CATALOG - University of Maryland University College

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTINGAND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYDUAL DEGREEMS INACCOUNTING ANDINFORMATIONTECHNOLOGYSEE P. 57 FOR DETAILS ABOUT DUAL DEGREES.+Master of Science inAccounting and FinancialManagement• Evaluate and design accounting and information systems to meetorganizational goals.• Develop and evaluate alternative solutions to organizationalproblems.Program OverviewThe curriculum requires 36 credits of coursework, including18 credits in accounting core courses, 15 credits in informationtechnology core courses, and one 3-credit program capstone course.Program DescriptionInformation technology has become ubiquitous in the world ofaccounting, and expertise in both areas sets employees apart fromtheir peers. The Master of Science (MS) in accounting and informationtechnology is designed for students who have backgroundsin finance or accounting and want to improve their knowledgeof accounting information technology to advance their careers toeither chief financial officer or chief information officer or to serveas liaisons between their organization’s information technologydepartment and executive leadership. It is also an appropriate trackfor professionals not currently in accounting or information technologywho want to develop the skills they need to make a career change.The curriculum focuses on business processes with a broad businessoutlook and includes fraud examination, federal income taxation,accounting ethics, auditing, systems analysis and design, computersecurity, and more. The goal of the program is to give students thetools they need to bridge the gap between information technologyand accounting in their organization and to develop ways to enhancethat relationship.Program ObjectivesGraduates of this program will be able to• Successfully apply accounting and information technology concepts,principles, and techniques in the analysis and resolution of accountingsystems problems and opportunities within their organizations.• Effectively communicate accounting and information technologyideas, concepts, and solutions.• Evaluate the effects of technology on an organization’s accountingsystem.• Evaluate issues and innovations in accounting and in informationtechnology and their effects on managerial decision making.Academic PreparationStudents must have completed 15 credits of undergraduate accountingcoursework, with a grade of C or better in each course, beforeenrolling in any graduate accounting course. Students withoutrecent coursework in accounting are strongly advised to completeUCSP 620 before enrolling in ACCT 610.Professional CertificationSuccessful completion of the program may satisfy the educationalrequirement for candidacy for the Certified Public Accountant(CPA) exam. Educational requirements to sit for the CPA examvary among states. Students are responsible for staying abreast of thecurrent requirements of the state in which they will sit for the examor practice professionally.Career Paths• Liaison between the chief financial officer andchief information officer• Public accountant or auditor• Government accountant or auditor• Management or systems analyst• Fraud examiner or internal auditorPartnershipAn articulation agreement between the Graduate School of Managementand Technology and UMUC’s School of Undergraduate Studiesallows students who completed their undergraduate degree at UMUCwith a major in accounting to reduce their total coursework for bothdegrees by up to 6 credits (two courses), completing both degreeswith a total of 150 credits of coursework. Details are on p. 22.Course descriptions are found on pp. 69–107.www.umuc.edu/grad 23