Master of Accounting

 

Graduate Business Programs 238 Elliott Hall  (map) (248) 370-3287 • Fax (248) 370-4964 http://www.oakland.edu/business

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Program coordinator:
Donna K. Free
412 Elliott Hall
(248) 370-3281
free@oakland.edu

 

Program description

The Master of Accounting (MAcc) is offered in the Department of Accounting and Finance within the School of Business Administration and has earned separate accounting accreditation from the AACSB International. The MAcc is designed for students who are interested in careers in public, corporate, and non-business accounting.

The degree will assist accounting professionals in the dynamic corporate environment. Professionals in the field are required to be effective communicators, maintain a high level of expertise, and uphold ethical responsibilities, while providing financial information, analysis of the economic environment and input in decision-making activities.

Keeping these qualities in view, the MAcc is designed to achieve the following goals:

• Offer a graduate-level program developing superior technical knowledge and application skills beyond the baccalaureate accounting program
• Enhance students’ analytical, communication and decision-making skills
• Provide a sound base in ethics and professional behavior
• Prepare students for careers in public, corporate, and non-business accounting positions
• Provide students with the educational requirements necessary to be eligible to take professional exams.

Admission terms and application deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.

• July 15 for fall semester
• November 15 for winter semester
• March 15 for summer semester

Readmission and program transfer

Requests for readmission and program transfers must be completed and approved prior to the beginning of a semester.

International application deadlines

International applications are reviewed for fall and winter admission only. To ensure adequate time for review, international applications must be completed at least six months before the desired date of intended enrollment in the University. All international application materials must be submitted by May 1 for fall admission and by September 1 for winter admission. International applicants are not eligible for Special Graduate classification.

Special Graduate classification

Applicants who are seeking a graduate degree or graduate certificate, but are unable to meet the deadline for filing all required application materials or credentials for graduate admission, may contact the department and request Special Graduate temporary admission.  The applicant must submit an Application for Admission to Graduate Study, plus a copy of a transcript providing evidence of a bachelor’s degree awarded and any specific evidence concerning their qualifications for graduate study as required by the department.  Up to 12 credits may be earned in the Special Graduate classification. Admission as a special graduate student in no way assures subsequent admission to a degree or graduate certificate program. The Special Graduate classification is not eligible for financial aid.

Students may request special graduate classification beginning  with the dates below.

• August 1 for fall semester
• December 1 for winter semester
• April 1 for summer semester

Note: Special Graduate classification will not be granted after the first week of classes in a semester.

Application requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all of the following university and program application documents by the published application deadlines.

University graduate application requirements

• Online Application for Admission to Graduate Study         
• Official transcripts providing evidence of an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. institution, OR a degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. baccalaureate degree from a college or university of government-recognized standing.
• Official transcripts for all post-secondary educational institutions from which the applicant earned a degree (beginning with the first baccalaureate) and for all enrollment in graduate-level coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree. International university transcripts must be evaluated by a professional credential evaluation service.
  • As part of the admission requirements, graduate programs may require official transcripts from post-secondary educational institutions from which the applicant earned an associate’s degree and all enrollment in coursework both pre- and post-bachelor’s degree.
• Two official and original Recommendation for Graduate Admission forms.
  (Note: Some programs require more than two recommendation forms. Refer to the program application requirements listed below for the total number of recommendations and specific requirements for the recommendations.)
• Proof of English language proficiency

• International supplemental application and supporting documentation must be submitted before international applicants can be issued the Certification of Eligibility (I-20). This certificate is required to apply for a student visa from the U.S. embassy or consulate.

Program application requirements

• Supplemental Program Form    
• Official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. The GMAT or GRE scores must be five years or less at the time of the applicant’s intended enrollment at Oakland University.
  
  Applicants may request a waiver of the GMAT or GRE exam if they meet one of the following criteria:
  1. Applicants have earned a master’s degree (or higher) from a U.S. institution.
  2. Applicants have earned a bachelor’s degree in business within the last five years of the expected date of enrollment with at least an overall GPA of 3.5 from an AACSB accredited business school.
  3. Applicants who are currently accounting students at an AACSB accredited business school or within the last five years graduated with an accounting degree from an AACSB accredited school with at least an overall GPA of 3.5 or an accounting GPA of at least a 3.3.
  4. Applicants have earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Oakland University within the last five years of the expected date of enrollment with at least an overall GPA of 3.5.

To request a waiver, an applicant must include a GMAT waiver form for consideration as part of their admission packet. The request for waiver is subject to the approval of the Graduate Admissions Committee. 

Admission review and assessment

Admission to the Master of Accounting degree program is selective and depends on several elements, including scholarship and an ability to communicate effectively. In making admission recommendations, the admission committee assesses the potential of applicants for success in the MAcc program by examining their undergraduate records, their GMAT or GRE scores, their responses to questions on the supplemental application, and their recommendation forms.