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Accounting, Master of Science

Admission

Please refer to www.wilmu.edu/admission/msacct_admission.aspx for general graduate admission information. For consideration and admission to the Master of Science (M.S.) in Accounting program, applicants must satisfactorily submit and/or complete the following:

  1. A graduate application for admission accompanied by a non-refundable application fee.

  2. Applicants whose native language is not English or who have graduated from an institution where English is not the language of instruction should contact International Admissions or go to the University's website for admission requirements.

  3. A program planning conference meeting with a program chair or advisor to discuss admission, candidacy, and program requirements is highly recommended.
  4. Students must request official copies of their undergraduate transcript(s) at the time of the application submission.

All required application and candidacy documents should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Program Purpose

The M.S. in Accounting is designed to meet the growing need for credentialed accountants and financial managers and to respond to new Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure requirements in the State of Delaware.

Wilmington University recognizes that not all accounting students aim for CPA licensure. The M.S. in Accounting also provides the foundation for students who are interested in both the Certified Management Accountant Exam (CMA) and the Certified Fraud Examination Exam (CFE).

Program Competencies

In addition to satisfying the University’s graduate graduation competencies, students will have an advanced level of applicable knowledge in the following areas as appropriate to one’s field of study:

  1. Demonstrate highly-developed communication and collaboration skills needed by effective accounting professionals.
  2. Integrate accounting theory and practice in the process of complex problem solving.
  3. Evaluate ethical problems and apply professional standards in management decision making.
  4. Analyze complex data utilizing appropriate technological and quantitative methods and tools for accounting decision-making.

Program Design

The program incorporates a methodology that provides students with a deep appreciation of the skills and knowledge required for decision making and problem solving. The program is designed for individuals who are seeking to make a strong contribution to their organization, profession, and global society while advancing and promoting their careers. Various classes in the program are offered at the Wilson Graduate Center on weeknights, Dover on weeknights, Dover Air Force Base on weekends, and Georgetown on weeknights. At this time, all MAC courses are offered at the Wilson Graduate Center, Cumberland County College, and Online.

Program Requirements

The MS program is based upon the students working in a wide range of organizations; they must be adept at understanding the relationship of one’s self to the organization in a way that brings them to a level of mastery. The program consists of ten 3-credit hour courses. The eight core courses (24 credit hours) provide an in-depth exposure to core accounting theory and practice that are applicable to a wide range of situations and organizations. In this concentration, students also select two elective courses to complement the core requirements. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to graduate.

Registration

All required MAC courses in the M.S. in Accounting program have undergraduate or graduate accounting prerequisites. Please consult with your program Chair if you have questions about these prerequisites.  The required ethics course (either MBA 6000 or MGT 7504) and electives may be taken until the pre-requisites have been met.

Prior to registering for your second M.S. in Accounting course, students should:

  1. Submit official transcript(s) from an accredited college, university, or other degree-granting institution verifying completion of a bachelor’s degree. Send official transcript(s) directly from the identified college or university to the Wilmington University Graduate Admissions office or email gradadmissions@wilmu.edu.
  2. Meet with a program chair or advisor for a program planning conference if not completed earlier.  Official transcript(s) should be on file prior to the conference.  Students may bring unofficial transcript(s) to this meeting if official transcript(s) are not yet on file.

Undergraduate Prerequisites:

In addition to the admission and candidacy requirements listed above, the MS in Accounting program has the prerequisite completion of 12 credits undergraduate Accounting: Accounting I & II (equivalent to W.U. BAC101 and BAC102) and Intermediate Accounting I & II (equivalent to W.U. BAC201 and BAC202).  Students may complete MAC 5000 and MAC 5010 to meet the Accounting I & II requirement and complete MAC 5100 and 5110 to meet the Intermediate Accounting I & II requirement.

Finance.  Three credits of undergraduate finance with a grade of "C" or better (equivalent to Wilmington University FIN 305); students may complete MBA 5900, Principles of Finance, to meet this requirement.

Advancement to Degree Candidacy

Students who have met the M.S. in Accounting admission requirements are advanced to degree candidacy after completing four courses with a minimum GPA. of 3.0, provided they have met the following requirements:

  1. Official undergraduate transcript(s) are on file with the Graduate Admissions office.
  2. Successfully completed undergraduate courses in Intermediate Accounting I and Intermediate Accounting II with a grade of "C" or higher.
  3. Fulfilled all of the undergraduate pre-requisite coursework listed in the section above.

Students not completing any of these items will not be permitted to continue their M.S. in Accounting studies until the deficiency or deficiencies have been corrected.

M.S. Accounting Program Course Requirements

Ten courses are required for program completion; the eight courses immediately below and two additional courses to be selected from the elective offerings. While some course sequencing is important, the program is designed to permit students to complete requirements at their own pace.

Courses

MAC 7100Financial Accounting Theory, Policy, and Research

3
MAC 7200Advanced Managerial Accounting

3
MAC 7300Issues in Auditing and Assurance Services

3
MAC 7400Fraud Prevention and Forensic Accounting

3
MAC 7500Federal Taxation, Policy, and Research

3
MAC 7600International Accounting and Taxation

3
MBA 7200Financial Management

3

Electives

Two Electives
Two electives may be chosen from any graduate Business course above the 5000 level except MBA 6000, MBA 6100, MGT 6501, MGT 7504, and MHR 7830.  Students should consult with their academic advisor when selecting M.S. in Accounting electives.

Choose One of Two:

MBA 6000Organizational Behavior and Ethical Leadership

3
OR
MGT 7504Ethical Issues in Management

3

M.S. Accounting Core 24 credits

Total of core and concentration courses is 10 courses or 30 credits.