With options in Taxation, Financial Accounting and Information Systems, a Master of Science degree in Accounting (MSA) from Cal State LA’s College of Business and Economics will help you accelerate your career in accounting. Our program’s customizable options and flexible scheduling allow you to target your career path and be prepared for what lies ahead in an ever changing profession.
With options in Taxation, Financial Accounting and Information Systems, a Master of Science degree in Accounting (MSA) from Cal State LA’s College of Business and Economics will help you accelerate your career in accounting. Our program’s customizable options and flexible scheduling allow you to target your career path and be prepared for what lies ahead in an ever changing profession.
Program Features
- Graduates are prepared for the CPA exam and
- Work towards professional certifications including Fraud Examination and Internal Auditing
- High demand options
- Industry-focused events
- Guest lecturers and award-winning student events
Program Requirements
All students applying to the MS Accounting program must have the following:
- Bachelor’s degree - all majors accepted
- A grade point average of at least 2.5 (A=4.0) or in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted
- Two letters of Recommendation
- Professional résumé
- Statement of purpose
- Unofficial transcripts
Applicants who did not complete the business and accounting foundation courses may be conditionally admitted. Once conditionally admitted students have completed the business and accounting foundation courses, they achieve Graduate Standing. Conditionally admitted students may enroll in graduate-level courses with department consent.
For a detailed list of requirements for admission into our graduate programs, including requirements for international students, please visit our requirements page here.
Roadmap
Curriculum
Core Courses
A total of 33 units are required for the completion of this degree. The core courses make up 18 of those units.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing. This course focuses on the study of accounting systems and internal controls. The course covers the tools necessary to understand and evaluate accounting systems. Independent research in accounting systems is required.
Prerequisites: Acct 4240A or ACCT 5240A, graduate standing. Students gain an understanding of audit and assurance services, emphasizing financial statement audit opinions by independent auditors, auditing concepts and practices used in assurance services used in public practice.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Advanced analytical concepts implicit in contemporary accounting practice; current developments in accounting techniques; specific applications to major aspects of financial statements. Some sections maybe mediated using interactive technology.
Prerequisites: BUS 3050, Graduate standing. Through practice and multiple assessments, this course focuses on the knowledge and development of managerial skills needed to advance in the accounting profession. The skills emphasized in the course include: written and oral communication, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, teamwork, managing change and conflict, negotiation, networking and delegating.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing. This course introduces students to common ethical dilemmas in the accounting profession along with ethical solutions. It emphasizes the ethical decision-making process for preparers and auditors of the financial statements.
Prerequisite: ACCT 5750. This course allows students to apply accounting theories and practices learned in previous accounting courses to analyze and solve real world accounting problems through case studies and research.
Option Courses
Option Courses make up 16 of the 33 units required to graduate. The following list shows the number of options this program has.
- Accounting Information Systems
- Financial and Public Accounting
- Taxation
For more information please visit the University Catalog.