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Degree Overview: Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.) Degree with an Accounting Information Systems Specialization

Majors Overview May 12, 2015

Get information about Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.) degree programs with an accounting information systems specialization and their education requirements, coursework, career choices, job and wage outlook, and continuing education choices.

Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.) Programs with an Accounting Information Systems Specialization

Students enrolled in a Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.) program with a specialization in accounting information systems can expect to become adept at creating efficient and useful systems of accounting for businesses. Incoming students are expected to hold an undergraduate degree.

Auditing courses are often available in the curriculum, and students are provided with the skills and knowledge they would need to take the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. Apart from building upon basic concepts they learned during their bachelor’s degree, students can also learn to use their knowledge in corporate or public accounting to develop professional identities.

Education Requirements

Admission criteria typically require incoming students to hold a baccalaureate degree. A business bachelor’s degree with an accounting concentration may be a requirement for admission to some schools. Those schools may also require applicants to demonstrate competencies in auditing, taxation, financial accounting, accounting information systems, business, communications, and personal computer use.

Coursework

Program coursework may include elements of international business, ethics, and accounting. Graduates can expect to develop skills related to communication and human relations apart from research skills and conceptual and technical sensibilities. Through the accounting information systems component of the program, students are taught essential accounting functions.

They also build the analytical, quantitative, and integral research skills they would need for decision-making in business settings. There is also an emphasis on enterprise systems design that entails accounting information for management, production, and decision-making purposes. Core coursework may cover topic areas such as:

•Research methods in accounting
•Accounting information systems
•Enterprise resources
•Accounting and auditing technologies
•Auditing procedures
•Auditing information technology
•Communications within enterprise networks
•Information systems design
•Information systems management
•Auditing for fraud

Career Choices

Armed with a Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.), graduates can seek employment as accountants in various environments, including systems consulting firms, accounting firms, and large corporations. They can choose from popular career options such as:

•Consulting
•System analysis
•Information systems assurance
•Accounting system design
•Accounting software implementation

Job and Wage Outlook

Over the 2012 – 2022 decade, a job growth of 13% has been predicted for accountants and auditors (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). In 2012, accountants and auditors brought in an average annual wage of $63,550 (BLS).

Continuing Education Choices

Those who complete the program can seek continuing education by taking the CPA examination administered by their State Board of Accountancy. Accountants that file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) must hold the CPA credential.

Each state may have its own certification requirements, but common requirements include the passage of the Uniform CPA Exam and completion of about 30 credits of graduate-level accounting coursework. Beyond the M.Acc., continuing education choices include a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Accounting Information Systems, which may be available for graduates seeking work in academia and research.

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