Audit Track

A career as an auditor in today's digital business world requires analytical thinking, technological proficiency, creativity, and the ability to build trust with a wide range of clients. You'll perform stress tests on increasingly complex data sets and come to understand the inner financial workings of the companies you're auditing—all while interacting collaboratively with their teams at multiple levels. It's a career that calls not just for technical expertise, but for strong empathy, ethics, and communication skills as well.

An MS in Accounting degree with a focus in Audit will position you to pursue a satisfying career at a Big Four or leading regional accounting firm, or as an internal auditor for a top corporation.

In addition to the required core curriculum for the MS in Accounting, you'll also take three required audit courses during the summer term and two elective courses in the fall.


Curriculum

To earn an MS in Accounting with a track in Audit, you must complete the MS in Accounting core curriculum (15 credits) and nine additional credits of track-specific coursework. Your six remaining credits will be open electives.

Required Audit Courses

Intended for students with a prior course in assurance services and/or auditing. Focuses on the coverage of current significant issues in the assurance services and big data environment. Topics include the impact of technology on the audit process, client risk assessment and statistical data analysis, other assurance services and nonattestation engagements, and the use of complex decision aids. Emphasis is also on contemporary ethical and legal issues confronting the public accounting profession. Offer students the opportunity to think critically about a number of significant issues facing the auditing profession and also introduces impact of big data, the audit judgment, and decision-making process through the completion of a variety of audit cases.

ACCT 6205 | 3 Hours

Deals with issues related to corporate governance and audit committee mechanisms in preventing financial reporting disasters and in providing high-quality financial reports to global capital markets. Emphasizes the role of the board of directors and its committees, management, shareholders, external auditors, and internal auditors in developing sound ethical practices and a good corporate governance culture. Examines efforts by legislative and regulatory bodies and the accounting profession in improving financial reporting transparency and auditor independence.

ACCT 6217 | 3 Hours

Requires students to research and analyze auditing issues by using quantitative and/or qualitative research methods. Offers students an opportunity to learn how to more effectively communicate those findings in a professional format.

ACCT 6254 | 3 Hours

Elective Courses

Complete 6 credit hours from the following:

Offers an overview of occupational fraud and the methodology of fraud examination (i.e., obtaining documentary evidence, interviewing witnesses and potential suspects, writing investigative reports, testifying to findings, and forensic document examination). Offers students an opportunity to learn how to detect the most common types of occupational fraud, determining how each type of fraud is committed, and implementing prevention strategies. Students who do not meet course prerequisites or restrictions may seek permission of instructor.

ACCT 5255 | 3 Hours

Offers an overview of the internal audit function and explores the duties and responsibilities of the internal auditor. Offers students an opportunity to learn about the planning and organizing of an internal audit department and its coordination with an outside auditor as well as to learn to analyze how the design of an internal control auditing process can reduce risk exposure and enhance internal controls. Students who do not meet course prerequisites or restrictions may seek permission of instructor.

ACCT 5256 | 3 Hours

Addresses the most common types of taxes imposed by state and local governments. Examines state and local income, sales, excise, property, and city taxes. Emphasis is on the underlying principles governing the application of each type of tax and the interrelationships where they exist.

ACCT 6239 | 3 Hours

Addresses the taxation of foreign individuals or corporations receiving income from sources, or conducting business, in the United States. With the globalization of the economy, a greater number of taxpayers must consider the impact of international taxation. Topics include the sourcing of income, taxation of passive income, taxation of income connected to a U.S. trade or business, branch-level taxes, issues of foreign-owned U.S. corporations, income tax treaties, and transfer pricing.

ACCT 6240 | 3 Hours

Offers an in-depth look at the tax consequences of businesses formed as flow-through entities (including partnerships, S corporations, and LLCs). Discusses allocation rules, liability sharing rules, disguised sales rules, partnership debt workouts, the S corporation election, and tax treatment of shareholders in an S corporation.

ACCT 6243 | 3 Hours

Examines the general rules for the taxation of estates and trusts. Topics include trusts that distribute current income only, grantor trusts, irrevocable trusts, charitable vehicles, income in respect of a decedent, estates and trusts that may accumulate income or may distribute corpus, and treatments of excess distributions and beneficiaries.

ACCT 6248 | 3 Hours

Offers students an opportunity to develop and refine their tax research skills through practical exercises. Covers the creation of various sources of tax authority. Exposes students to the procedures used in dealing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), with an emphasis on practitioner responsibilities. Reviews the organization of the IRS, filing requirements, appeal procedures, civil/criminal statutes, assessments, and protests. Includes a study of the value and moral judgments inherent in the field of taxation, including client confidentiality, disclosure of false or misleading information, and advice counter to the law or public good.

ACCT 6292 | 3 Hours

The following is a sample curriculum and is subject to change. Enrolled students should reference the academic catalog for current program requirements.