Contact Person:  Edward W. Younkins, Ph.D., C.P.A., C.M.A., C.M.
                         Director, Graduate Business Programs

Wheeling Jesuit University’s MSA program covers the important aspects of accounting and does so efficiently.

To be eligible to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, most states now require that individuals complete at least 150 semester hours of college.  To meet that need, Wheeling Jesuit University created the Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program.  The Wheeling Jesuit University MSA is a professional non-thesis program designed for individuals who have attained an undergraduate degree in accounting.  The MSA degreerequires 10 courses, totaling 30 hours, to complete.

The MSA degree offers potential advantages for those in the accounting field:

• The program expands the student’s knowledge base about accounting.
• In addition to completing academic credit required to sit for the CPA exam, the program provides the student with the opportunity to earn an additional credential, the MSA degree.
• For accounting professionals who have already earned the CPA, courses taken in requirements necessary for CPA’s.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for this graduate program will be judged on the basis of their academic record, recommendations and personal and professional accomplishments.  Admittance to the program is contingent on an overall grade point average of 2.80.

Applicants to the graduate accountancy program should, at a minimum, have completed with a minimum grade of “C” the following prerequisite courses or their equivalents:

• Computer Science (or demonstrate a working knowledge of electronic spreadsheets and at least one other software package)
• Statistics
• Calculus
• Principles of Accounting I & II
• Principles of Economics I & II
• Principles of Management
• Principles of Marketing
• Principles of Finance
• Management Science
• Intermediate Accounting I & II
• Cost Accounting
• Federal Income Taxation
• Business Law I & II
• Advanced Accounting
• Auditing

Applicants to the graduate program in accountancy who have already passed the CPA exam will not be required to make up deficiencies in the above coursework.

Curriculum

Required Courses:

MSA 503            Ethical Environment of Business
MSA 506            Managerial Economics
MSA 508            Management of Financial Resources
MSA 534            Auditing and Professional Auditing Standards
MSA 553            Controllership
MSA 554            Advanced Tax Accounting
MSA 560            Accounting Profession and Its Environments
MSA 509            Law for Accountants

Plus two from the following list:

MSA 536            Financial Accounting, Reporting, and Analysis for Mgmnt.
MSA 539            Advanced Information Systems
MSA 541            Contemporary Accounting Theory
MSA 544            Investment Analysis and Management
MSA 573            Internship in Accounting
MBA xxx            MBA elective, with approval of the Director

Course Load

A minimum of three courses (nine credits) constitutes full-time load at the graduate level.  Two courses per semester (six credits) constitutes half-time load for graduate students (Fall and Spring).  This applies as well to summer session I and II (inclusive).  MSA students desiring to graduate in one calendar year will need to complete two courses (six credits) in each summer session and four courses (12 credits) during the Fall and Spring semesters.

CPE for CPAs, CMAs and Others

Not all accountants wish to complete an entire MBA or MSA degree program, although many may prefer to take one or more courses in order to meet CPE requirements or for their own personal or professional growth.  To meet this need, practicing accountants may take one or more graduate-level accounting courses without becoming fully matriculated students. After six such courses are completed, with a “B” average, the student will receive a certificate indicating completion of a core of advanced-level professional accounting courses.