Master of Accountancy (MAcc) Program: Trends and Some Thoughts on the Future Master of Accountancy (MAcc) Program: Trends and Some Thoughts on the Future BY: Terry J. Ward, Ph.D., CPA Program Director Program Director

Review of Current Program: Admissions Requirements n Admissions Requirements Undergraduate business degree from AACSB accredited School of BusinessUndergraduate business degree from AACSB accredited School of Business –3.00 overall average Other applicantsOther applicants –400 minimum GMAT and –950 composite score calculated as: 200 X Undergraduate GPA plus GMAT score –Rare exceptions and basically no conditional admissions

Review of Current Program: Prerequisites Prerequisite Courses to be Completed Prior to Enrolling in Core Courses Sem Hrs Principles of Accounting I and II6 Intermediate Accounting I and II6 Cost Accounting3 Introduction to Federal Income Tax3 External Auditing I or Internal Auditing3 Legal Environment of Management3 Survey of Economic Theory3 Quantitative Methods Survey3 Survey of Information Systems Issues3 Survey of Managerial Finance3

Review of Current Program: General MAcc Program Courses to be Completed at Graduate LevelSem Hrs Advanced Accounting Theory3 Capstone: Advanced Financial Reporting level Approved Accounting Elective /6000-Approved Accounting or INFS Elective level Global Business Elective level Approved Elective3 3

Review of Current Program: Tax Specialization Program Courses to Be Completed at Graduate LevelSem Hrs Advanced Accounting Theory3 Advanced Financial Reporting3 Federal Income Tax Research and Planning3 Taxation of Pass-Through Entities3 Taxation of Business Entities3 Special Topics in Taxation3 5000/6000-Approved Accounting or INFS Elective level Global Elective level Approved Elective3

MAcc Trends: Students Entering Program by Year YearNumber Enrolling Undergraduate Grade Point AVG GMAT Score

MAcc Trends: Students Entering Program by Year YearNumber Enrolling Undergraduate Grade Point AVG GMAT Score

Regression: Factors Impacting Performance in MAcc Program n Gender not significantly different n Type of undergraduate degree not significantly different n Undergraduate GPA most significant predictor of success Have interaction effect thoughHave interaction effect though –Good predictor if student has degree from AACSB College of Business –Not a good predictor for students with undergraduate degree from international university

Empirical Results Continued n GMAT score significant predictor of success in MAcc program However, another interaction effect existsHowever, another interaction effect exists –GMAT scores not relevant for students with undergraduate degrees from AACSB schools –GMAT most important measure if student has an undergraduate degree from an international university

Factors Impacting Program in the Future n New Dean n New Chair n Increased competition from other universities n Hiring and keeping good faculty n Keeping curriculum current and creative

How MAcc Program can Continue to be Successful n Identify Niches n Continue emphasize on development of communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills n Continue developing each student’s use of technology and research skills n Identify goals of department and then FacultyFaculty –Hire and reward faculty that are creative and willing to discuss change

–Tenure and reward faculty that care (not necessarily those easy on students) –Expect research consistent with the goals of the department –Have fair expectations of faculty, and expect faculty to meet those expectations –Find funding and support for faculty –Give faculty the time and facilities to be creative –Assess desired outcomes regularly Students and CurriculumStudents and Curriculum –Develop curriculum meeting demands of today’s work place –Assess performance of students –Assess satisfaction of employers of students

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