Accountancy

TABS Accountancy

Introduction

Build and sharpen your professional skills in one of the few graduate programs to earn a separate accreditation in accountancy from AACSB International. The distinction means that the Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program at Bentley fulfills the academic requirement to become a licensed CPA in Massachusetts and many other states, regardless of the student’s previous academic background.

The MSA prepares students to begin or advance in a variety of accounting and business-related fields, with:

  • A high-quality education in all major areas of the field: financial, managerial and tax accounting; auditing; and accounting information systems;
  • The latest tools and software, in the Howard A. Winer Accounting Center for Electronic Learning and Business Measurement (ACELAB);
  • Strong partnerships with area employers, who participate in campus events, serve as guest speakers in courses, offer internships, and more.

Reputation for Success

Value Added

The MSA program at Bentley offers an unmatched breadth of accounting courses. Students have maximum choice to focus in the different areas of accounting and to substitute higher level courses for basic core courses as appropriate. The range of other graduate programs at Bentley allows MSA students to broaden their education with courses outside accounting. These courses, taken as electives, let students earn a graduate certificate along with the MSA, in a related area such as fraud and forensic accounting, taxation, financial planning, accounting information systems, or business ethics. For added convenience, students also have maximum choice in terms of scheduling options, which include full-time or part-time study, a summer/summer option, and several courses which can be taken online.

Reputation for Success

Bentley MSA students are heavily recruited on campus by the Big 4 CPA firms; regional and national CPA firms; and state, local and federal government agencies, as well as by leading corporations in New England and beyond. The program’s 30-plus-year and strong alumni network give graduates a built-in advantage in the job market.

Acelab

In the Howard A. Winer Accounting Center for Electronic Learning and Business Measurement (ACELAB), students gain firsthand experience with sophisticated technologies that are reshaping the accounting profession. Students develop a broad understanding of how information flows though an organization, how financial decisions are made and how accounting relates to other business functions by using software such as Peachtree. Electronic research software prepares students to analyze complex reporting issues. They also gain practical experience with auditing and tax preparation software, report generating applications, data modeling and other professional tools.

Foundation Work

Pre-Program Foundation - 6 credits

Students who have earned an undergraduate business degree or an MBA from an AACSB or EQUIS accredited institution automatically waive out of both pre-program foundation courses. Any student who has taken statistics or economics at the undergraduate level may be eligible to waive each course, subject to a transcript review.

Statistics
Economic Environment of the Firm

MSA Curriculum

The MSA is a 30-credit-hour program consisting of 12 required credit hours in core accountancy courses and 18 credit hours in accountancy and non-accountancy elective courses.

Core Courses - 21 credits required

Financial Accounting Problems I
Financial Accounting Problems II
Cost Accounting
Business Process and Systems Assessment
Financial Statement Auditing
Federal Income Taxation
Professional Accounting Research and Policy Formulation
*Students who have completed comparable coursework may be eligible to substitute electives for these courses.

Elective Courses - 9 credits required

The electives must include a minimum of six credit hours in accountancy courses at the 700-level or higher. The remaining credit hours may be in other accountancy courses at the 700-level or higher, or in other graduate courses at the 600-level or above, where appropriate prerequisites have been met.

Internship in Accounting Practice
Advanced Topics in Financial Accounting
Business Reporting and Analysis
Advanced Topics in Managerial Accounting
Advanced AIS: Modeling Effective Accounting Information Systems
IT Auditing
Internal Auditing
Tax Factors in Business Decisions
Risk and Performance Measurement
Governmental Accounting, Reporting and Auditing
Principles of Fraud Investigation
Fraud and Forensic Accounting
International Dimensions of Accounting