Master of Science in Accounting | Academics

An intensive study is made of fundamental concepts and principles underlying the examination of the financial statements by the independent public accountant. Auditing and reporting standards and the responsibilities assumed by the auditor in the attest function are analyzed within the broad framework of the code and principles of professional conduct. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation of evidential matter and the system of internal control. Current literature is examined, including the publications of the AICPA Auditing Standards Board.

This course describes financial reporting objectives and methods used by corporations. Focuses on the analysis of the information in corporate financial statements including the impact of alternative accounting procedures and assumptions. Offers ways to adjust for selected reporting differences. Discusses applications using cross-sectional and time series analysis. Case studies (including firms with international operations) computer databases and computer-based assignments may be used. An understanding of basic financial concepts is recommended. 

This course uses tools learned in Financial Accounting and Reporting, such as ratio and accounting analysis, to discuss financial reporting principles, emphasizing the link between the reporting principles and the financial statements. Students learn how management uses financial reporting decisions to influence reported income and asset and liability values, and they gain the tools necessary to analyze the impacts of alternative reporting decisions on financial statements. 

The prerequisite for this course is the basic accounting course or its equivalent.  The class sessions for this course will be conducted partly as a lecture by the instructor and partly as an open discussion.  You are required to attend each class session.  Each student is expected to read the assignments in the textbook prior to class prepare the assigned problems, be aware of relevant tax legislation, and take a constructive part in the discussion.

Students will be assigned one (or two if necessary) of the following four general business courses each semester:

• Information Technology for Accounting and Controls
• Data Analysis for Accounting and Business
• Business Law
• Foundations of Finance (this course will likely be taught in the evenings) 

Please note that all four courses may not be available every semester

Internal Controls & Accounting Information Systems - A Data Analytics Perspective 
The purpose of this course is to help prepare you for a successful career in public practice, industry, or government by understanding how accountants and other financial professionals rely on, manage and translate data generated by accounting information systems and other technology-related data sources to guide clients and organizations in making better business decisions in an increasingly complex and data-driven world. Using an accountant’s perspective, the course will integrate the study of big-data analytics and technology, and the application of related software to the establishment and management and auditing of internal control systems.

The objective of the course is to impart a detailed understanding of forensic accounting with particular emphasis on the methods to detect financial statement fraud. It is designed to demonstrate the various aspects of fraud i.e. fraudulent financial reporting identifying fraud schemes including computer fraud and methods of concealment as well as the analytical techniques in uncovering fraud and its prevention through effective internal control systems. It also includes an analysis of the general techniques used in working in litigation support services. It is of particular interest to accounting and finance professionals. The course content has also become of critical interest to regulators and lawmakers because of the notoriety of a series of recent financial scandals that have affected the entire business community. It reviews the new institutional structures that have been put in place recently by lawmakers and the accounting profession to deal with fraud and its prevention i.e. the SarbanesOxley Act and self regulating measures adopted by the accounting profession.

Various management disciplines teach you how to analyze and forecast parts of a business. Building on this foundation, this course will help you weave your forecasts into coherent spreadsheet-based pro-forma financials. Modeling financial statements provides a reality check on the forecasts, enables "what if" analysis, provides an integrated view of the business, and is a key step in valuation and credit risk analysis.

Accounting elective choices are as follows:

• Financial Analytics using Python and AI Tools
• Business Acquisitions and Related Topics

Please note that accounting elective course offerings may vary from year to year.

All courses are three credits 

Students will be assigned one (or two if necessary) of the following four general business courses each semester:

• Information Technology for Accounting and Controls
• Data Analysis for Accounting and Business
• Business Law
• Foundations of Finance (this course will likely be taught in the evenings) 

Please note that all four courses may not be available every semester.

This course introduces the role of information technology in understanding, implementing, and analyzing accounting and controls concepts. Students will develop a foundational understanding of computer architecture, software systems, and modern data tools, and apply these concepts to represent accounting processes in structured formats such as Excel and Python. A central theme of the course is translating accounting and control concepts into computational representations. By expressing accounting logic in spreadsheets and code, students gain a deeper understanding of financial systems and are better prepared for a technology- and AI-driven business environment. The course assumes no prior background in information technology or programming.

The practice of accounting is fundamentally tied to data and our ability to analyze them. Whether the data reside in spreadsheets, databases, text documents, or public web sites, we can use them to gain valuable insights into the financial performance of a business. You may also hear popular terms like data science, big data, and advanced analytics and wonder what they mean for a career in industry or professional services. This course provides concepts and tools for making sense of data and performing data analysis. From simple calculations to sophisticated statistical models, data analysis calls for (1) asking the right questions, (2) acquiring, transforming, and analyzing data, and (3) effective presentation of results. We introduce concepts in data management and analysis, review the use of spreadsheets and SQL (Structured Query), and introduce tools for visual analytics and statistical programming. We discuss how to apply these skills to accounting-related areas such as fundamental analysis, management consulting, and auditing. In addition, we survey topics such as machine learning and XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) and consider the impact of analytics in industry and on the accounting profession. The course concludes with a final project to demonstrate end-to-end data analysis skills. The objectives for the course are: 1. Demonstrate knowledge of terms, methods, and tools for data management and analysis 2. Demonstrate knowledge of trends in data management and analysis 3. Demonstrate how to acquire, transform, analyze, and visualize data 4. Demonstrate how to solve problems in accounting using data and analytics.

The objective of this course is to help develop an ability to recognize and understand legal issues in business. This course focuses on the body of law governing the types of issues that students can expect to encounter in their roles as managers of public and private companies consultants and entrepreneurs. Topics for discussion include but are not limited to contract and cyber laws; the various forms of business structures; partnerships corporations and limited liability companies business torts; product liability; and specific issues regarding entrepreneurs and employment law.

This course provides an overview of the main ideas, concepts and tools of analysis used in modern finance, and their practical applications. We analyze the core financial decisions made by firms and investors and their impact on the value of firms in financial markets. Topics that will be covered are: time value of money, introduction to valuation and the discounted cash flow (DCF) framework, financial planning and forecasting, corporate investments and capital budgeting, risk and return and portfolio theory, market efficiency, introduction to options, capital structure and financial policy, and corporate restructurings.

A revolution in data analysis is underway. Analysts who downloaded data manually and used Excel for analysis must learn how to use Python API and data scrapers to download exploding volumes of data and use Numpy, Pandas Dataframes, and associated packages for analysis. This course teaches you how to analyze financial data using the Python API, scrapers, Pandas data frames, and related packages while leveraging cutting-edge AI tools such as ChatGPT as assistants.

This course focuses on four major issues in financial reporting accounting for mergers and acquisitions preparation of consolidated financial statements the translation of foreign currency financial statements and foreign currency transactions and accounting for derivatives including the use of derivatives in hedging transactions This course is recommended for both accounting and finance majors.