Accounting
A minimum of 15 credits of Accounting Courses:
Required Courses
- BUS 714 – Advanced Cost Management & Control 3 credits. An advanced course in cost and managerial accounting from a strategic decision-making perspective. Topics include strategy considerations, operational planning, performance and quality controls, variance analysis in accounting information, inventory management and social responsibility. This course also includes an introduction to project management.
- BUS 726 – Advanced Accounting I 3 credits. A study of advanced accounting topics including business combinations, equity method of accounting for investments, consolidated financial statements, various intercompany transactions, multinational accounting, foreign currency transactions, and translation of foreign financial statements. This course is challenging, fast paced and current with the rapidly changing environment of financial reporting, especially as it relates to convergence with international accounting standards.
- BUS 727 – Governmental & Not-For-Profit Accounting 3 credits. A study of advanced accounting topics including accounting for governments and not-for-profit organizations. Topics include the analysis of organizational structure, strategy decision-making and reporting. Practical application includes governmental CAFRs and not-for-profit financial and tax compliance reporting.
- BUS 756 – Fraud & Forensic Accounting 3 credits. Detecting and deterring occupational fraud are key elements of an organization’s risk management plan. Topics included in this course include the impact of fraud on auditing and financial reporting, the recognition of weaknesses in business processes and control systems, the measures organizations can take to prevent fraud, and the ways allegations of fraud should be investigated and resolved.
- BUS 798 – Strategic Management Accounting 3 credits. This capstone course to the MS Accountancy program challenges students to think critically and strategically from the perspective of a chief financial officer. This course includes a cross-functional immersion experience into the competitive business environment through a Capsim business simulation. Students will demonstrate AICPA core competencies through a final electronic portfolio presentation. Topics include comprehensive business strategy, change management, finance application, ethical leadership and social responsibility.
Electives
Up 1 of the following electives:
- BUS 709 – Income Tax Accounting II 3 credits. Tax laws and regulations for partnerships and corporations; tax administration and research.
- BUS 717 – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance I 1 credit.The first of a two-semester academic and experiential series, this course introduces students to different types of tax systems while presenting diverse perspectives on what makes up a fair and just tax system. We will explore how culture plays a role in the development of tax systems both in the US and internationally. We will also discuss how government uses taxes to influence behavior and promote social goals. During this 8 week session, students will complete the Department of Revenue certification required to volunteer at the IRS sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites during the Spring semester. VITA provides free tax service to clients in need, generally low-income, handicapped, and/or the elderly.
AND
- BUS 718 – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance II 2 credits. This course includes participation in the IRS sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, giving students an opportunity to provide free tax service to clients in need, generally low-income, handicapped, and/or the elderly. The course will challenge the student to develop a philosophy on what constitutes a just and compassionate tax system and to understand what the social goals are for a tax system. 50 volunteer hours through VITA are required to earn 2 credits; 100 volunteer hours through VITA are required to earn 3 credits.
Business
12 credits of Business Courses:
Required Courses
- BUS 601 – Executive Communication 3 credits. This course surveys key managerial communication perspectives with a focus on managerial and organizational effectiveness. The course prepares the student to utilize technical, verbal, nonverbal and social-media tools to improve their own communication skills. Students self-evaluate and improve prior communication events, generate improved feedback processes, and participate in a group project to evaluate the culture and communication of real-world organizations. The course concludes with the development of a Communication Strategy for a real-world organization.
- BUS 616 – Business Ethics 3 credits. This interdisciplinary course explores and implements the critical thinking and managerial and ethical decision-making skills necessary for developing ethical organizations and an ethical society. The objective of this course is to design ethical organizations and create organizations of high integrity. Students explore real-life ethical dilemmas and benchmark their organization’s performance with the best practices in business ethics.
- BUS 723 – Business Law II 3 credits. This course builds upon the content from Business Law I, presenting topics such as commercial paper, real property, secured transactions, bankruptcy, partnerships, corporations, wills and trusts through a case study approach. The presented content reinforces (1) an understanding of how the law affects business operations; (2) an understanding of the principle of “stare decisis” and the ability to apply the rule of precedent to case studies; (3) skills to use current technology in completing a legal research project involving a current ethical issue; and (4) a thorough understanding of business law principles.
Electives
At least 1 of the following electives:
- BUS 603 – Organizational Development/Behavior 3 credits. Organizational Development and Behavior is the study of human behavior in an organizational setting. The purpose of this kind of study is to equip organizational leaders with the insight necessary to develop interpersonal relationships that will build teams, increase productivity, enhance the quality of work life, orchestrate change, improve employee retention, and augment communication. Topics in management including: Perception, Personality and Attitudes, Group Process: Building Teams, Communication, Orchestrating Change, Motivation, Empowerment, Leadership, Performance Appraisals and Business Ethics.
