Post-Master’s Graduate Certificate in Accounting

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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 Free
238B Elliott Hall
(248) 370-3287
free@oakland.edu

A post-master’s graduate certificate
for students with an MBA degree or equivalent to an MBA degree

Application requirements

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.

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
Earned MBA degree or equivalent to an MBA degree; applicants who do not hold an MBA degree may have their degree evaluated by the Office of Graduate Business Programs to determine eligibility for the program. Graduates of the Oakland University Master of Science in Engineering Management program are eligible for admission.
Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in graduate degree

Admission review and assessment

Admission to the Post-Master’s Graduate Certificate in Accounting program is selective. In making admission recommendations to the post-master’s graduate certificate program, the department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their graduate records, their responses to questions on the Supplemental Program Form, their experience, and their recommendation forms.

Program prerequisites

Personal Computer (PC) skills are required for all students admitted to the post-master’s graduate certificate programs. Students will be required to have proficiency in the use of word processors, spreadsheets, graphics, database management systems, and the Internet. If a student is deficient in these skills, the student would be required to take a college course, workshop, or continuing education course in PC skills as a prerequisite to the program.

Certificate requirements

Course requirements

ACC 512 - Managerial Accounting Systems (3 credits)
(Students who have completed ACC 512 or its equivalent will be required to take an additional course from the accounting elective list below to produce a total of 15 credits beyond the credits earned in their master’s degree program or another graduate certificate program.)
Four additional courses (12 credits) from the list below. Note that some courses require additional prerequisites which are evaluated by the MAcc Faculty Coordinator.
ACC 505 - Business Law for Accountants (3 credits)
ACC 515 - Federal Income Taxation (3 credits)
ACC 518 - Introduction to Accounting Information Systems and Databases (3 credits)
ACC 521 - Federal Income Tax II (3 credits)
ACC 522 - Auditing (3 credits)
ACC 524 - Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting (3 credits)
ACC 526 - Accounting Information Systems: Audit and Control (3 credits)
ACC 533 - Accounting Information Systems: Analysis and Design (3 credits)
ACC 600 - Financial Reporting and Analysis (3 credits)
ACC 617 - International Financial Accounting Standards and Reporting (3 credits)
ACC 620 - Cost Management (3 credits)
ACC 622 - Advanced Auditing (3 credits)
ACC 625 - Federal Income Taxation for Business (3 credits)
ACC 631 - Fraud Examination (3 credits)
ACC 650 - Professional Issues in Accounting (3 credits)
ACC 660 - Professional Accounting Research (3 credits)
ACC 680 - Special Topics in Accounting (3 credits)
ACC 690 - Independent Study in Accounting (3 credits)

Satisfactory academic progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good academic standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

Holding a Graduate Assistantship
Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
Going on a leave of absence
Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Department requirements: To qualify for the graduate certificate, the student must complete the designated set of courses with a grade of 3.0 or above in each course.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related program information

Plan of study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework.

Note: Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Number of graduate certificates

A student may earn more than one graduate certificate, but may not apply any specific course toward the requirement of more than one program. Graduate certificates are available in accounting, business economics, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources management, international business, management information systems, marketing, and production/operations management. Each graduate certificate requires a minimum of 15 credits.