Master of Accounting Program

Mission Statement

Admissions Requirements

The mission of the Master of Science (M.S.) in Accounting program is to provide an education that develops competitive accounting professionals in both the private and public sectors through the combination of a strong practical business and accounting education and a comprehensive liberal arts background.

The program focuses primarily on strengthening students’ accounting knowledge, analytical and problem-solving skills, effective communication, and computer-based accounting information technology. The program prepares students to achieve the requirements of the accounting profession.

The prerequisite for the M.S. degree in accounting is the completion of a B.S. degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from an accredited institution. Equivalency should be evaluated by the program director in consultation with the Registrar.

Program Director
Professor Peg Horan
Campus Hall Room 221
(718) 390-3437
phoran@wagner.edu

Expected Student Learning Goals

Program Requirements

By graduation, an M.S. in Accounting should know or have demonstrated:

A stong knowledge in the relationship between accounting and its impact on business
Mastery of major accounting concepts and application skills in real-world problems
Stong quantitative skills to analyze and process business accounting information
Proficiency in accounting research and effective communication of results

The graduate program in accounting consists of 10 courses that can be completed in one year. The degree is a 30 credit Master of Science.

Wagner College, through its Business Administration Department, is nationally accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools (ACBSP), and the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE)

Program Course Requirements

AC 610 Advanced Auditing		3 credits
AC 611 Advanced Accounting		3 credits
AC 612 Research in Accounting Theory		3 credits
AC 613 International Accounting		3 credits
AC 614 Governmental and Not for Profit Accounting		3 credits
AC 615 Advanced Federal Taxation		3 credits
BU 613 Statistics for Managers		3 credits
Finance Elective		3 credits
AC 798 Thesis Seminar I		3 credits
AC 799 Thesis Seminar II		3 credits

Accounting Course Descriptions

AC 610 Advanced Auditing. Three credits. Auditing standards and supporting theory. Application of techniques including statistical sampling. Legal liability of the auditor in securities regulation and auditing in a computerized environment. Offered fall semester

AC 611 Advanced Accounting. Three credits. Advanced study of the fundamental concepts, conventions, and assumptions underlying accounting theory and practice. Topics include consolidations, partnership liquidations, branch and foreign exchange accounting, installment accounting, percentage-of-completion methods, and inventory valuation methods. Offered fall semester

AC 612 Research in Accounting Theory. Three credits. A critical examination of accounting concepts and standards. Study of current problems and contemporary development reflected in accounting literature. Offered spring semester

AC 613 International Accounting. Three credits. Study of the measurement of profit and loss from international business operations of a multinational enterprise. The impact on financial position of changes in foreign exchange rates, and transactions with foreign currencies, foreign branches, foreign subsidiaries, and forward exchange contracts. Different accounting procedures underlying the preparation of financial statements in different countries are highlighted. Offered spring semester

AC 614 Governmental and Not for Profit Accounting. Three credits. Examines the accounting principles and reporting practices of governmental units and not-for-profit institutions, including colleges and universities, health care organizations, and voluntary health and welfare organizations. Offered fall semester

AC 615 Advanced Federal Taxes. Three credits. Advanced topics in corporate taxation, including sources of tax precedents, tax information, and research in court cases. The tax implications associated with investments, such as real estate and securities, will be studied. Tax cases, rulings, and other developments are analyzed for their significance. Offered spring semester

BU 613 Statistics for Managers. Three credits. This course focuses on the practical application of statistical techniques to specific management problems. Topics include presentation of data, defining variables, descriptive statistics, measures of central tendency, probability distributions, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, chi-square testing, and correlation-regression analysis. Offered fall and spring semester

AC 798/799 Thesis Seminar I and II. Three credits each. Methods of fact finding and research in the field are studied, with the successful completion of each course dependent on the writing of a thesis. The thesis must incorporate the findings of a specially assigned research problem. Ac 798 offered in fall semester and Ac 799 offered spring semester.