MS Accounting Admissions Guide

To apply for the Isenberg MSA program we prefer you take the GMAT, however, if you have already taken the GRE, it will be accepted. If you take the GRE your score will be converted to a predicted GMAT score. Please refer to the GRE Comparison tool at www.ets.org to learn more.

School Code: Isenberg UMass Amherst - 3917

A GMAT Waiver can be granted if:

• The applicant has earned a GPA of 3.0 or better in the Isenberg Transitions Program, or
• The applicant has an undergraduate degree from an AACSB accredited institution and a minimum 3.2 GPA, a 3.5 GPA from a regionally accredited institution, or
• The applicant has successfully passed all sections of the CPA exam, or
• The applicant has a baccalaureate degree from the Isenberg School of Management.

Note: the above GMAT waiver criteria applies to MSA only, not other graduate programs.

• For those students who’ve earned an Undergraduate and Master’s Degree outside of the U.S.: To be considered for a GMAT waiver an official course-by-course evaluation (listing grades and overall GPA) will need to be submitted from an approved NACES evaluation service provider.  Applicants commonly use WES or ECE.  Along with your evaluation, you will also need to submit official transcripts/marksheets from your institution or notarized “true & attested” copies of originals are also accepted upon submission via U.S. mail.   

Yes, you will have met the educational requirements for CPA certification inMassachusetts. . To find out what the requirements are for your state, go to https://nasba.org/stateboards/.

The program is meant to be flexible and to meet the needs of our students so the length it takes to complete is really up to you.  Many students choose to complete the degree in two semesters by starting in either the spring or summer.  If you begin in the spring, you can be done at the end of the summer.  You can also spread the classes out over a longer timeframe if you are working full-time or have other commitments. 

If your transcript is not in English, you must send us a certified translation of your official transcript from every non-U.S. undergrad and graduate school attended. Notarized and true attested copies of original academic documents are also accepted.

TOEFL score (for international applicants only)

School Code: Isenberg-UMass Amherst – 3917

Minimum scores:

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – 600 (250 computer-based score, 100 internet base score)*
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – 7 or above
Pearson Test of English – Academic (PTE Academic) – 68 or above

TOEFL waivers apply to applicants who meet at least one of the following criteria: 

• Citizenship of Australia, Botswana, Canada, Caribbean English speaking countries, Dominica, Gambia, Ghana, Great Britain, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
• Earned a college or university degree in the United States or in one of the countries listed above.
• A degree earned from the American University in Beirut, American University in Bulgaria, American College of Greece, or from Bogazici University in Turkey.
• Current enrollment as a full-time student who will have completed two academic years of college/university work in the United States prior to the date of anticipated entrance at the University of Massachusetts.
• An Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate has been obtained (prior to June 2005 only.

If you’d like to be reviewed for TOEFL waiver eligibility, please submit the required application materials. 

*For the Master of Finance in Alternative Investments program only, the minimum acceptable TOEFL score in 80.

You have probably met all of the business requirements in your prior coursework, but most likely need to take additional accounting courses.
The accounting classes required for entry into our program are as follows:
• Intermediate Financial Accounting I, (Accountg 321)
• Intermediate Financial Accounting II, (Accountg 322)
• Advanced Financial Accounting, (SCH-MGMT 523) (Recommended, but not required).
• Cost Accounting, (Accountg 331)
• Audit, (Accountg 491B)
• Individual Taxation, (Accountg 371)

Your personal statement should be one to two pages in length, and include information about your past and current academic and professional history, your future goals and reasons for pursuing the MSA, and other pertinent details that will help us evaluate you as a candidate.

Our MSA Program is designed for both Isenberg and other students who have recently completed their undergraduate degree in accounting (or equivalent accounting course work) and are seeking the 30 additional credits required to obtain licensure as Certified Public Accountants (CPA).

It is recommended that you have one professional and one academic reference.  If you have completed an internship, please ask that employer to provide you with a reference.  If you cannot obtain a professional reference, two academic references are fine.

UMass Amherst uses the American Council on Education (ACE) guidelines and applies the same standards to credits for military education as those applied to coursework from accredited colleges and universities. The Joint Services Transcript (JST) military transcript is available in electronic format only and may be requested via the (JST) website.

Yes, we are accredited by AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. We have the distinction of having earned separate AACSB accreditation for our accounting department and programs – one of only 5 schools in New England. In fact, there are only 180 institutions in the world that hold AACSB accreditation in accounting.