The MSA program is designed for highly motivated, academically successful students who desire advanced and/or specialized knowledge in Accounting. The primary program objectives are to develop conceptual and technical ability, oral and written communication skills, and research and analytical skills in an advanced area. The program takes from one to two years depending on the business and accounting credit hours the student completes before entering the program. The MSA programs are intended to prepare students for public practice, private industry, government service, and not-for-profit organizations. One of the main features of this program is an internship where students spend two-months working with a CPA firm, industry, or governmental unit.  Employers use the internship to recruit our highly qualified students for full-time positions after graduation. Placements are nationwide, although most of our graduates are concentrated in the Dallas and Houston markets. The AACSB International separately accredits the accounting curriculum.  

Within the MSA program the student may select one of two concentrations:

• Auditing / Financial Reporting  
  The mission of the graduate programs in auditing/financial reporting is to prepare students to contribute as auditing and financial reporting professionals to the success of their organizations, to the enhancement of the accounting profession, and to the betterment of society. To this end, we provide students with technical and non-technical skills necessary to enter, adapt, and succeed in a dynamic business environment. We also encourage and model the practice of life-long learning.
  >>> Click here to view the Auditing / Financial Reporting Advising Sheet
  

• Taxation
  The graduate tax program at Texas Tech University is focused on the study of the U.S. tax system and its effects on business behavior and decision-making. Our graduates are equipped with a broad understanding of the structure and underlying rationale of the U.S. federal income tax system, including the application of that system to international business operations. They are skilled at analyzing business problems, and finding and communicating solutions to those problems through professional research. Their oral and written communication skills are well honed and they are comfortable with the application of current technological tools. They are prepared to assume positions of responsibility in a variety of businesses, including public accounting, corporate accounting/finance/tax departments, and law firms.
  >>> Click here to view the Taxation Advising Sheet

FACULTY

The faculty has an extensive background in the practice of auditing and financial reporting and in academe. Members of the faculty have worked in public accounting, in private industry, and in government, as consultants, as instructors in professional education courses, and as faculty members at other institutions of higher education. They also have published numerous articles in professional and academic journals, authored chapters in textbooks and academic monographs, and regularly participate in conferences and meetings on auditing, financial reporting, education matters, etc. Members of the faculty are certified to practice public accounting and are active members in professional organizations such as the Texas Society of CPA’s, the American Institute of CPA’s, the Institute of Internal Auditors, and the American Accounting Association.

CURRICULUM 

The curriculum builds on the undergraduate component of the 150-hour program (other “foundation courses” in the case of the traditional MSA program) and provides students with a deep understanding of auditing theory and practice and the theory and practice of external financial reporting. The curriculum also provides students with deep understanding of business law and of accounting information and control systems. Finally, the curriculum provides opportunity for additional study in elective topics chosen by the student. Electives may be chosen from accounting, finance, management, marketing, information systems, or from a discipline outside of business. A student may earn three hours of elective credit via a graduate internship in private, public, or government accounting.

>>> Click here to go to the Area of Accounting Website Admission

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

>>> Click here for Estimated Costs and Financial Aid

ADMISSION

Application to the graduate component of the 150-hour program should be made during the Spring semester of the applicant’s junior year. Application to the MSA program should be made during (or before) February and November for entrance in the Fall and Spring semesters, respectively. Graduate coursework cannot be taken prior to admission. Applicants should take the GMAT prior to the fall semester of their senior year if entering the 150-hour program and before the time of application for the MSA program.

After admission, the student’s graduate program of study must be approved by the accounting faculty advisor prior to the eighth semester for the 150-hour students and no later than the first semester for MSA students.

To apply for admission to either the graduate component of the 150-hour program or the traditional MSA program, please contact:

Graduate Services Center

Rawls College of Business

Graduate Services Center

Texas Tech University

Box 42101

Lubbock, TX 79409-2101

(806) 742-3184

(800) 882-6220