Accounting, MS

Mission

The Master of Science (MS) in Accounting program supports the missions of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the B. I. Moody III College of Business Administration. Specifically, the mission of the MS in Accounting program is to provide a quality graduate-level accounting educational experience for students in the Acadiana and Gulf South regions who possess an undergraduate degree in accounting.

Prerequisites

To be considered for regular admission, an applicant must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited American institution, submit acceptable test scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), and meet the admission standards and other regulations of the UL Lafayette Graduate School. The GMAT may, at the discretion of the Program Director, be waived for students with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or greater. The GRE may be accepted in lieu of the GMAT depending upon the student’s undergraduate major. Students whose first language is not English must, in addition, submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and demonstrate to the Graduate Coordinator an appropriate working and speaking level of English.

The majority of students entering the Master of Science in Accounting program will possess an undergraduate degree in accounting. Applicants with a non-accounting degree will be accepted into the program upon completion of the following prerequisite accounting courses or their equivalents:

• ACCT 311 - Fundamentals of Intermediate Accounting Credit Hours: 3
• ACCT 312 - Intermediate Accounting II Credit Hours: 3
• ACCT 313 - Intermediate Accounting III Credit Hours: 3
• ACCT 409G - Auditing Credit Hours: 3
• ACCT 420 - Tax Accounting Credit Hours: 3
• ACCT 405 - Advanced Managerial Accounting & Data Analytics Credit Hours: 3

• All course prerequisites apply.

Course Requirements

The Master of Science in Accounting program consists of 30 hours and is designed to be completed in approximately one year by a full-time student. The requirements may result in an increase in semester hours depending upon the undergraduate accounting courses previously completed. The program is designed to maximize student flexibility of scheduling with most graduate accounting courses designed to be offered without graduate level prerequisites.

There is no thesis requirement. A candidate may be subject to a comprehensive examination. Prior to admission and throughout the program, the student must demonstrate proficiency in writing and speaking English and must demonstrate computer and spreadsheet competency through previous course work or experience.

Curriculum

The curriculum for the Master of Science in Accounting program is as follows: