College of Business and Public Administration

Master of Accounting (M.Acc.)

Department web site

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Master of Accounting (M.Acc.) degree equips students to reach their professional goals by providing the requisite knowledge to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination and to enter the profession of public accounting. The degree is designed to complement prior education and experience, or to prepare students without an accounting background for this professional field. The M.Acc. is backed by Drake University’s full resources and reputation.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

• Number of credit hours required: Thirty to sixty hours of credit are required for completion based upon prior academic experience.
• Required courses

Course	Credits
Business Foundation Courses - Waived if completed equivalent course as undergraduate	12
MBA 242 - Financial Reporting & Analysis	3
MBA 251 - Creating Customer Value Through Marketing	3
MBA 253 - Corporate Finance	3
MBA 254 - Leadership & Human Capital Development	3
Accounting Foundation Courses - Waived if completed equivalent course as undergraduate
ACCT 105 - Accounting Information Systems	3
ACCT 110 - Managerial Accounting	3
ACCT 165 - Financial Accounting I	3
ACCT 166 - Financial Accounting II	3
ACCT 175 - Auditing Principles	3
ACCT 185 - Individual Taxation	3
ACCT 186 - Business Entity Taxation	3
BLAW 060 - Business Law I	3
Required Core	12
ACCT 255 - Tax Research and Planning	3
ACCT 275 - Seminar in Auditing	3
MBA 240 - Corporate Governance and Ethics	3
MBA 245 - Leading with Data	3
Accounting Electives - Select four courses from the following	12
ACCT 120 - Advanced Managerial Accounting	3
ACCT 167 - Financial Accounting III	3
ACCT 186 - Business Entity Taxation	3
ACCT 210 - Accounting for Non-Profits	3
ACCT 265 - Emerging Accounting Issues	3
ACCT 276 - IT Auditing	3
ACCT 277 - Fraud Examination	3
ACCT 278 - Internal Auditing	3
ACCT 280 - Financial Statement Analysis	3
BLAW 120 - Business Law II	3
BLAW 250 - The Law of Business Organizations	3
Free Electives - Select two graduate courses from accounting, business, or other discipline in consultation with advisor.	6

ADMISSION

Master of Accounting applicants must meet the following admission requirements.

• Graduate Admission Application. Applications may be completed online.

• Official transcripts for ALL undergraduate and graduate coursework from EVERY institution attended (even if a degree was not earned).

• Current professional resume.

• Personal essay: A personal essay no longer than one page should explain the candidate’s reason(s) for pursuing the M.Acc. degree. Examples of leadership background and experience should be included.

• Submission of two letters of recommendation.

• Grade Point Average Criteria: Successful candidates for admission typically have the following minimum graduate point average.
• Undergraduate GPA = 3.00 (upper division and cumulative), and
• Graduate GPA = 3.00 (cumulative)

• TOEFL exam: International candidates must submit TOEFL results. Minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 213 on the computer-based examination, 550 on the paper-based examination, or 79-80 on the internet-based test.

• Application deadlines:  Applications are reviewed up to one week prior to the start of the term.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit materials by earlier dates as indicated below to facilitate course enrollment and scholarship consideration. 
• Fall admission - July 15
• Spring admission - December 1
• Summer admission - April 1

ADMISSION WITH CONDITIONS

Admission with Conditions allows individuals to be reviewed for admission and begin graduate studies with a conditional requirement that must be completed successfully to progress in the program.

Students granted Admission with Conditions may enroll part-time and take up to nine credit hours of coursework to prove strong academic performance. Strong academic performance includes receiving a grade of B or higher in all courses. Students will be reviewed at the end of each full semester to confirm that the conditions of their admission have been met. The review will take place if a minimum of six credit hours, has been completed. 

Admission with Conditions is not available to international applicants.