MS Accounting

Academic Information

College of Business
Department

Master of Science in Accounting

Silberman College is a recognized center of excellence for accounting and tax education, with a long history of providing innovative educational programs that meet the needs of the accounting profession and its practitioners.

The MS in Accounting program features two tracks. Completion of either track can academically qualify students to take the CPA exam and meet licensing requirements.

Track A is designed for students who have an undergraduate major or concentration in accounting. This track was recognized with the American Accounting Association’s prestigious Innovation in Accounting Education Award. Track B is tailored to students who do not have an undergraduate background in accounting but desire to focus in this area at the graduate level.

Eduniversal has ranked FDU’s MS in Accounting program 19th in North America. Eduniversal is a global leader in higher education information. Their goal is to provide students worldwide with the tools to find the best education opportunities. Each year, more than 4 million students use Eduniversal in their search for the right program.

Nine great reasons to apply to our MS in Accounting programs

  1. Accessible. Created with the working professional in mind. Take classes in the evenings.
  2. Affordable. The degree can be earned for roughly $30,000 in tuition.
  3. Internships and job placement opportunities available through the Silberman College of Business Office of Placement and Outreach.
  4. Graduates employed at the Big-4, mid-sized regional firms, small firms, and corporate accounting departments. Many of our alumni are partners and in high senior positions.
  5. Designed to meet the educational and training needs of accounting professionals and provides both practical knowledge and technical expertise.
  6. Faculty have outstanding academic credentials and strong professional backgrounds.
  7. AACSB accreditation assures that our program quality is academically strong and dedicated to continuous improvement. Less than 5% of business schools worldwide hold AACSB Accreditation. Endorsement by the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) for meeting high educational standards, enabling students to pursue the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) credential.
  8. Eduniversal, a global leader in higher education information, has ranked FDU’s MS in Accounting program 19th in North America. We are ranked by The Princeton Review (2021) in the top 244 business schools.
  9. FDU accounting students have scored #1, 3, and 5 on the Certified Public Accountant Exam in New Jersey. Our overall student CPA passing rates are in the top 5 or so amongst NJ schools for our program size. In 2019, two FDU graduate MS Accounting students were awarded the prestigious AICPA Elijah Watt Sells Award. Of the nearly 75,000 individuals who sat for the CPA Exam in 2019, only 133 received the Award, and only four in NJ, two of which are FDU graduate MS in Accounting students. 

 

See updates from the Department of Accounting, Taxation, and Law: Newsletter (PDF).

Student Testimonials

“The MS Accounting program at FDU is taught by highly-qualified professors who are not only teachers but are working professionals in their respective fields in Corporate America. They bring their real-world experience to the classrooms enriching the minds of the students with knowledge. They are always open to answer questions and share their opinions with the students. Leveraging the connections with the corporate world that our professors and students have provides us with a gamut of networking opportunities. One of the major advantages at FDU is its focus on the individual inasmuch as it is a private, more intimate university. This enables each student to harness all the resources FDU has to offer.” — Mala Paliwal (MS in Accounting ’07, associate, assurance practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers)

Learning Goals

Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

  • Analyze accounting problems for a multinational business enterprise. Graduates will be able construct and select solutions to these problems. (Critical Thinking)
  • Analyze, and propose effective solutions to, ethical problems in the accounting profession and in multinational business enterprise. (Ethics and Control)
  • Evaluate the importance of quality accounting information and assess the threats to accounting information reliability and relevance. (Information Quality)
  • Produce effective collaboration, leadership, negotiation and communication skills needed for effective resolution of multinational business accounting problems. (Communication and Interaction)
  • Evaluate the impact of financial, regulatory, and global developments on accounting standards and the accounting profession. (Perspective)
  • Integrate technology in the accounting function. (Technology and Systems)

More Information

For more information, contact Graduate Business Advising.

Degree Requirements

Track A (for students with a bachelor’s degree in accounting)

This 30-credit program is for students who have the bachelor’s degree or concentration in accounting and is designed to meet the 150-hour educational requirements for the New Jersey CPA Exam.

