Marshall School of Business – USC - Master of Accounting

USC Marshall Master of Accounting Program Structure

The USC Master of Accounting program (MAcc) is a 30 unit full-time program with a minimum of 11 courses. The program can be completed in a part-time format, however, only for those in the MBT-Working Professionals program. In 2018, the school introduced the The Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics (MAcc D+A) program option, which works in collaboration with the USC Leventhal School of Accounting and the USC Marshall Data Sciences and Operations Department. This option, however, is only open for domestic students with an accounting undergraduate degree.

The MAcc program can be completed between nine and 11 months. The MAcc D+A can be completed in 12 months, which also features an internship portion. Both options prepare students for the CPA examination. As of 2020, The MAcc is designated a STEM Program.

Curriculum

In the USC Marshall MAcc program, students must complete five accounting core courses, one communication core course, four electives, and one floating elective. The floating elective gives students the option to complete courses from a number of MBA and non-MBA options in the USC networking. These networks, for instance, may include the USC Gould School of Law, School of Cinematic Arts, and The Price School of Public Policy. This floating elective must also be approved by an academic advisor. The Summer Intensive is additionally required. This intensive is a ‘9 week summer course for incoming Master of Accounting or Business Taxation students who have limited accounting backgrounds’.

Core accounting courses that every student must take are as follows:

• Professional Responsibilities in Accounting
• Ethics for Professional Accountants
• Fair Value Accounting: GAAP, IFRS & Emerging Issues

Students complete one of the two accounting classes:

• Auditing and Assurance Services
• Advanced Financial Statement Auditing Topics

Students also complete this accounting course:

• Advanced Enterprise Systems and Technologies

A total of 12 accounting electives are available.

USC Master of Accounting Class Profile

The most recent USC Master of Accounting program class featured a total of 152 students (35 average per cohort). Among the class, the admission rate was around 45 percent. Additionally, there were 50 percent female students and 11  percent international students.

The undergraduate GPA was 3.58, the GMAT average was 650, and the TOEFL average was 108. Furthermore, the majority of the class studied accounting as undergraduates (70 percent), business administration/finance (10 percent), and social sciences/humanities (8  percent). About 17 percent of the class are USC undergraduates.

Tuition, Scholarships, and Financial Aid

Tuition for the USC Master of Accounting program differs by semester. Summer tuition is currently $12,000, while fall and spring tuition is $59,260. Including fees and other expenses, the total summer semester expense is $17,166. The expense for fall and spring, on the other hand, is $77,614.

Scholarships are offered by the USC Leventhal School of Accounting in the fall and spring semesters for students in the MAcc, MAcc D+A, and MBT full-time programs. MBT-Working Professionals students, however, are not offered scholarships. USC and other third-party organizations may provide additional scholarships.

Federal and private loans may be available for domestic applicants. However, private loans may be the lone option for international applicants.

USC Master of Accounting Admissions

In order to apply to the USC Master of Accounting program, applicants must have a four-year undergraduate degree (or international equivalent), in addition to the completion of pre-requisite courses. Students without a BA in accounting start the MAcc program in the summer in order to complete the following pre-requisite work:

• Introduction to Financial Accounting
• Micro or Macroeconomics
• Statistics

The Corporate Finance course must also be completed, but can be finished during the program or before enrolling.

Students with a BA in accounting typically start in the fall. Those students must complete the aforementioned required courses, in addition to the following:

• Intermediate Accounting I
• Intermediate Accounting II
• Cost or Managerial Accounting
• U.S. Federal or Corporate Taxation

Auditing/Assurance. Advanced Accounting, and Corporate Finance can also be completed before or during the program.

In addition to a completed online application, the following must be submitted:

• A current resume
• Official transcripts
• GMAT/GRE scores
• TOELF or IELTS scores (if necessary)
• One-page resume
• A personal statement
• Video essay
• Optional essay
• Two letters of recommendation
• $90 fee (waived for USC alumni)

Application deadlines are as follows:

Domestic Applicants:

Deadline for Summer Start – March 31

Deadline for Fall Start – April 15

International Applicants:

Final Deadline – Jan. 15 

FAQs

1. How has the university coped with the pandemic? Classes are predominantly online due to Covid-19 to keep students and staff safe.
2. What graduate programs are offered? MS options are available in Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Finance, Marketing, Social Entrepreneurship, Global Supply Chain Management, Library and Information Science, Food Industry Leadership as well as Business Administration. Students may also achieve a Master of Business for Veterans, Master of Management studies, as well as an MBA, EMBA and IBEAR MBA.
3. How well do recent graduates fair in the job market? Out of the class of 2020, 97% of domestic students found employment compared to 60% of international students.

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Program Cost:  The total summer semester expense is $17,166. The expense for fall and spring, on the other hand, is $77,614.

Total Length in Months: 9-12

Classes: 

• Online
• Hybrid
• On-site

USC Master of Accounting Stats

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