The two-year Masters of Science in Accounting (MS-A) program prepares students to become professional accountants in a wide variety of settings, including public accounting, government, industry and not-for-profit environments. The MS-A program enables students to develop both the personal and professional skills needed to enjoy a productive career in all areas of accounting and related fields.

Graduates of this program are highly sought after by employers, including the largest international consulting & accounting firms. Among the organizations that have recently hired UAlbany graduates are Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, IBM and the Office of the NYS Comptroller. Not only have our alumni achieved success in public accounting, many have gone on to become leaders in the community and in the world of business.

Curriculum Prerequisites
A typical program for a student accepted into full time graduate study requires the student to have completed a minimum of 78 credits in undergraduate liberal arts, 3 courses (9 credits total) in business statistics, economics and computer science, and a 3 credit course in financial accounting (see schedule below).

Undergraduate Liberal Arts:	Credits
Math/science	3
Social science	3
Humanities	3
Economics	3
Computer science	3
Undergraduate electives	63
	78
Undergraduate Business:
3 courses in Business/Statistics/Computer Science	9
Financial Accounting	3

The Curriculum
Assuming the program prerequisites are met, a typical program for a student accepted into full time graduate study requires the completion of 60 credits (up to 10 credits are waivable) and takes four semesters to complete. Admission is for the fall semester and is available to full-time students only.

Graduate General Business and Accounting Courses
The general business courses are designed to help the student achieve the skill set necessary to understanding business and the accounting disciplines. Students take most of the general business courses in the first year, including a series of courses in introductory skills, analysis, and business functions augmented by coursework in accounting. An in-depth study of accounting is the focus of the program in the second year. Students typically take courses in taxation, advanced financial accounting theory, advanced accounting systems and accounting research. The students finish the program by taking a research seminar where they have the opportunity to engage in original research.

Graduate General Business Courses

Course #	Course Description	Credits
LAW 500	Law and the Corporation	1
LAW 510	Law and Business	3
FIN 515	Economic Analysis	3
MKT 522	Marketing Management	3
FIN 525	Financial Management	3
FIN 635	Corporate Financial Problems	3
MGT 513	Organizational Behavior and Managerial Skills	3
BUS 523	Presentation Skills	1
ITM 513	Quantitative Analysis for Business	3
ITM 514	Operations Management	3
ITM 510	Advanced Excel with Visual Basic for Applications	1
MGT 682	Strategic Management	3
	Total Graduate General Business Credits	30

Graduate Accounting Courses

Course #	Course Description	Credits
ACC 512, 513& 514	Theory of Financial Accounting I, II & III	9
ACC 531	Introduction to Cost Analysis	3
ACC 540	Survey of Taxation	3
ACC 561	Auditing	3
ACC 581	Internal Controls and Financial Information Systems	3
ACC 611	Contemporary Developments in Accounting Thought	3
ACC 680	Research Seminar in Accounting	3
	Electives	3
	Total Graduate Accounting Credits	30

Accreditation
The MS-A program is registered with the Division of Professional Education of the State Education Department of New York and meets the 150-semester credit hour education requirement. In addition this program is accredited by the AACSB, as are all of our Accounting Programs. Few accounting programs across the country have gained this distinction.