4.5 Accelerated Accounting Programs
In addition to offering the Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) and Master of Science in Taxation (MST) in the usual time frame involving one year of full-time study beyond the Bachelor’s level, the MSA and MST are offered as accelerated programs. These programs permit high achieving accounting students who have accelerated their education by taking advanced courses in high school, testing out of classes, taking increased class loads, or going to summer school, to start their graduate work while in the senior year.
The accelerated programs are available only to students who are undergraduate students at the University of Miami Herbert Business School. The programs are designed in such a way that students can expect to complete both their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and make significant progress on the CPA exam (if not complete it entirely) within 4½ years. In addition, these programs are extremely price competitive.
4.5 Accelerated Accounting Program Timeline
- Internship in spring semester of senior year
- Twelve credit hours of work in senior year will count towards the MSA or MST degree (only students in the accelerated programs are eligible to take these classes during their senior year).
- In summer after senior year take the CPA review course and the CPA exam.
- Complete remaining credit hours of graduate work in fall semester after senior year.
Admission to the 4.5 Accelerated Accounting Programs
Current University of Miami Undergraduate Accounting Majors
Academic Requirements
- Students should apply to the 4.5 Accelerated Accounting Program by September 1st of their junior year.
- Admission to the program will be based on GPA, letters of recommendation, and performance in upper division (300-level or above) accounting courses in progress or completed. It is expected that the students admitted to the program will have GPAs exceeding 3.3, but students with these scores are not guaranteed admission. The decision will depend on the quality and size of the applicant pool and will be made by senior school administrators and faculty.
- After admission, to remain in the program, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher and an accounting major GPA of 3.3 or higher. Students who do not maintain the expected GPA may be placed on probation or transferred out of the program.
- By the start of senior year, students must be within 30 credit hours of completing their undergraduate degree requirements in order to qualify for Senior-Graduate Status. Optimally, for this program, students should be within 24 credit hours of completing their undergraduate degree requirements by the start of senior year and have completed the following coursework:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACC 311 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 |
| ACC 312 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 |
| ACC 402 | Auditing | 3 |
| ACC 403 | Fundamentals of Taxation | 3 |
| BSL 401 | The Law of Financial Transactions (may be taken in fall of senior year, if needed) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
Additional Requirements
- Students must apply to the program at the start of their junior year and obtain an “approved” internship through the Toppel Career Center.
- The internship must be scheduled to take place during the spring of senior year.
- In the fall semester of their senior year, before registering for their senior-year spring classes, students must submit a copy of their internship agreement to the Faculty Director in the Department of Accounting.
- By the fall semester of their senior year, students must have applied for admission to the graduate accounting program and submitted their verification enrollment fee to pursue a Master of Science in Accountancy or Master of Science in Taxation degree in the fall semester immediately following their senior year.
- The GMAT will be waived for students admitted into the program.
Prerequisites
Students considering the 4.5 Accelerated Accounting Programs should plan their undergraduate semesters so that they can comply with the following:
- In order to qualify for Senior-Graduate Status in the final year of undergraduate study, students must be within 30 credit hours of completing their undergraduate degree requirements before they enter senior year. Optimally, for this program, students should be within 24 credit hours of completing their undergraduate degree requirements before the start of senior year.
- Students should complete all undergraduate degree requirements except for those that can be completed in the senior year.
- The following required coursework must be taken prior to senior year:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACC 311 | Intermediate Accounting I | 3 |
| ACC 312 | Intermediate Accounting II | 3 |
| ACC 402 | Auditing | 3 |
| ACC 403 | Fundamentals of Taxation | 3 |
| BSL 401 | The Law of Financial Transactions (may be taken in fall of senior year, if needed) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
Senior Year Curriculum (Senior-Graduate Status)
The program-specific curriculum for the senior year is the same for all tracks and consists of the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACC 301 | Cost Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 406 | Accounting Systems | 3 |
| ACC 550 | Accounting Internship | 3 |
| MGT 401 | Strategic Management (usually taken in the final undergraduate semester) | 3 |
| Twelve (12) credit hours of undergraduate courses as needed for degree requirements | 12 | |
| Twelve (12) credit hours of 600-level courses approved by the Program Director | 12 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 36 | |
Final Fall Semester
In the final fall semester, students will complete the remaining 18 graduate credit hours including the requirements for their track, MSA or MST, and electives selected in consultation with the Program Director in the Department of Accounting.
Senior Year Curriculum (Senior-Graduate Status)
The program-specific curriculum for the senior year is the same for all tracks and consists of the following courses:
| Senior Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| Twelve (12) credit hours of undergraduate coursework as needed for degree requirements | 12 | |
| ACC 631 | Business Combinations Complex Estimates (Term 1) | 2 |
| ACC 639 | Income Taxation and Business Entitles (Term 1) | 2 |
| BUS 610 | Communicating for Career Success (Term 2) | 2 |
| Credit Hours | 18 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACC 301 | Cost Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 406 | Accounting Systems | 3 |
| ACC 550 | Accounting Internship | 3 |
| MGT 401 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| ACC 610 | Capstone: Financial Reporting Research (Term 2) | 2 |
| ACC 622 | Advanced Issues in Auditing (Term 2) | 2 |
| ACC 648 | Accounting for Income Taxes (Term 2) | 2 |
| Credit Hours | 18 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 36 | |
Final Fall Semester
In the final fall semester, students will complete the remaining 18 graduate credit hours including the requirements for their track and electives selected in consultation with the Program Director in the Department of Accounting.
