Program Description
The Master of Science in Audit and Advisory Services (MSAA) provides students with advanced auditing skills and prepares them to succeed as accountants at both public accounting firms and corporate internal audit departments. Students received hands-on training with audit tools, visualization techniques and data analytics. The program also uses forensic accounting to prepare students to understand what questions to ask about financial data and how to interpret the findings. Students graduate with a set of integrated competencies that are highly valued by the accounting profession.
The program is intended for students with a prior degree in accounting. It offers a unique opportunity to earn a graduate degree while also fulfilling the extra credit hours needed to quality for the CPA exam.
Program Features
Comprehensive curriculum. The program’s integrated curriculum focuses on areas that are in high demand across accounting profession sectors, including internal audit, data analytics, fraud and forensic accounting, and information systems.
Case-based coursework. Students gain advanced, practical skills for workplace application by learning in a case-based setting and working with audit systems used by accounting professionals.
Professional input. The program’s core competencies are based on insights from top-ranking members of the auditing and accounting profession. Students are prepared with skills that are highly regarded by firms and corporations.
Recognized as a top school. DePaul’s accounting program is recognized by the Institute of Internal Auditors Internal Auditing Education Partnership Program as a comprehensive-level school for internal audit education—making DePaul one of only 15 schools in the United States recognized with this distinction.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Degree Requirements | 48 |
| Total hours required | 48 |
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Exhibit sophisticated knowledge of internal auditing, corporate governance and internal control.
- Apply and develop an understanding of data mining, data analytics and data reporting.
- Understand and critically analyze the regulatory and ethical standards within an internal auditing and fraud context.
- Demonstrate an understanding of audit and fraud issues from an international perspective.
- Find red flags in financial statement and reports and investigate fraud within an organization.
- Recognize and apply relevant ethical standards in the context of fraud and internal auditing.
- Write and speak about current accounting issues to peers, practitioners, and the public.
Degree Requirements
Course Requirements
Twelve courses are required to complete the Master of Science in Audit and Advisory Services (MSAA) degree. Of the twelve required courses, nine are required and three are selected from among business electives. Students may not repeat at the graduate level course material that was completed as part of their undergraduate degree. Please consult with an academic advisor for clarification.
Students must complete the following nine required courses (36 hrs):
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACC 535 | PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS | 4 |
| ACC 615 | APPLIED STATISTICS FOR ACCOUNTANTS | 4 |
| ACC 635 | INTRODUCTION TO FRAUD EXAMINATION | 4 |
| ACC 636 | INTERNAL AUDITING, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND INTERNAL CONTROL | 4 |
| ACC 637 | DATA MINING AND ANALYTICS | 4 |
| ACC 638 | ADVANCED IT AUDITING | 4 |
| ACC 639 | AUDIT ANALYTICS | 4 |
| ACC 645 | FORENSIC AND INVESTIGATIVE ACCOUNTING | 4 |
| ACC 646 | FORENSIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS AND VALUATION | 4 |
In addition, students must complete three business electives (12 hrs.) from the list below:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GOVERNANCE POLICIES IN INFORMATION ASSURANCE (FORMERLY CNS 477) | ||
| INFORMATION SECURITY MANAGEMENT (FORMERLY CNS 440) | ||
| DATA MANAGEMENT | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING | ||
| PYTHON PROGRAMMING | ||
| NEGOTIATION SKILLS | ||
| U.S. BUSINESS CULTURE & PRACTICE | ||
| STRATEGY EXECUTION | ||
| INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SEMINAR I | ||
| INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SEMINAR II |
Please note: ACC 547 AUDITING I, ACC 550 AUDITING II and ACC 640 ADVANCED TOPICS IN ACCOUNTING THEORY II are approved for credit only in the combined Bachelor's/Master's program.
Degree Requirements
- Satisfactory completion of the 9 required courses and 3 required electives.
- A minimum of 48 earned graduate credit hours applicable to the MSAA degree (waived credits are not considered earned hours).
- Satisfactory completion of the college residency requirement.
- All courses taken for credit toward the degree must be completed with satisfactory grades within six calendar years after the candidate's first term of enrollment in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. After a lapse of six years, a course is expired. An expired course is not acceptable for the purpose of satisfaction of degree requirements and is not applicable to the degree without the permission of the faculty program director or the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.