Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Graduate Studies Bulletin 
    
2022-2023 Graduate Studies Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Accounting, MS


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In most states, candidates for the CPA examination are required to have completed 150 semester hours of course work in order to be eligible for licensure. New York state currently requires 69 s.h. in business, of which 33 must be in accounting. This program, which is offered by the Department of Accounting , should enable students who have taken 39 undergraduate credits in business from an accredited institution, including at least six credits in accounting, to meet this requirement. Students without the equivalent of 39 credits in business are advised to consider the MBA in Professional Accountancy , which will satisfy all educational eligibility requirements for licensure. Students are advised to check with other state boards of accountancy for eligibility requirements outside of New York state.

The following program requirements may be modified based upon a student’s prior academic course work. Previous course work is evaluated by the Graduate Programs Office of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business  upon a student’s admission.

Requirements for MS Programs


Pre-program Competencies (Zarb School of Business) – No Credits


Pre-program competencies evaluate the readiness of admitted students to start the M.S. program with the appropriate level of essential business skills. Full-time students must complete these requirements during the first semester in which they begin their program. Part-time students must complete these requirements within the first two semesters of enrolling in the program. Documentation of completion must be submitted to the Graduate Programs Office in order for students to register for the subsequent semester. Specific skills are evaluated for MS Programs in the following areas –

  • Statistics (for students in all MS Programs) – Students are expected to have an understanding of the basic statistical concepts. Demonstration of this proficiency can be satisfied either through previous coursework in statistics or by completing an online, self-paced module covering basic concepts in statistics.
  • Spreadsheet Skills (for students in all MS Programs) – students are expected to register for an online module and complete an assessment exam.
  • Calculus (for students in the MS Business Analytics, Finance, and Information Systems programs only) – Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency through an online, proficiency exam as part of a self-paced module. Those students who do not complete the calculus proficiency exam with a satisfactory score and others who feel a need to refresh their knowledge of calculus are encouraged to take an appropriate course to help them gain the needed knowledge.
  • Economics (for students in the MS Finance program only) – Students are expected to have an understanding of basic concepts in microeconomics and macroeconomics. Demonstration of this proficiency can be satisfied by completing an online, self-paced module. The module will be available as a knowledge base to all students in the MS Finance program.
     

No costs are associated with any of the above modules. The competencies in Statistics and Calculus can be satisfied by previous equivalent undergraduate or graduate course work taken within the preceding period of five years, with a B or better grade at an accredited college or university. Students will receive, with their letter of admission, information about which skill sets have been met through prior course work.

*English Proficiency Requirement is for international students


In addition, newly admitted international students are required to take an English placement exam during fall and spring orientation. The exam consists of a short writing task on a topic of general interest and a standardized test including listening comprehension, grammar and reading comprehension. Results are reviewed by the Hofstra English Language Program (ELP) faculty, who make the decision if students must take ELP 235  (2.0 s.h.). All international students who are placed in ELP 235  (2.0 s.h.) must complete the course during the first semester in which they begin an MBA/MS program and must receive a grade of P (Pass). ELP 235  (2.0 s.h.) will carry no degree credit. A fee equivalent to 2.0 s.h. is charged for this course. A grade of P (pass) is required or the course has to be repeated the following semester. The same fee equivalent will be charged for the repeated course.

Program Prerequisites


Incoming students must have either earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or a Bachelor’s degree in business (non-Accounting) from a college or university that is an NYS Licensure Qualifying Registered Program or other accredited program. Before beginning the MS in Accounting program, students who have earned a Bachelor’s degree in business (non-Accounting) must complete the following coursework, as necessary, based on a review of prior course work: ACCT 123 Financial Accounting Theory & Practice I; ACCT 124 Financial Accounting Theory & Practice II; ACCT 125 Accounting Entities (Advanced); ACCT 133 Auditing; ACCT 139 Introduction to Strategic Accounting Technologies; ACCT143 Income Tax Accounting I. Previous course work is evaluated by the Graduate Programs Office of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business upon a student’s admission. The admission requirements and program prerequisites, combined with the Master’s curriculum, ensure students who complete the MS in Accounting program satisfy the specific educational requirements necessary for CPA licensure in New York State.

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 30


Students must complete 30 credits in this program in addition to the prerequisite courses. Students who have taken undergraduate accounting or tax courses substantially equivalent to any of the listed courses in this program may substitute graduate accounting or taxation electives, and in some cases graduate business electives, for up to four such equivalent courses, subject to evaluation of prior course work and approval of the Graduate Programs Office of the Zarb School of Business and the chairperson of the Department of Accounting, Taxation, and Legal Studies in Business .

Business Law Requirement:
Some knowledge of business law in the United States is required in addition to the particular courses listed below. Students may satisfy this requirement in one of three ways. Students in the BBA/MS dual-degree program * will be considered to have satisfied this requirement as part of their BBA curriculum. Other MS in Accounting students who have taken six or more undergraduate credits in business law, with grades of B or better, will also be considered to have satisfied this requirement. All other students must take LEGL 200  in addition to the courses listed below. See requirements for MS programs (above).

Prerequisite Accounting Knowledge Requirement:
Because the courses in this program all assume a working knowledge of financial and managerial accounting, the program requires students to take ACCT 203  in addition to the listed courses, unless students have 12 or more undergraduate credits in accounting from a college or university that is accredited by one of the accreditation agencies listed below. All other students must take ACCT 203  in the first semester of the MS in accounting program.
 

Students must choose one of the following concentrations:


1. Business Analysis & Reporting Concentration


2. Information Systems and Control Concentration


Footnotes (*/**)


*Students in the joint BBA/MS program  must take ACCT 218  and 250 . They must also take two courses in both auditing and taxation, at either the undergraduate or graduate level.

**Students with no prior tax courses must take both ACCT 214  and 215 . Students are not permitted to take ACCT 216 .

4 Based upon expected background, the BAN elective will be BAN 203 Advanced Quantitative Analysis for or BAN 204 Data Science & Business Analytic Foundations.

5 Based upon expected prior course work, IT electives will typically be IT 203, 215, 224, 226, or 228.

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