| Graduate Program Head | Henock Louis |
|---|---|
| Program Code | ACCTG |
| Campus(es) | University Park (M.Acc.) |
| Degrees Conferred | Master of Accounting in Accounting (M.Acc.) Integrated B.S. in Accounting and M.Acc. in Accounting |
| The Graduate Faculty |
The Master of Accounting allows students to complete the educational requirements to become a certified public accountant in Pennsylvania, as well as most other states. Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) conduct independent audits and provide accounting, tax, and management advisory services. The program prepares students to enter into careers in public accounting, corporate accounting, management accounting, governmental accounting, financial analysis, and law enforcement.
Admission Requirements
Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.
Admission to the program is competitive. Criteria for evaluating applicants can include: professional and academic accomplishments, GMAT scores, personal data from application forms and, possibly, interviews or examinations.
Students who apply to the program should have an undergraduate educational background equivalent to a Bachelor of Science degree from the Penn State University Smeal College of Business. Students who apply to the program should have completed the equivalent of the following Penn State University courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCTG 211 | Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making | 4 |
| ACCTG 403W | Auditing | 3 |
| ACCTG 404 | Managerial Accounting: Economic Perspective | 3 |
| ACCTG 405 | Principles of Taxation I | 3 |
| ACCTG 471 | Intermediate Financial Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCTG 472 | Intermediate Financial Accounting II | 3 |
| MIS 301 | Business Analytics | 3 |
Applicants to the program from outside Penn State may be required to take an entry exam to demonstrate mastery of the material covered in these courses prior to beginning course work in the master's program.
Although the program has no fixed minimum grade-point requirement, an applicant is generally expected to have maintained a junior-senior grade-point average of at least 3.00 on Penn State's grading scale of A (4.00) to D (1.00). In addition, an applicant is expected to have maintained a grade-point average of 3.00 for the required accounting courses.
Applicants to the program are required to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The GMAT requirement is waived for applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.50 or higher, or whose undergraduate degree is awarded by Penn State.
In addition to the Graduate School application for admission, the program requires a completed Smeal College of Business application for graduate study, and official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.
Degree Requirements
Master of Accounting in Accounting (M.Acc.)
Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies.
Students must complete a minimum of 33 credits. The 33 credits must be earned in 400-, 500-, or 800-level courses. At least 18 credits must be earned in 500- and 800-level courses, and at least 6 credits must be earned in 500-level courses.
Students must complete the following 24 required credits:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ACCTG 432 | Accounting Information Systems | 3 |
| ACCTG 495 | Internship | 3 |
| BA 817 | Communication Skills for Management | 3 |
| BA 840 | Business Data Management | 3 |
| BA 841 | Business Intelligence | 3 |
| BLAW 444 | Advanced UCC and Commercial Transactions | 3 |
| FIN 531 | Financial Management | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Students must also complete an additional 9 credits of elective courses selected in consultation with their adviser. A list of approved elective courses is maintained by the graduate program office. | 9 | |
| Culminating Experience | ||
| ACCTG 573 | Topics in Financial Reporting (Capstone Course) | 3 |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
The culminating experience for the degree is the capstone course ACCTG 573.
Integrated Undergrad-Grad Programs
Integrated B.S. in Accounting and M.Acc. in Accounting
Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-210 Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) Degree Programs.
The Department of Accounting offers an integrated program allowing students to receive a B.S. in Accounting and Master of Accounting (M.Acc.) degrees within a five-year period. Students typically are admitted into the integrated program in the spring of the second year of the undergraduate program and the program is completed in the subsequent three years.
Admission Requirements
Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.
Students must apply to the program via the Graduate School application for admission, and must meet all the admission requirements of the Graduate School and the Accounting graduate program for the Master of Accounting degree, listed above. Before applying to the Graduate School, students must have completed entrance to their undergraduate major and have completed no less than 60 credits. Students must be admitted no later than the end of the second week of the semester preceding the semester of expected conferral of the undergraduate degree. Transfer students must have completed at least 15 credits at Penn State to enroll in an IUG.
To apply for the program, students must be enrolled in the Smeal College of Business or the Division of Undergraduate Studies, and intend to complete the entrance-to-major requirements prior to completing 59 cumulative credits at Penn State.
