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UWM

Academic Catalog 2020-2021
  • Home»
  • Business (Sheldon B. Lubar School of)»
  • Management, MS: Professional Accounting

Business (Sheldon B. Lubar School of)

  • Business Administration, MBA
  • Business Administration, MBA/​Information Technology Management, MS
  • Business Administration, MBA/​Nursing Practice, DNP
  • Business Administration, MBA/​Translation and Interpreting Studies, MA
  • Business Administration, MBA: Business Analytics
  • Business Administration, MBA: Entrepreneurship
  • Business Administration, MBA: Finance
  • Business Administration, MBA: Health Care Management
  • Business Administration, MBA: Marketing
  • Business Administration, MBA: Supply Chain Management
  • Business Analytics, Graduate Certificate
  • Business of Media and Film Studies, Undergraduate Certificate (Lubar School of Business)
  • Business Scholars Program
  • Business: Accounting, BBA
  • Business: Accounting, BBA: Data Analysis
  • Business: Finance, BBA
  • Business: Human Resources Management, BBA
  • Business: Information Technology Management, BBA
  • Business: Marketing, BBA
  • Business: Supply Chain and Operations Management, BBA
  • Enterprise Resource Planning, Graduate Certificate
  • Enterprise Resource Planning, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Entrepreneurship, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Executive, MBA
  • General Business, Minor
  • Global Studies, BA: Global Management
  • Human Resources and Labor Relations, MHRLR (Lubar School of Business)
  • Information Technology Management, MS
  • International Business, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Investment Management, Graduate Certificate
  • Investment Management, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Management Science, PhD
  • Management, MS: Accounting
  • Management, MS: Finance Analysis
  • Management, MS: Marketing
  • Management, MS: Professional Accounting
  • Management, MS: Taxation
  • Nonprofit Management and Leadership, MS (Lubar School of Business)
  • Nonprofit Management, Graduate Certificate (Lubar School of Business)
  • Public Administration, MPA (Lubar School of Business)
  • Public Administration, MPA/​Criminal Justice, MS
  • Public Administration, MPA/​Urban Planning, MUP
  • Real Estate, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Taxation, Graduate Certificate
  • Technology Entrepreneurship, Graduate Certificate
  • Technology Entrepreneurship, Undergraduate Certificate
LUB_Catalog_G_main
Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business

Management, MS: Professional Accounting

  • Overview
  • Requirements

The MS in Management - Professional Accounting (MS-PA) program is the logical capstone degree in accounting for a student with an undergraduate degree in accounting. Students are advised to enter the program immediately after earning their undergraduate degree in accounting to in order to build on their current knowledge.

Lubar School of Business accounting programs are separately accredited by AACSB. We are one of only three accounting programs in the state and one of 193 schools in the world with such accreditation.

Because the undergraduate BBA Accounting major curriculum does not include all coursework needed to successfully pass the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Exam, the MS-PA program adds advanced work in financial accounting theory, auditing, tax compliance and planning, and law. The program also includes a specialty choice in either Assurance Services (auditing) which covers financial statement analysis, auditing computerized systems and forensics; or a specialty in Taxation which covers multi-jurisdictional taxation, tax research, tax planning, and corporate taxation. Most students enter a public accounting career specializing in either auditing or tax. Some students choose to work for large corporations or financial institutions.

Students are advised to complete an accounting internship prior to entering the program. Typically, internships result in full-time employment offers upon graduation from the MS-PA program. The MS-PA is normally completed in one year (including summer and/or winterim coursework).

Under Wisconsin law, students with an undergraduate degree in accounting are allowed to sit for the CPA Exam during the program. Most students integrate taking the various parts of the CPA Exam while completing the MS-PA degree. Graduates have a pass rate 50% greater than the national average and four times greater than that of UWM undergraduates not entering the MS-PA program. Most students complete the CPA Exam before they begin full-time employment. Completing the MS-PA degree meets the education requirements to be a CPA in Wisconsin.

On This Page
  • Admission Requirements 
  • Credits and Courses
  • Additional Requirements

Admission Requirements 

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines vary by program, please review the application deadline chart for specific programs. Other important dates and deadlines can be found by using the One Stop calendars.

Admission

An applicant must meet Graduate School requirements plus the following program requirements to be considered for admission:

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Submission of score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
  • Review by the Master of Science Program Committee to assess academic achievement and ability to do intensive graduate-level work.

Applicants admitted to the MS program may be required to complete management foundation courses. Individual areas of concentration require different foundation courses. (See Lubar School of Business MBA/M.S. brochure and the Lubar School of Business Website for details.) Foundation courses will be waived if students have completed equivalent coursework. Credits earned in these courses do not count toward the degree.

Students select the area of concentration most suited to their educational goals. The areas of concentration in the program are:

  • Accounting (first professional degree—open only for students with non-accounting majors at baccalaureate level);
  • Professional Accounting (program open to students who have completed an undergraduate degree in accounting);
  • Finance Analysis;
  • Marketing;
  • Taxation.

If a student is waived out of a required course, an approved elective course must be substituted in its place and approved by Graduate Program Services (Lubar N251).

The major professor, in consultation with the student, reviews the student’s academic background and career goals and designs an appropriate program of study consistent with degree requirements. In developing a program of study for a student who has no undergraduate background in business administration, care is taken to ensure a basic exposure to different aspects of the management field as well as an in-depth preparation in the chosen field of specialization.

