Accountancy, Master of Science

The Master of Accountancy program is designed to provide students with greater knowledge in accounting and related subjects than they may have received in their undergraduate programs. It is also designed to produce graduates who will be successful regardless of their career paths and who are prepared to assume managerial positions within their employer organizations. Graduates of the program provide increased value to their employers and clients through acquired strategic and executive leadership perspective.

The program provides students with sufficient college credits in accounting and related subjects and in total to qualify educationally to become CPAs. Many accounting firms have announced that they will not hire staff accountants who do have 150 college credit hours, with at least 36 credit hours in accounting and related subjects. Students who successfully complete this program will meet these requirements and hold a master’s degree.

The Master of Accountancy is a 10-course program that can be completed on a full- or part-time basis while the student continues to work. Wilson College has more than 30 years of experience in educating the part-time adult student.

Wilson’s program is different from many others because it provides students with flexibility to select most of the courses they need to earn the degree, allowing students to target subject areas they need more knowledge in to pass the CPA exam, or to focus on areas of knowledge in which they would like to specialize.

The Master of Accountancy degree is offered on campus, onsite and online. The online option offers students classes in a virtual classroom in nine-week terms with five terms per year.

Students who want to earn the Master of Accountancy degree in one year would generally take five courses per semester – the maximum number of courses a student in this program can take in one semester. It is strongly recommended, however, that students employed full time take no more than two courses per semester.

Students who want to earn the Master of Accountancy degree online may do so in one year by taking two courses per term.

Our online program also differs by:

• Using technology to provide virtual, face-to-face classes through Zoom video technologies
• Offering the program anywhere In the country while maintaining the intimacy of a classroom environment, yet allowing the program to be complete online and convenient to every student

Admission to the Master of Accountancy Program

Degree program admission is based on the following criteria:

• Completion of the bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. (The 3+1 option described below is the one exception to this requirement.)
• Successful completion of the prerequisite courses or their equivalents. Provisional status may be granted to those students who meet all the admission requirements except for successful completion of the prerequisite courses or their equivalents.
• Completion of an application for admission to the Master of Accountancy program.
• Two letters of recommendation from educators or employers. Letters should be sent directly to the Office of Admissions.
• Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate colleges and universities attended must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions.
• Resume.
• Personal interview with the director of the Master of Accountancy program (may be accomplished by phone).

Wilson College students who successfully complete the Bachelor of Science in accounting degree with a GPA of at least 3.0 in their major may enroll in the Master of Accountancy program by simply completing the application.

Enrollment of Non-Degree Students in Master of Accountancy Courses

Undergraduate students, students working toward the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in accounting and non-degree students may enroll in any Master of Accountancy course for which they have the necessary prerequisites with approval of the program director.

Provisional Status

Provisional status allows a student to enroll in classes in order to qualify for admission to the degree program. A student may be granted provisional status after a written plan of action that will assist the student in meeting the prerequisites or entrance requirements of the program has been approved by the program director.

If granted provisional status, the student must complete the approved plan of action with a GPA of 3.0 or higher before being officially admitted to the program.

Transfer Credits

Courses taken toward another degree cannot be transferred to the program, although courses at the graduate level taken in another degree program that are in addition to those necessary to meet the other degree’s requirements can be transferred to the program. No more than three courses may be transferred from other institutions. Courses at the 500 level taken toward the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting at Wilson College can be transferred to the program.

3+1 Option

Wilson College offers a 3+1 option leading to the student earning both the Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Accountancy degrees in four years. Some summer classes are generally necessary. In order to qualify for this option, students must have an overall GPA, as well as a GPA in at least four accounting courses, of at least 3.75 by the end of their sophomore year or at least 3.5 by the end of their junior year.

Any of the above courses or their equivalents that the student may have taken to meet the requirements for another degree may not be taken to meet the requirements for their Master of Accountancy degree.

Any of the above courses taken toward the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting at Wilson College may be included to meet the requirements for the Master of Accountancy degree.

Academic Probation and Dismissal from the Master of Accountancy Program

Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average. If a student’s GPA falls below 3.0 or the student receives a fourth final course grade below B-, the student will be placed on academic probation. A student will be involuntarily dismissed for poor scholarship from the program at the end of any term in which they receive a fifth final course grade below B-.

Once a student is placed on probation, she or he stays on probation until graduation.

A student who has been dismissed for poor scholarship is ineligible to enroll for the next term. After that next term, the student may petition for readmission. If the department and the dean’s office both approve the petition, the student will be re-admitted on probation and may be dismissed again with any additional final course grade below B−.

All students in the Master of Accountancy program are subject to the Wilson College Honor Principle and the college’s academic and administrative regulations and judicial process.

Time to Complete Degree

All coursework and degree requirements must be completed within six years of taking the first class in the Master of Accountancy program at Wilson College. Courses taken to meet the prerequisites for full admission to the program do not count toward this six-year completion requirement until the student has embarked on her/his second course toward the 10 courses (30 semester hours) required to earn the degree. Appeals for extension of the six-year limit must be submitted in writing to the program director.

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence for a graduate student may not exceed one year. See the complete description regarding applying for a leave of absence and termination of a leave of absence in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.

Graduation Requirements

The successful degree candidate will complete 10 courses (30 semester hours) after meeting the prerequisites for the program, including all of the required courses, while maintaining a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Graduate credit will be awarded only when the student has earned a final course grade of C or better.

A student must complete and submit a graduation application to the registrar prior to the last semester before the anticipated graduation date. A fee will be assessed for late applications. Any student failing to submit a graduation application will not be eligible for graduation.

Spring graduates completing their degree requirements during the following summer:

• Will have their degree conferred on the first day of the fall semester.
• Will participate in and receive their diploma covers at the preceding May Commencement and will be considered part of May’s graduating class as long as they submitted their graduation application prior to the start of the spring semester.
• Will receive their diplomas in late September.
• Must petition the Committee on Academic Procedures by the last day to withdraw from classes for the spring semester to participate in the May Commencement if more than one course requirement remains to be met.
• Must submit a written plan to the registrar and the program director outlining how the requirements will be met before the end of the summer following May Commencement. This plan must be approved and signed by the program director. The written plan must be submitted by the last day of classes for the spring semester.