Although the program has no fixed minimum grade-point requirement, an applicant is generally expected to have grade-point average of at least 3.20 on Penn State’s grading scale of A (4.00) to D (1.00).
In addition, the Department may request an interview with an applicant, or require a GMAT exam or other exam. Admissions decisions will be based upon the student’s application, undergraduate record, SAT scores and, if applicable, interviews and examination results.
Admitted students must have completed ACCTG 211 with superior performance by the end of the spring semester in which they apply for admission to the program.
In consultation with an adviser, students must prepare a plan of study appropriate to this integrated program, and must present their plan of study to the head of the graduate program or the appropriate committee overseeing the integrated program prior to being admitted to the program. The plan should cover the entire time period of the integrated program, and it should be reviewed periodically with an adviser as the student advances through the program.
Degree Requirements
Students must fulfill all degree requirements for each degree in order to be awarded that degree, subject to the alterations and double-counting of credits as outlined below. Degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Accounting are listed in the Undergraduate Bulletin. Degree requirements for the Master of Accounting degree are listed above. Students must sequence their courses so all undergraduate degree requirements are fulfilled before taking courses to count towards the graduate degree. Students are expected to complete the undergraduate degree requirements within the typical time to degree for the undergraduate major. In the semester in which the undergraduate degree requirements will be completed, IUG students must apply to graduate, and the undergraduate degree should be conferred at the next appropriate Commencement. If students accepted into the IUG program are unable to complete the M.Acc. degree, they are still eligible to receive their undergraduate degree if all the undergraduate degree requirements have been satisfied.
Students must complete the requirements for a B.S. in Accounting with the following alterations. Some of prescribed courses for the B.S. must be taken in sections that are available only to students enrolled in the program. These prescribed courses, which all count toward the undergraduate degree in accounting, are:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCTG 403W | Auditing | 3 |
| ACCTG 404 | Managerial Accounting: Economic Perspective | 3 |
| ACCTG 405 | Principles of Taxation I | 3 |
| ACCTG 471 | Intermediate Financial Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCTG 472 | Intermediate Financial Accounting II | 3 |
The student need not satisfy the requirement that 6 credits be completed from the following list of courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCTG 406 | Principles of Taxation II | 3 |
| ACCTG 432 | Accounting Information Systems | 3 |
| ACCTG 473 | Advanced Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCTG 481 | Financial Statement Analysis: Accounting Based Evaluation and Decision Making | 3 |
The following courses cannot be used to satisfy the degree requirements of the integrated B.S./M.Acc. program:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCTG 406 | Principles of Taxation II | 3 |
| ACCTG 410 | Federal Taxation II | 3 |
| ACCTG 411 | Accounting Practicum: VITA | 3 |
| ACCTG 417 | Corporate and Managerial Communication | 2-3 |
| ACCTG 422 | Accounting Systems | 3 |
| ACCTG 450 | Advanced Accounting | 3 |
| ACCTG 473 | Advanced Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCTG 481 | Financial Statement Analysis: Accounting Based Evaluation and Decision Making | 3 |
Up to 12 credits may be double-counted towards the degree requirements for both the graduate and undergraduate degrees; a minimum of 50% of the double-counted courses must be at the 500 or 800 level. Independent study courses and credits associated with the culminating experience for the graduate degree cannot be double-counted.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses Eligible to Double Count for Both Degrees | ||
| ACCTG 432 | Accounting Information Systems | 3 |
| BA 840 | Business Data Management | 3 |
| BLAW 444 | Advanced UCC and Commercial Transactions | 3 |
| FIN 531 | Financial Management | 3 |
Minor
A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies and GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies, depending on the type of degree the student is pursuing:
Student Aid
Refer to the Tuition & Funding section of The Graduate School’s website. Students in this program are not eligible for graduate assistantships.
Courses
Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.
Accounting (ACCTG) Course List
Business Administration (BA) Course List
Professional Licensure/Certification
Many U.S. states and territories require professional licensure/certification to be employed. If you plan to pursue employment in a licensed profession after completing this program, please visit the Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures by State interactive map.
Contact
| Campus | University Park |
|---|---|
| Graduate Program Head | Henock Louis |
| Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or Professor-in-Charge (PIC) | Henock Louis |
| Program Contact | Tammy Whitehill |
| Program Website | View |