Required Courses (15 Credits)

Elective (15 Credits)

  • One Accounting Elective
  • Two Accounting or Tax Electives
  • Two Graduate Business Electives (6 credits)

Track B (for students without a bachelor’s degree in accounting)

This 30-credit program is designed for students who have not earned the bachelor’s degree in accounting. The requirements for the NJ CPA examination have changed, effective as of June 2017. In addition to 24 credits of accounting courses, 24 credits of business courses are also required. Six credits of business courses are included in this Track B program. Students without a business background will need to take an additional 18 credits of business courses to sit for the NJ CPA exam. All students should refer to governing body that oversees the qualification exams to see if the MS in Accounting – Track B program meets your needs.

Prerequisites (3 Credits)

At least one undergraduate course in financial accounting is required for admission into the program. Students with comparable graduate coursework may request a waiver from the department chair.

Program Requirements (30 Credits)

Course Descriptions

  • ACCT2021 An introduction to the concepts underlying an accounting information system. Transactions are analyzed, recorded, and summarized into a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. Additional topics include fixed asset acquisitions and disposals, patents, franchises, goodwill, bond amortization, bond premiums and discounts, common and preferred stock issuance, dividends, and treasury stock issuance and retirement.

  • ACCT6605 A first course in taxation for graduate students without prior study in taxation. It examines tax principles as they affect the individual

  • ACCT6606 This course is a sequel to ACCT6605 Federal Tax I.It examines taxation as it concerns business entities, such as C and S corporations, LLC's and partnerships. Students are highly encouraged to take ACCT 6605 first. Anyone who has not will be instructed to self-study certain materials from ACCT 6605 for which the text is same.

  • ACCT6617 The basic elements of cost and cost control. Cost accounting systems such as process costing, job order costing, standard and direct costing, the planning, budgeting and control functions. Fall, Spring

  • ACCT6618 The auditor's report. Basic auditing concepts and methods are studied in detail as they relate to assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Fall, Spring

  • ACCT6630 An in-depth study of the generally accepted accounting principles as they relate to corporations; particular attention is given to financial reporting, revenue recognition, asset valuation and measurement. Basic differences in US and international accounting are identified. Topics of current interest and controversy are introduced to prepare the student for more advanced courses.

  • ACCT6635 This course continues the in-depth study of financial accounting begun in ACCT 6630. Pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board and their applications, such as in the areas of accounting for liabilities, stockholders equity, dilutive securities, earnings per share, and statement of cash flows are examined. Basic differences in US and international accounting are identified. Recent developments and prospects for the future change in accounting thought are considered.

  • ACCT6640 An in-depth study of the accounting principles related to special areas such as business combinations, consolidations, foreign operations and partnerships. There is some exposure to accounting for nonprofit institutions such as state and local governments, educational systems, institutions and hospitals. Spring

  • ACCT6680 A graduate level course for students with a strong financial theory background. The course focuses on a wide range of financial reporting issues. Topics include leasing, accounting for income taxes, accounting for derivatives, foreign currency translation and hedging; accounting for pensions, accounting for share-based compensation, IFRS and cash flow statements.

  • ACCT6682 The material for the first half of the course introduces the concept of auditing in the environment of a modern information system. The second half of the course covers analytic methods and statistics in an auditing environment.

  • ACCT6690 A capstone course in the graduate program integrating technical and analytical accounting and auditing skills acquired throughout the program. The course makes exclusive use of case studies and group problem solving with situations found in the corporate and public accounting sectors

  • FIN6020 The course covers the essential financial topics for the CPA exam. An introduction to time value of money and financial markets is followed by the valuation of bonds and stocks. Risk return models and capital structure are incorporated into a discussion of the cost of capital. Evaluation of cash-flow and project selection introduces the student to asset valuation. Analysis of financial ratios and of cash conversion cycle lead to an understanding of the short term management of the financial position of the firm.

  • LAW6657 This course covers the essential areas of the Uniform Commercial Code, namely contracts, agency, negotiable instruments, secured transactions, bankruptcy, partnerships and corporations. In addition, the Securities and Exchange Acts are given appropriate coverage.