MS in Accounting

Admission Requirements

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. Transcripts for all undergraduate and any graduate work must be submitted to the UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business Program Office. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

  • Baccalaureate Field No restrictions.
  • Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours of undergraduate study. Applicants possessing a master’s degree in business or an equivalent degree from a program accredited by the AACSB-International must have maintained a grade point average of at least 3.00/4.00 in that program.
  • Tests Required GMAT; minimum score of 500 or qualify through GAMSA.
  • GAMSA
    • UIC, UIUC, and UIS accounting undergraduates who (1) have completed 90 hours overall and 12 hours in accounting courses at the 300 or 400 level and (2) have an overall GPA of 3.25 and a GPA of 3.00 from all accounting courses taken.
    • Other UIC, UIUC, and UIS undergraduates who (1) have completed 90 hours overall and (2) have an overall GPA of 3.25 and a GPA of 3.00 from any accounting courses taken.
    • If already a graduate of UIC, UIUC, or UIS, the undergraduate degree must have been received in the 16 months prior to the intended start of the MSA.
  • Minimum English Competency Test Score
    • TOEFL 81, with subscores of Reading 20, Listening 20, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (iBT Test); 60, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Writing 21 (revised Paper-Delivered Test), OR,
    • IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores, OR,
    • PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
  • Letters of Recommendation Two required. None for GAMSA applicants.
  • Personal Statement Required.
  • Resume Required.
  • Deadlines The application deadline for this program is the Graduate College deadline. There is no summer admission for the Accounting program.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 32.
  • Course Work Degree candidates must present a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00/4.00 for all 400- and 500-level courses. At least five courses used toward the MSA degree must be at the 500 level.
Required Courses (5 courses, 20 hours)
Select five courses from the following:
Advanced Financial Accounting
Federal Income Tax II
Business Law II: Business Organizations
Governmental and Non-Profit Accounting
Database Accounting Systems
International Accounting
Business Law: Commercial Transactions
Accounting Theory and Paradigms
Financial Statement Analysis
Management Control of Strategic Performance
Advanced Auditing
Fraud Examination
Taxes and Business Policy
The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business
Corporate Valuation and Accounting Information
Accounting Research: Methodology and Communication
Special Topics in Accounting - Graduate
At least two courses must be from:
Financial Statement Analysis
Management Control of Strategic Performance
Corporate Valuation and Accounting Information
Accounting Research: Methodology and Communication
Accounting/Business Electives
Select any approved LGSB courses to bring the total semester hours to 32.
Foundation, Breadth, and Background Courses (11 courses, 44 hours) a
Students without an approved U.S. undergraduate degree in Accounting must complete the following 11 courses in addition to the above requirements:
Foundation Courses:
Introduction to Financial Accounting
Accounting Information Systems
Statistics for Management
Breadth Courses:
Select three business courses other than accounting.
Background Courses:
Auditing
Financial Accounting I
Financial Accounting II
Management Accounting
Federal Income Tax - Graduate
a

All these courses may be waived based on completion of prior satisfactory equivalent study.

  • Comprehensive Examination None.
  • Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Course work only. No other options are available.