2010-2011 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Master of Science in Accounting
This specialized accounting degree is designed for students pursuing careers in public, industry, and nonprofit accounting, including those with limited undergraduate accounting education. The M.S.A. degree meets the educational requirements for public accounting certification (CPA) in the State of Michigan.
There are no prerequisites required for admission to the M.S.A. program, although foundation courses are required prior to 600-level course work as described below.
A maximum of nine semester hours of transfer credit will be given for appropriate graduate courses completed with a grade of B or better from another accredited college or university. These credits may be substituted for required courses, area of emphasis courses, or general elective credit as determined by the program director. To be considered for transfer, coursework must have been taken within five years of admission to the M.S.A. program.
A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is required in all graduate-level courses. Additionally, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required in all 600-level courses that fulfill graduation requirements for the M.S.A. A grade of C or better must be earned in all graduate courses that fulfill graduation requirements for the M.S.A.
Program Location
The M.B.A. program is offered in the Pew Campus DeVos Center in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Website: www.gvsu.edu/msa
Graduate Outcomes/Time to Program Completion
The Seidman faculty has identified the following learning objectives for M.S.A. students, and objectives are assessed regularly to ensure that they are being achieved.
Seidman M.S.A. graduates will be:
- Be technically competent
- Be effective accounting researchers
- Be effective communicators
- Be internationally literate
- Use enterprise systems to enhance accounting competencies
- Be prepared to recognize and respond to ethical questions encountered in the practice of accounting.
Requirements for the M.S.A. in Accounting
The M.S.A. program consists of 33 semester hours of 600-level coursework. Foundation work equivalent to the undergraduate business core must also be completed. Students who have completed an undergraduate business degree will have completed some or all of the foundation. Students who have undergraduate degrees with nonbusiness majors may need up to 18 semester hours of accelerated foundation courses.
Foundation Courses
Foundation requirements may be met by completion of either the 500-level accelerated courses or the undergraduate courses as indicated below:
| Background Area |
Background Course |
GVSU Undergraduate Course(s) |
| Information Systems | MGT 268 (3 credits) | |
| Accounting | ACC 212 and 213 (6 credits) | |
| Statistics | STA 215 (3 credits) | |
| Finance | FIN 320 (3 credits) | |
| Legal Environment | BUS 201 (3 credits) | |
| Economics | ECO 210 and 211 (6 credits) | |
| Marketing | MKT 350 (3 credits) | |
| Operations | MGT 366 (3 credits) |
The relationship between foundation requirements and the M.S.A. curriculum requires that all foundation studies be complete by the time the student enrolls for 600-level course(s). An exception is made for those students who are completing their background studies during the same semester in which they enroll for their first 600-level course(s), in which case the specific prerequisite(s) for the 600-level courses, as documented in this catalog with the course description, must be complete.
Students who have completed GVSU undergraduate courses listed above with a grade of B or better or the equivalent at another college or university are not required to complete additional 500-level coursework in the respective areas. A background assessment showing the status of the students foundation requirements is provided each student at the time of admission.
The M.S.A. is a program designed for both full-time students and working professionals. Classes are offered in the evenings and afternoons. The M.S.A. can be completed in three semesters of full-time study if the student has completed all foundation requirements and attends full time.
Program Curriculum
All M.S.A. students must complete at least 33 credits at the 600 level, including the following three-credit graduate accounting courses:
- ACC 607 - Ethics for Accountants (3 credits)
- ACC 613 - Financial Statement Analysis (3 credits)
- ACC 616 - Financial Accounting Systems (3 credits)
- ACC 617 - International Accounting (3 credits)
- ACC 618 - Advanced Accounting (3 credits)
- ACC 620 - Accounting Theory (3 credits)
To ensure that all M.S.A. graduates have basic competencies in each major area of accounting, all students are required to complete at least one course in intermediate accounting, federal income taxation, auditing, and cost or managerial accounting with a grade of C or better. These courses may be taken at either the undergraduate level prior to or while enrolled in the M.S.A. program. Courses taken at the graduate level to satisfy this requirement may be used as electives in the M.S.A. program with the approval of the student's faculty advisor. The following GVSU courses fulfill this basic competence requirement:
| Required Course | GVSU Graduate Course | Undergraduate Course(s) |
| Intermediate Accounting | ACC 610 | ACC 310, 311, and 240 |
| Managerial or Cost Accounting | ACC 611 | ACC 321 or 322 |
| Auditing | ACC 614 | ACC 413 or 414 |
| Federal Income Taxation | ACC 609 or 615 | ACC 317 or 318 |
Students will not be granted credit for ACC 609, 610, 614, or 615 if they have satisfactorily completed an undergraduate course in individual taxation, intermediate accounting, auditing, or corporate taxation, respectively. Students who have not taken intermediate accounting prior to matriculating in the program should take this course in the first semester of graduate work.
The remaining 3-15 credits for the M.S.A. may be selected from among other Seidman graduate offerings or, with permission of the student's faculty advisor, from graduate program offerings outside the Seidman College of Business.