ACCOUNTANCY

Head and Director of Graduate Studies: Eugene Willis

Correspondence and Admission Information: Head, Department of Accountancy, 360 Wohlers Hall, 1206 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820; (217) 333-0857; E-mail: accy@uiuc.edu

URL: www.cba.uiuc.edu/accountancy

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

The Department of Accountancy offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Accounting Science (M.A.S.), Master of Science in Accountancy with a specialization in taxation, Master of Science in Accountancy (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy in Accountancy. The master's degree requirements can be completed in one year. The Ph.D. degree takes approximately four to five years o f full-time study and research.

ADMISSION

All applicants for the M.A.S. and M.S. in Accountancy with a specialization in taxation programs, domestic or international, are required to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). This test should be taken early enough to ensure that the results will be available to the department before action on admission. The admission requirements of the Graduate College also apply, including prior academic performance and references. In addition, all international applicants must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE). The GMAT and TSE are not required for admission to the M.S. program. Applications for admission to the doctoral program, supported by three letters of recommendation, must be approved by the department admissions committee, which may require an oral or a written examination.

Graduate teaching experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College req uirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the accountancy graduate program.

MASTER'S PROGRAMS

The M.A.S. and M.S. in Accountancy with a specialization in taxation programs are one-year programs for students with an undergraduate background in accounting. Students applying for admission should have acquired a background in business and accounting equivalent to a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. The background courses in business that must be completed before admission to the program include mathematics (calculus and linear algebra), computer science, macroeconomics and intermediate microeconomics, statistics (two courses), and functional areas of business, such as marketing, corporate finance, and organizational behavior.

The M.S. program is designed to meet the professional accounting career development needs of individuals engaged in international business. The M.S. provides international students with their first experience with an U.S.-based accounting education. The program accepts those with little prior study or experience in accounting whom wish to prepare for a degree in accounting.

Candidates in the three master's programs are required to complete at least eight units (32 hours) of coursework. At least five units must be 400-level courses. Four units must be in accounting.

MASTER OF ACCOUNTING SCIENCE (M.A.S.)

Students in this program must take at least four units in accounting, including three specified courses (Concepts and Principles, Management Accounting, and Methods and Practices in Professional Research). As many as three additional accountancy units may be taken as electives, including courses in an area of specialization, such as auditing, taxation, information systems, financial accounting, managerial accounting, or international accounting.

MASTER OF SCIENCE in Accountancy WITH SPECIALIZATION IN TAXATION

Students in this program must take four required units in taxation (Tax Resea rch, Corporate Taxation, Partnership Taxation, and Income Tax Development). Up to two additional units may be taken in taxation or accountancy.

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTANCY (M.S.)

The M.S. core consists of five units (Accounting Analysis I, Accounting Analysis II, Managerial Accounting, Auditing, and Federal Taxation). The M.S. core courses focus on U.S. accounting standards.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

For students with a bachelor's degree and adequate background in appropriate areas, the requirements for the doctor of philosophy degree include the following: credit in micro- and macroeconomics; two courses in behavioral science or financial economics; two courses in statistics; five minor area and research technique courses (four of which must be nonaccounting courses); four accounting courses; and the thesis. The student's doctoral program is determined in consultation with a faculty advisory committee. The student's tentative plans for the doctoral thesis serve as a g uide in planning the program.

In addition, candidates must pass written and oral preliminary examinations and an oral final examination on the doctoral thesis. In the preliminary examinations, candidates must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of research methods and accounting theory in both its external and internal dimensions; a general acquaintance with the subject matter and bibliography of other areas of accountancy; and proficiency in the required areas of economic theory, quantitative methods, and behavioral science or financial economics.