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Situated in the southern region of the United States as the 32nd most extensive and 31st most populous state with a reputation for its vast cotton cultivation and catfish aquaculture, there are four accounting graduate programs in Mississippi that can provide the knowledge, skills, values, and ethics needed to begin an advanced professional career in accounting.
As the largest association devoted to quality management of business and accounting education programs, it is essential that aspiring accountants choose a graduate school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for excellence. Luckily, the following are four top-notch accounting degrees that have been given the stamp of approval by the AACSB for preparing accountants to competently assess financial business operations.
Mississippi State University
Adkerson School of Accountancy
Situated on a vast 4,200-acre rural campus in the small city of Starksville less than 170 miles southeast of Memphis in Tennessee, Mississippi State University is a comprehensive public land-grant and sea-grant institution that has been recognized as a research university with high research activity by the prestigious Carnegie Foundation. Continually listed among the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, MSU is ranked as the 142nd best college, 73th top public school, and 29th best university for veterans in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report. Within one of the top business schools with the 64th best online graduate business programs, the Adkerson School of Accountancy is committed to preparing students for successful accounting careers in a technology-oriented environment.
Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA)
Designed to further students’ education in business and accounting while preparing them for a professional career certified in accountancy, the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program admits students with a bachelor’s degree in diverse backgrounds of economics, business, engineering, statistics, and more from an accredited institution. With the goal of fulfilling the requirements for taking the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination in Mississippi, the 30-hour program provides the fifth year of post-secondary education needed for eligibility. Throughout the intensive curriculum, students are required to complete accounting major coursework in income tax, financial accounting, managerial accounting, business assurance, fraud examination, wealth management, systems analysis, auditing, accounting information systems, and database design administration with a GPA of 2.75 or higher.
Master of Taxation (MTax)
With the mission of advancing graduate students’ knowledge and skills in accounting while specifically preparing them for a professional certified career in taxation, the Master of Taxation (MTax) program focuses on the theoretical foundations and practical applications needed for taxation positions in today’s ever-changing business environment. Enabling students to design a program of study that builds on an undergraduate degree and meets individualized career goals, the program consists of at least 30 hours of graduate coursework. At the end of the accounting degree program, students are required to pass a comprehensive oral examination and may participate in an internship program to gain “real-world” accounting experience within an approved setting related to taxation.
Ph.D. in Accountancy
Intended to train graduate students with a prior bachelor’s or master’s degree for faculty leadership positions at universities nationwide, the Ph.D. in Accountancy program emphasizes the economics, finance, and behavioral-science roots of the accounting discipline to provide the knowledge about research methods needed for success in an academic research career. In order to be granted the doctoral degree in accounting, students must earn a passing grade on the Accountancy Core Preliminary Examination, present a research paper, submit an approved dissertation proposal, pass the Graduate College Oral Examination, compose an acceptable dissertation, and complete an oral dissertation defense. As a 64-hour program, graduates typically complete all requirements within three years full-time or five years part-time.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC)
Contact Information
McCool Hall Suite 300
P.O. Box EF
Mississippi State, MS 39762
(662) 325-1631
sac@cobilan.msstate.edu
http://www.business.msstate.edu/programs/adkerson/
University of Southern Mississippi
School of Accountancy
Founded in 1910 with a long history of excellence on a 300-acre campus in the heart of the Pine Belt in Hattiesburg, the University of Southern Mississippi is a comprehensive public doctoral research-driven institution with a diverse student body of more than 17,000 students from all 50 states. Well-known for being home to the sixth oldest acceptance-based Honors College in the entire nation, Southern Miss is ranked as the 229th best research institution in the nation and 162nd best college in the South by Forbes magazine. As one of the best accounting schools in the South accredited by the AACSB, the USM School of Accountancy is dedicated to providing educational experience for accounting students in the Gulf South region to launch a successful career in advanced accounting positions.
Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA)
Ideal for graduate students who are seeking the preparation needed to assume high-level roles in public accounting and meet the credit hour requirements to sit for the national Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination, the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program strives to expand accounting knowledge for students who already hold an undergraduate degree from a fully accredited four-year institution. With course requirements that are typical from the AACSB-accredited grad schools, the 30-hour full-time program involves coursework in accounting theory, advanced auditing, cost/managerial accounting, taxation, forensic accounting, financial management, business valuation, and accounting research. Acceptance into this MPA program automatically makes students eligible to pledge as a member of the premier accounting honorary of Beta Alpha Psi.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC)
Contact Information
Joseph Greene Hall Room 307
118 College Drive
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
(601) 266-4641
michael.dugan@usm.edu
https://www.usm.edu/business/accounting/about-mpa
As the knowledge and skills required to practice professional accounting is expanding rapidly in response to the ever-increasing regulations placed on the business field, qualified individuals are strongly encouraged to pursue a fifth year of study in one of the top-notch accounting master’s programs offered at graduate schools nationwide for the best career opportunities. If you call the “Magnolia State” home or simply want to study there, be sure to further investigate these four accredited accounting graduate programs in Mississippi to get on the right track to professional success in the in-demand accounting industry.
