Faculty Spotlight Chelagat Misiko, CPA, MBA Accounting Lecturer/Advisor
A CPA, Professor Chelagat Misiko takes valuable experiences she gained in her professional career and incorporates them into course materials and classroom activities to prepare her students for their future careers.
“As a proud alumna of SUNY Poly, my professors played an important role in my education—faculty at SUNY Poly helped me build a strong foundation which allowed me to thrive as a CPA. My goal as a professor is to provide students with the skills that they will need to succeed in challenging roles in the accounting industry.”
MS Accounting The Program
The Master of Science in Accounting program is intended for students who are looking to increase their knowledge in the accounting field to either advance in their professional accounting career or to qualify to sit for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam. The SUNY Polytechnic Institute program is registered with New York State to satisfy the 150 hour licensure education requirement.
The program is designed for students who have the equivalent of an undergraduate accounting degree. Students who may not have a background in accounting are eligible to join the program by including additional preparatory work in their program under the guidance of a faculty adviser.
Students can complete the program on either a full-time or part-time basis, and it is available in a full online format.
Career Opportunities
The MS in Accounting program prepares graduates for careers in the following fields: public accounting (working as a CPA), corporate accounting (working as an accountant for a corporation or other for-profit company), not-for-profit accounting, government accounting, and the rapidly growing field of forensic accounting and valuation.
Accreditation
SUNY Poly business programs are accredited by AACSB International.
AACSB International is known, worldwide, as the longest standing, most recognized form of specialized/professional accreditation an institution and its business program can earn. Less than 5% of the world’s 13,000 business programs have earned an AACSB Accreditation.
AACSB-accredited schools have the highest quality faculty, relevant and challenging curriculum, and provide educational and career opportunities that are not found at other business schools.
For more information: aacsb.edu.
Degree Requirements
The MS in Accounting consists of 33 credit hours distributed as follows:
Accounting Core Courses 15 credits
Business Core Courses ...........................................15 credits
Elective Course 3 credits
Total: 33 credit hours
Accounting Core Courses (15 credits)
ACC 585 Financial Reporting/Analysis
ACC 611 Advanced Income Tax Research
ACC 630 Fund Accounting
ACC 650 Advanced Auditing Theory
ACC 685 Advanced Financial Accounting Theory
Business Core Courses (15 credits)
FIN 525 Financial Management Problems
FIN 685 S eminar in Accounting & Finance
BUS 505 Multinational Economics of Technology
MGS 511 Q uantitative Business Analysis
MIS 515 Management Information Systems
Elective Course (3 credits)
Complete any one graduate course offered by the College of Business, not including the above core courses and ACC 520 (Accounting for Managers).
Prerequisites
For students with a non-accounting bachelor’s degree, the following undergraduate prerequisite courses are also required:
• Introduction to Financial Accounting
• Intermediate Accounting 1 & 2
• Managerial or Cost Accounting
• Tax Accounting
• Advanced Accounting
• Auditing
• Business Law
• Computer Science
• Business Statistics
• Economics
• Two Business Electives
These courses can be completed prior to enrolling in the graduate program, or they may be completed concurrently with graduate coursework.
Forensic Accounting and Valuation — Concentration —
Forensic accounting is one of the fastest growing sectors in accounting. The concentration provides specialized education which enables students to become experts in fraud detection and prevention, investigative auditing and financial statement analysis, specialized accounting data analytics, and forensic asset valuation. Equipped with these capabilities, our MS Accounting graduates will be ideal candidates for filling the rapidly growing demand for forensic accounting and valuation services.
MS Accounting students pursuing the 9 credit hour concentration must complete the following 3 courses:
• ACC 540 Introduction to Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination Substitutes for the MS Accounting elective
• ACC 640 Financial Statement Investigations
Substitutes for ACC 585
• ACC 641 Accounting Information Systems and Data Analytics OR ACC 642 Forensic Accounting Valuation
Substitutes for ACC 630
Note: ACC 540 must be taken prior to any of the other concentration courses.
Admission Guidelines
To be considered for admission, all applicants to the MS Accounting program must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college. Applicants without a baccalaureate degree in accounting will be required to complete prerequisite undergraduate coursework in accounting and business.
The College of Business follows the AACSB-recommended admission guidelines: A total of 1,000 points based on 200 x undergraduate GPA + GMAT score. The minimum GMAT score required for admission consideration is 400.
The Application for Graduate Admission and all required forms are available at: sunypoly.edu/graduate-admissions/apply-now/
GMAT Waiver Options
A waiver of the GMAT exam may be requested in the following circumstances:
• The applicant previously earned a master’s degree in another field OR
• The applicant has passed all four sections of the CPA (Certified Public Accountants) examination OR
• The applicant is a licensed CMA (Certified Management Accountant) OR
• The applicant has an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher and has completed graduate business or accounting coursework at SUNY Poly as a non-degree student, and has earned a grade of B+ or higher in each course.
• The applicant has a GPA of 3.0 or higher with a major in business or accounting from an AACSB accredited business program in the U.S., or with a major in health information management or health informatics program from a CAHIIM accredited program in the U.S. within the last 7 years OR
• The applicant has an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher in any major from any accredited university or college, within the last 7 years OR
• The applicant has relevant professional experience of 5 years or more, will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
Submit the online GMAT Waiver Request Form if you qualify: webapp.sunypoly.edu/forms/gmat-waiver-request-form/