- BUS 604 – Operations Management 3 credits. This course covers foundational concepts and techniques relating to operations functions in manufacturing and service organizations. It positions operations management as a source of competitive advantage, focusing on the study of operation of an enterprise as a system and on methods to optimize operational processes and resources: people, material, capacity, information, and technology. Quantitative and qualatative methods of analysis are used to support operational decision-making. Topics include process analysis, inventory and capacity planning, queueing models, quality management, and project management.
- BUS 605 – Statistics for Managers 3 credits. This course is an intermediate-level business statistics course. Topics include the application of One-Way ANOVA, Simple Linear Regression, and Multiple Linear Regression and Time-Series models to business applications. Students are required to be proficient in EXCEL, which will be used for statistical applications.
- BUS 606 – Strategic Marketing 3 credits. This is a course that intends to integrate marketing knowledge and apply it in addressing strategic decision making situations. Strongly emphasizing application, the course is centered around the process of analyzing cases in marketing management with the express purpose of making clear, specific, and justifiable strategic marketing decisions. This course emphasizes the use of analytical skills in making judgments under uncertainty in a variety of marketing contexts, including strategic selling, sales management, new product introduction, franchising, marketing research, and others. It is intended to help students apply critical thinking skills in making better decisions using strategic criteria.
- BUS 607 – Corporate Finance 3 credits. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the world of corporate finance. Topics covered include financial statement analysis, cost of capital, capital structure, common stock valuation, capital budgeting, market efficiency, dividend policy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate hedging, and corporate restructuring and failure.
- BUS 618 – Managing Information and Technology 3 credits. This course provides the foundation for business professionals to collaborate with IT experts while making business decisions with a significant technology component. This course is more strategic than technical and is designed to help the students appreciate and integrate the idea of IT as a critical and strategic asset of the enterprise. This course will cover the strategic use of IS/IT in various industries and sectors including health care, financial services, professional services, manufacturing, distribution, government, among others.
- BUS 679 – Business Internship Minimum Credit(s) Awarded: 3 credits (max 6)
- BUS 792A – International Study Tour A-China Minimum Credit(s) Awarded: 1 credit. Each year, the School of Business offers students the opportunity to participate in a short-term international travel experience to different countries through two sequential courses (BUS 792A and BUS 792B). Through the courses, students gain critical insights and valuable real-world experience of global business processes and practices. In BUS 792A, students learn about various aspects of a country’s culture and society, history, cultural values/customs, and social and economic development and the impact of these issues on business practices. Books, readings and videos will be assigned for students to read/watch with class discussion focused on comparing and understanding differences in these topic areas between the US and the focus country.
AND
- BUS 792B – International Study Tour B-China Minimum Credit(s) Awarded: 2 credits. Each year, the School of Business offers students the opportunity to participate in a short-term international travel experience to different countries through two sequential courses (BUS 792A and 792B). Through the courses, students gain critical insights and valuable real-world experience of global business processes and practices. In BUS 792B, students participate in an approximately 10-day trip to the focus country. During the trip, student tour locally- and foreign-owned companies, meet business executives to discuss business challenges and opportunities in the country, attend lectures about the country’s economy and culture, and participate in guided tours of historical and cultural sites. After the trip, students will write a report in which they analyze and compare the business practices of companies in the US and the focus country.
- BUS 795A – International Study Tour A-Germany Minimum Credit(s) Awarded: 1 credit. Each year, the School of Business offers students the opportunity to participate in a short-term international travel experience to different countries through two sequential courses (BUS 795A and BUS 795B). Through the courses, students gain critical insights and valuable real-world experience of global business processes and practices. In BUS 795A, students learn about various aspects of a country’s culture and society, history, cultural values/customs, and social and economic development and the impact of these issues on business practices. Books, readings and videos will be assigned for students to read/watch with class discussion focused on comparing and understanding differences in these topic areas between the US and the focus country.
AND
- BUS 795B – International Study Tour B-Germany Minimum Credit(s) Awarded: 2 credits. Each year, the School of Business offers students the opportunity to participate in a short-term international travel experience to different countries through two sequential courses (BUS 795Aand 795B). Through the courses, students gain critical insights and valuable real-world experience of global business processes and practices. In BUS 795B, students participate in an approximately 10-day trip to the focus country. During the trip, student tour locally- and foreign-owned companies, meet business executives to discuss business challenges and opportunities in the country, attend lectures about the country’s economy and culture, and participate in guided tours of historical and cultural sites. After the trip, students will write a report in which they analyze and compare the business practices of companies in the US and the focus country.