Credits and Courses

The minimum degree requirement for the Master of Science in Management degree concentrations varies from 30-33 graduate credits. In the 30-credit concentrations, at least 18 credits must be taken in the Lubar School of Business.

Electives provide distinction to each individual program. Through proper selection and packaging, each student can design a program to meet individual educational objectives while maintaining a high degree of academic strength. These courses may be selected from the many available in the Lubar School of Business, or from among those offered in graduate programs of other UWM departments.

Professional Accounting

Course List
Code Title Credits
Required 15
BUS ADM 724
Business Combinations and Governmental Accounting
BUS ADM 753
Advanced Business Law
BUS ADM 821
Advanced Taxation
BUS ADM 840
Current Issues in Financial Reporting
BUS ADM 844
Auditing: Professional Standards and Practices
Tracks
Select one of the following tracks:15
Assurance Services Track
Taxation Track
Total Credits30
Assurance Services Track
Course List
Code Title Credits
Required 9
BUS ADM 720
Information Systems Auditing
BUS ADM 723
Forensic Accounting
BUS ADM 841
Financial Statement Analysis 1
Electives6
Select two courses from the list below:
BUS ADM 726
Strategic Cost Management II
BUS ADM 749
Data and Information Management
BUS ADM 771
Investments
BUS ADM 772
Portfolio Management
BUS ADM 773
Options And Futures
BUS ADM 774
Global Financial Management
BUS ADM 775
Financial Strategy
BUS ADM 778
Financial Institutions and Markets
BUS ADM 779
Fixed Income Securities
BUSMGMT 726
Study Abroad: Business Topics: (subtitle: Ernst & Young Graduate Accounting Study Abroad)
BUS ADM 816
Business Intelligence Technologies & Solutions
Total Credits15
1

Integrating course

Taxation Track
Course List
Code Title Credits
Required 12
BUS ADM 820
Tax Research, Practice, and Procedure 1
BUS ADM 823
Corporate Income Taxation
BUS ADM 826
Tax Planning for Individuals
BUS ADM 828
Taxation of Partnerships, S Corporations, and LLCs
Elective3
Select one course from the list below:
BUS ADM 720
Information Systems Auditing
BUS ADM 749
Data and Information Management
BUS ADM 795
Seminar-in-Management: (taxation topics)
BUS ADM 816
Business Intelligence Technologies & Solutions
BUS ADM 841
Financial Statement Analysis
BUSMGMT 726
Study Abroad: Business Topics:
Total Credits15
1

Integrating course

Additional Requirements

Students in the MS program have the option of doing a management research project. This option gives students the opportunity to apply methodological techniques and area studies. The urban location and strong ties with the business sector provide opportunities for student projects.

Major Professor as Advisor

Students in the MS program must choose a major professor during the first ten weeks of their first semester of graduate enrollment to advise and supervise their studies. A listing of faculty by area of interest is sent to each MS student to aid in their selection of a major professor. This list is also available in the Graduate Programs Services office, Lubar N251.

The Management Research Project/Thesis

The Management Research Project/Thesis is a variable 2-6 credit management research project.

Comprehensive Examination

Students must pass a final oral examination if they choose a 4-6-credit management research project or thesis.

Time Limit

The student must complete all degree requirements within five years of initial enrollment. In areas of concentration in which the total number of degree credits required exceeds 30, the student must complete all degree requirements within seven years of initial enrollment.

Apply Now Request Info Program Website

Business (Sheldon B. Lubar School of)

  • Business Administration, MBA
  • Business Administration, MBA/​Information Technology Management, MS
  • Business Administration, MBA/​Nursing Practice, DNP
  • Business Administration, MBA/​Translation and Interpreting Studies, MA
  • Business Administration, MBA: Business Analytics
  • Business Administration, MBA: Entrepreneurship
  • Business Administration, MBA: Finance
  • Business Administration, MBA: Health Care Management
  • Business Administration, MBA: Marketing
  • Business Administration, MBA: Supply Chain Management
  • Business Analytics, Graduate Certificate
  • Business of Media and Film Studies, Undergraduate Certificate (Lubar School of Business)
  • Business Scholars Program
  • Business: Accounting, BBA
  • Business: Accounting, BBA: Data Analysis
  • Business: Finance, BBA
  • Business: Human Resources Management, BBA
  • Business: Information Technology Management, BBA
  • Business: Marketing, BBA
  • Business: Supply Chain and Operations Management, BBA
  • Enterprise Resource Planning, Graduate Certificate
  • Enterprise Resource Planning, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Entrepreneurship, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Executive, MBA
  • General Business, Minor
  • Global Studies, BA: Global Management
  • Human Resources and Labor Relations, MHRLR (Lubar School of Business)
  • Information Technology Management, MS
  • International Business, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Investment Management, Graduate Certificate
  • Investment Management, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Management Science, PhD
  • Management, MS: Accounting
  • Management, MS: Finance Analysis
  • Management, MS: Marketing
  • Management, MS: Professional Accounting
  • Management, MS: Taxation
  • Nonprofit Management and Leadership, MS (Lubar School of Business)
  • Nonprofit Management, Graduate Certificate (Lubar School of Business)
  • Public Administration, MPA (Lubar School of Business)
  • Public Administration, MPA/​Criminal Justice, MS
  • Public Administration, MPA/​Urban Planning, MUP
  • Real Estate, Undergraduate Certificate
  • Taxation, Graduate Certificate
  • Technology Entrepreneurship, Graduate Certificate
  • Technology Entrepreneurship, Undergraduate Certificate
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