6 hours of graduate-level business or accounting courses, the student will select the two courses below:

BIS 8413 Data Analytics
BQA 6413 Business Forecasting and Predictive Analytics
Any approved course for the minor

M.P.A. - Concentration in Systems

In lieu of 6 hours of graduate-level business or accounting electives, students seeking the systems concentration will select the two courses below:

BIS 8213 Secure Systems Analysis and Design

BIS 8313 Advanced Database Design Administraton¹

¹Programing prerequisites may be required.

M.TX. - Concentration in Systems

In lieu of 6 hours of graduate-level business or accounting electives, students seeking the systems concentration will select the two courses below as well as one other approved course, for a total of 9 hours:

BIS 8213 Secure Systems Analysis and Design

BIS 8313 Advanced Database Design Administraton¹

¹Programing prerequisites may be required.

ACC 6023 Advanced Accounting: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in ACC 3033). Three hours lecture. Financial accounting and reporting related to consolidations and partnerships

ACC 6043 Municipal and Governmental Accounting: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: Undergraduate-Grade of C or better in ACC 3023; Graduate-ACC 3023 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. The course covers the classification and use of fund accounting, budgetary accounting, and financial statements for governmental entities and not-for-profits

ACC 6063 Income Tax II: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: Undergraduate-Grade of C or better in ACC 4013; Graduate-ACC 4013 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Students will be exposed to an overview of Corporate taxation, Partnership taxation, and Estate and Gift taxation

ACC 6200 Accounting Internship: 6 hours.

(Prerequisite: Senior Standing and approval by the internship director prior to the internship). Credit to be arranged based on time and circumstances of the internship providing professional experience in audit, tax and other accounting related areas

ACC 6990 Special Topics in Accounting: 1-9 hours.

Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)

ACC 7000 Directed Individual Study in Accounting: 1-6 hours.

Hours and credits to be arranged

ACC 8013 Seminar in Financial Accounting Theory: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: Graduate Standing; ACC 3033). Three hours lecture. Examination of the theoretical concepts, definitions, and models espoused in the accounting literature and relevant to analyzing various contemporary issues in financial accounting and reporting

ACC 8023 Advanced Managerial Accounting: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 3013 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Course presents business concepts and significance of the professional duties of accountants and responsibilities within the larger context of the business environment. Emphasis is placed on developing an advanced understanding of fundamental and current issues facing the managerial accountant

ACC 8033 Assurance and Audit Data Analysis: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 4033 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Students gain in-depth knowledge of professional auditing standards, financial statement auditing procedures, and audit reporting requirements. Students develop data analysis skills applicable to auditing. Students gain exposure to theoretical arguments surrounding professional rules of conduct and audit quality indicators

ACC 8043 Fraud Examination and Data Analysis: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 2013 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. The course covers the nature of fraud, fraud examination, and the communication of the findings from a fraud examination. Emphasis will be placed on the use of advanced data analysis techniques and procedures to detect errors and frauds

ACC 8053 Financial Accounting Policy: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 3033 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. This is an integrative course examining recent trends and developments in public accounting. It includes various problems and cases in accounting and related business issues, ethics, and other topics

ACC 8063 Research in Tax Practice and Procedures: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 4013 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of the sources of tax authority. Emphasis will be placed on the using tax law to prepare tax strategy and identify planning opportunities

ACC 8073 Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 4013 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of corporate taxation

ACC 8093 Taxation of Partnerships, S Corporations, Trusts, and Estates: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 4013 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. The course introduces students to federal taxation of partnerships and S Corporations. The course uses both cases and problems to identify and provide solutions to tax problems and issues

ACC 8101 Analysis Accounting Data: 1 hour.

One hour lecture. The analysis of accounting data extracted from an enterprise resource planning system to monitor business activities and support managerial decision making

ACC 8113 Advanced Individual Taxation and Wealth Management: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 4013 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. This course is designed to provide an enhanced understanding of the U.S. Federal Income Tax System. Emphasis will be placed on complex tax issues encountered by individual taxpayers

ACC 8123 Tax Topics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 4013 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. The course exposes students to tax topics that are not covered in the other MTX courses. Specialized topics include individual taxation, entity taxation, estate and gift taxation, state tax issues, and ethics

ACC 8143 Accounting Data Analytics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: ACC 3003 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. This course will build a practical foundation for machine learning by teaching students basic tools and techniques that can scale to large computational systems and massive data sets. This course introduces machine learning with a focus on business applications

ACC 8153 Ethics in Accounting: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 3033 and Graduate Standing). Examination and discussion of moral and ethical issues within the accounting profession and the broader business environment. In addition to a broad study of ethical behavior and decision making, various professional codes of conduct within the accounting profession will be examined

ACC 8163 Multijurisdictional Tax: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 4013 and graduate standing). This course introduces taxation of business entities and individuals earning income in multiple jurisdictions. The course focuses on state taxation including nexus, allocation, and apportionment issues for income tax and sales and use tax as well as international tax issues

ACC 8173 IT Audit, Control, and Data Analysis: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: Graduate Standing; ACC 4033). This course covers accounting information systems, including processing integrity, availability, security, confidentiality, and privacy. Emphasis will be placed on data management, data collection, storage and usage throughout the data life cycle, and information technology risk audits

ACC 8183 International Accounting: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 3033 and Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. A study of the international dimension of accounting as it relates to multinational corporations and the international environment. Some specific topics include: international financial reporting; financial reporting outside the USA; foreign exchange; accounting harmonization; international financial disclosure issues

ACC 8203 Advanced Accounting Analysis for Decision Making: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: ACC 2023). Three hours lecture. Application of accounting principles and concepts to alternative business possibilities as an aid to management decision making

ACC 8213 Financial Statement and Management Accounting Report Analysis for Decision Making: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ACC 2203 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Analysis of financial statements and internal accounting reports to help management make decisions

ACC 8990 Special Topics in Accounting: 1-9 hours.

ACC 9000 Research in Accounting: 1-13 hours.

Hours and credits to be arranged

ACC 9013 Seminar in Financial Accounting: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: ACC 8013) . Review and analysis of historical and current research in financial accounting theory. Emphasis on developing critical analytical skills for evaluating financial accounting research

ACC 9033 Seminar in Accounting Research: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor) Evaluation and analysis of academic research strategies and methodologies, emphasis on (1) understanding and evaluating empirical research results and (2) formulating and writing research proposals

Adkerson School of Accountancy

Master of Professional Accountancy

Admission Criteria

International Applicant

Provisional Admission

Prerequisite Courses

Academic Performance

Completion Requirements

Master of Taxation

Admission Criteria

International Applicant

Provisional Admission

Prerequisite Courses

Academic Performance

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