Our Strengths

Accreditation

Our Master of Science in Accounting Program is one of only five programs in New England to have been awarded separate national accreditation by the AACSB, the international association for the advancement of management education. Accreditation is designed to promote excellence in business education, and is granted based on rigorous standards of quality relating to the breadth, depth and relevance of curricula, the qualifications of faculty, availability of computer and library resources, and the intellectual climate of the program. We are confident that you will find the rigorous demands of accreditation reflected in the quality of our programs.

In a recent accreditation report, the AACSB identified the following strengths of our department and programs:

  • A faculty committed to the success of its programs and students
  • Successful graduates who praise the program and its faculty
  • Strong alumni support
  • Excellent placement results

The Program and Curriculum

A high quality curriculum, a first-rate faculty, and the flexibility to meet your needs are the cornerstones of our Master of Science in Accounting Program. The Program was developed in direct consultation with our Alumni Advisory Council, and is designed to accommodate the needs of individuals embarking on a career in accounting. The MSA degree requirements can be completed in one year, on a full-time basis, or in as few as seven months, on an accelerated basis.

 

Thirty (30) credits must be earned to complete the degree. Fifteen (15) credits are offered exclusively in-residence on the Amherst campus, in a highly intensive, twelve-week summer session. In this session, students complete four required, three-credit, core courses (12 credits) and three one-credit modules. In addition, students must also complete fifteen (15) credits from courses and modules offered exclusively online during the fall and spring semesters.


The curriculum was developed to be relevant to contemporary expectations concerning the reliability and competence of CPAs, and the growing and changing demands for client service. In that light, the curriculum was designed to expand the breadth and depth of knowledge in substantive areas of practice, to include taxation, financial reporting, information management, financial markets and investments, and to enhance essential skills, such as financial research and analysis, business communications and ethical behavior.

We are proud of our curriculum, both in terms of its content, and the manner in which we deliver it. The faculty is committed to our programs and students, and has a reputation among both students and alumni as highly competent and caring. We are dedicated to providing our students with a full range of learning experiences (e.g., individual and group work, academic and field experiences, the development of communication, research and critical thinking skills), leading to a first-rate education.

To ensure that our curriculum continues to meet the needs of students and employers, department faculty meet regularly with our Alumni Advisory Council to review and critically assess the content and delivery of our programs. In addition, members of the faculty are engaged in professional development activities, as they regularly attend continuing education programs, and interact frequently with academic and business colleagues at professional meetings.