Accounting (MS) (Master's) at Michigan State University

Programme overview

The Master of Science in Accounting at Michigan State University's Broad College of Business is a 30-credit, 12-month, on-campus programme for students with accounting backgrounds. It is STEM-designated, satisfies the 150-credit-hour requirement for CPA certification, and builds technical accounting knowledge alongside data analytics, critical thinking and communication skills.

Faculty: Eli Broad College of Business | Department: Department of Accounting and Information Systems | Duration: 30 credits; 12 months (on campus) | Intake: Fall (August), spring (January) or summer (May) | Study mode: full-time | Location: East Lansing, MI, United States

What you will study

Students choose one of four concentrations (12-15 credits): Taxation, Public and Corporate Accounting, Transaction Services, or Information Systems, plus 15 elective credits, nine of them outside accounting. Sample courses include Tax Research, Federal Income Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders, Advanced Auditing, Value Chain Accounting and Analytics, ESG Measurement and Disclosure, Accounting and Tax Implications of Mergers and Acquisitions, Transaction Services, Financial Modeling and Simulation, and Enterprise Database Systems. At least 24 credits must be at the 800 level and a 3.0 cumulative GPA is required to graduate.

Career pathways

Consultants, partners, executives, entrepreneurs and educators; taxation specialists in CPA firms, corporate tax departments, the IRS and state tax authorities; auditors and corporate accountants; IT consultants and computer audit specialists.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

A bachelor's degree in accounting, or a bachelor's degree including intermediate financial accounting and probability and statistics (non-accounting graduates must complete all undergraduate accounting major courses before or during the programme); cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 overall and at least 3.0 in junior and senior level accounting courses. GMAT/GRE not required for applicants with a 3.0 or higher GPA; scores optional; where required, minimum GMAT 550 or strong GRE scores. International applicants: IELTS 7 or Duolingo 110, or an acceptable TOEFL iBT score (TOEFL Home Edition/MyBest superscores not accepted). Two written essays (350-750 words) and a two-minute video essay; two letters of recommendation, one from a faculty member in the applicant's major; resume. Deadlines: January 15 (summer/fall start and scholarship consideration), March 1 (second round if space remains), October 1 (spring start).

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applicants can start in fall (late August), spring (January) or summer (May) in the MPH programme; intake terms for other graduate programmes are set by each department or program.

The graduate application fee is $75 for domestic and international applicants, with one fee per application; applicants may submit up to two applications to different graduate majors per semester. Applications are reviewed by the department or program, which sets its own deadlines.

MPH application deadlines (SOPHAS completion): fall May 18, spring October 18, summer February 15; MSU supplemental application: fall June 1, spring November 1, summer March 1.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.msu.edu/apply/graduate-students

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