Accountancy (MSA)
With its emphasis on hands-on application of accounting principles and responsible leadership, Loyola’s Master of Science in Accountancy program gives you the foundation you need to excel in today’s constantly changing regulatory environment.
Curriculum
The Master of Science in Accountancy degree is a 12-course evening program taught on a quarter system. A student may enter the program at the start of the fall and spring terms.
Students who have not completed foundational courses in accounting will have to take additional courses to fulfill prerequisite requirements.
Regular Track Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSA Core Courses | ||
| Choose six (6) Accounting courses | 18 | |
| Issues in Financial Reporting | ||
| Financial State Analysis | ||
| Special Topics in Accounting | ||
| Managerial Accounting | ||
| International Accounting 1 | ||
| Tax Research 2 | ||
| State, Local and International Tax 2 | ||
| International Tax | ||
| Internal Audit | ||
| Forensic Accounting and Fraud 3 | ||
| Advanced Forensic Accounting 4 | ||
| Entrepreneurship Law | ||
| Business Ethics Course | ||
| ETHC 441N | Business Ethics | 3 |
| or MGMT 446 | International Business Ethics | |
| or INFS 795 | Ethics and Data Analytics | |
| Two (2) Non-Accounting Graduate Business Elective Courses 5, 6 | 6 | |
| Three (3) ACCT or Graduate Business Elective Courses 5, 6 | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
Prerequisite is ACCT 406 Accounting Theory II.
- 2
Prerequisite is ACCT 408 Tax Principles Applied to Entities.
- 3
Prerequisite is ACCT 409 Audit I -Audit and Assurance.
- 4
Prerequisite is ACCT 409 Audit I -Audit and Assurance or ACCT 436 Forensic Accounting and Fraud.
- 5
Introductory Core courses (ACCT 400, ECON 420, FINC 450, MARK 460, SCMG 480) may not be taken to fulfill the or general elective requirements.
- 6
Business and accounting courses can be found here, graduate courses are 400+
Analytics Track Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSA Core Courses | ||
| Select Five (5) of the Following Courses | 15 | |
| Issues in Financial Reporting | ||
| Financial State Analysis | ||
| Special Topics in Accounting | ||
| Managerial Accounting | ||
| International Accounting 1 | ||
| Tax Research 2 | ||
| State, Local and International Tax 2 | ||
| International Tax | ||
| Internal Audit | ||
| Forensic Accounting and Fraud 3 | ||
| Advanced Forensic Accounting 4 | ||
| Entrepreneurship Law | ||
| Business Ethics Course | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Business Ethics | ||
| International Business Ethics | ||
| Ethics and Data Analytics | ||
| Analytics Core Classes | ||
| INFS 492 | Database Systems | 3 |
| INFS 494 | Data Mining | 3 |
| INFS 796 | Data Warehousing | 3 |
| Analytics Electives Courses | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Business Fluctuations | ||
| Game Theory & Strategy | ||
| Derivative Securities | ||
| Applied Econometrics | ||
| Investment Management | ||
| Applied Portfolio Management | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Interest Rate Risk Management | ||
| Credit Risk Management and Structured Finance | ||
| Analytical Problem Solving | ||
| Business Analytics | ||
| Business Requirement Analysis | ||
| Strategic Use of Database Analytics | ||
| Global Strategy and Data | ||
| Data Visualization | ||
| Principles of Analytic Programming | ||
| Programming for Business Decision Making | ||
| Applications of Visualization | ||
| Quality in Product Management | ||
| Project Management | ||
| Forecasting Methods | ||
| Data Driven Decision Making | ||
| Research Methods in Marketing | ||
| Digital Marketing | ||
| Database Marketing Strategy | ||
| Customer Analytics | ||
| Marketing Metrics | ||
| Intro to Operations Management | ||
| Global Logistics | ||
| Purchasing Management | ||
| Inventory Management | ||
| Supply Chain Analytics | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
Prerequisite is ACCT 406 Accounting Theory II.
- 2
Prerequisite is ACCT 408 Tax Principles Applied to Entities.
- 3
Prerequisite is ACCT 409 Audit I -Audit and Assurance.
- 4
Prerequisite is ACCT 409 Audit I -Audit and Assurance and ACCT 436 Forensic Accounting and Fraud.
MSA Prerequisite Pool
For students who need additional foundational courses in accounting, the following course options will fulfill prerequisite requirements.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 405 | Accounting Theory I | 3 |
| ACCT 406 | Accounting Theory II | 3 |
| ACCT 407 | Tax Principles Applied to Individuals | 3 |
| ACCT 408 | Tax Principles Applied to Entities | 3 |
| ACCT 409 | Audit I -Audit and Assurance | 3 |
| ACCT 410 | Audit II-Advanced Audit and Professional Ethics | 3 |
| ACCT 411 | Business Law and Accountants | 3 |
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program, graduates are expected to have acquired essential skills in the areas of:
- Measurement: Graduate accounting students will demonstrate the ability to identify what needs to be measured, apply the appropriate measures, and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the measures used.
- Decision Making: Graduate accounting students will demonstrate the ability to critically use financial and non-financial data in decision-making.
- Research: Graduate accounting students will demonstrate the ability to research new or existing accounting issues and topics, understand the link between business and accounting, and apply the finding to the business condition.
- Risk Analysis: Graduate accounting students will demonstrate the ability to identify and manage risk.
- Communication: Graduate accounting students will possess the ability to communicate scope, findings and recommendations of accounting work.