The master of science in accounting program provides advanced courses in accounting and integrates the functional, personal and broad business competencies identified by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The goals of the program are:

• To build on the student's undergraduate education to meet the emerging needs of the accounting profession
• To provide students who hold a bachelor of science in accounting with the necessary academic background to meet the 150-credit program requirement to sit for the CPA exam in Connecticut
• To meet the AICPA's core competencies necessary for entry into the accounting profession
• To build upon the student's critical thinking and technology skills to analyze and resolve complex accounting issues

The program consists of an accounting core that supplements and supports a student's preparation for the CPA exam, accounting electives designed to expand a student's professional accounting expertise and a business core designed to enhance the student's critical thinking and managerial decisionmaking skills. Each state regulates requirements for the CPA exam. The state of Connecticut requires 60 liberal arts credits, 30 business credits and 36 accounting credits, as well as a total of 150 credits to take the CPA examination. Upon completion of the degree, students may be eligible to sit for the CPA examination in Connecticut and other states as well as pursue a career in public or private accounting.

This program is primarily for students who hold undergraduate accounting degrees. Students who do not have undergraduate degrees in accounting may have to take prerequisite courses and should discuss their background with the chair of the Department of Accounting. Students who wish to take the CPA exam in a state other than Connecticut should become familiar with the requirements in that state.

For more information, contact Jennifer Boutin, assistant director of graduate admissions, at jennifer.boutin@quinnipiac.edu or e-mail MSA@quinnipiac.edu.