MASTER OF SCIENCE
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
(30 Semester Hours) Evening Program
Broken Arrow Campus Only
The
Master of Accounting and Financial Analysis (MAFA) program is offered primarily
as an evening program through Northeastern State University’s campus in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It is designed for those
interested in pursuing careers as controllers, financial managers, financial
analysts and advisors, and public accountants.
Applicants should have an undergraduate background that is primarily in
either accounting or finance, with a sufficient exposure to other business
disciplines such as business law, economics, management, marketing and
management information systems.
Program Highlights
The
Master of Accounting and Financial Analysis is
- A unique degree
that is targeted at the financial services market. The disciplines of accounting and
finance are integrated in each course using a cross-functional approach.
- A dynamic program
that provides students with an opportunity to change the direction of
their career or to expand their options in the area of financial services
as the environment changes.
- Rigorous in its
broad coverage of the areas of financial reporting and analysis, financial
management, investment analysis, management reporting and decision
analysis, auditing and financial information systems, and global
accounting and financial analysis, with electives that allow students to
target their own career goals.
Program Application Steps
- Obtain admission
to NSU’s Graduate College.
- Obtain a
qualifying score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
- Have two letters
of recommendation from employer and/or academic sources submitted directly
to the MAFA Program Director.
- Submit directly to
the MAFA Program Director a resume which details your academic background , work experiences, and significant
accomplishments.
MAFA Program Director
Dr. G. Todd Jackson email: jacksogt@nsuok.edu
3100 E. New Orleans Phone: (918) 449-6525
Broken
Arrow, OK
Program Admission
Admission
to the Graduate College does not imply admission to the MAFA program. Since the capacity of the program is limited,
a MAFA Admissions Committee consisting of three graduate faculty members,
including the MAFA Program Director, exists to review each application and
associated materials. The purpose of
this review is to allocate the program’s capacity to those applicants who are
deemed by the MAFA Admissions Committee to be the most likely to be successful
in the program. An applicant’s previous
academic records, professional experience, recommendations, accomplishments,
and test scores will be assessed during the admission decision process. At the discretion of the MAFA Admissions
Committee, an applicant may be requested to respond to clarifying questions by
mail, e-mail, telephone, or in-person interview. To be considered for admission to the MAFA
program, the student must have:
1.
An earned
bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2.
A sufficient
background in business subjects.
Students who have completed the undergraduate Business Core at NSU or
equivalent courses are considered to have a sufficient background in business.
3.
An
undergraduate major in either accounting or finance or have completed 15 hours
of undergraduate courses in finance including Managerial Finance, Investments,
and Securities Markets or fifteen hours in accounting including Intermediate I
and II and Auditing or the equivalent with a “C” or better in each course.
4.
A Graduate
Management Admission Test (GMAT) score, not more than five years old, that
combines with the undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) to satisfy the
following formula: GMAT ≥ Maximum
of 400 or [1,050 – (UGPA × 200)]. Accordingly,
the student’s GMAT score must add to the product of the undergraduate GPA and
200 to yield a total of at least 1,050.
However, in no case may the GMAT score be less than 400.
5.
An approved
Application for Graduate Admission.
6.
One official
transcript of all previous course work from each college or university
attended. The transcript must be sent
directly from the schools attended to the Graduate College.
7.
A resume
detailing the applicant’s educational background, work experience, skills,
awards, and achievements. The resume
should be submitted directly to the MAFA Program Coordinator.
8.
Two letters
of recommendation from individuals who either are or have served in a position
of authority over the applicant.
Preferably, one letter will be from an employer source and one letter
will be from an academic source. These
letters must be sent directly from the source to the MAFA Program Coordinator.
9.
Students for
whom English is not their first language must have a minimum score of 500 on
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Applicants who have submitted all
required documentation will be notified of the admission decision by mail. The following schedule applies:
All
Application Materials For An Admission Decision
Must
Be Received By Decision To Be Mailed By
April 1 July 31
September
1 December
31
February
1 May
31
Degree Requirements
A
student must complete a minimum of thirty semester hours of graduate 5000 level
business course work and a capstone experience as prescribed by an approved
plan of study with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Degree Structure
The Master of Science in
Accounting and Financial Analysis requires a minimum of 30 semester hours:
Required MAFA Courses: 15
hours
ACFN 5003 Accounting and Financial Analysis Seminar I
ACFN 5143 Quantitative Methods in Accounting and Financial
Analysis
ACFN 5223 Global Accounting and Financial Analysis
ACFN 5333 Finance Seminar
ACFN 5363 Accounting and Financial Analysis Seminar II
MAFA Electives: 12 to 15 hours
ACFN 5103 Accounting Theory Seminar
ACFN 5133 Computer Modeling in Accounting and Financial
Analysis
ACFN 5163 Controllership and Cost Accounting
ACFN 5173 Advanced Cost Accounting and Decision Theory
ACFN 5193 Taxation and Business Strategy
ACFN
5263 Financial Statement Analysis
ACFN
5303 Derivative Securities: Analysis and Accounting
ACFN 5313 Fixed Income Analysis
ACFN 5233 Accounting Information Systems
ACFN 5243 Auditing and Attestation
ACFN 5293 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Theory
ACFN 5610 Special Topics in Accounting and Financial
Analysis
Approved Graduate
Business Electives: 0 to 3 hours
MBA 5333 Marketing Strategy
MBA 5343 Managerial Economics
MBA 5523 Business Law
Suggested Professional
Certification Tracks
CFA Track:
ACFN 5003 Accounting and
Financial Analysis Seminar I
ACFN 5133 Computer
Modeling in Accounting and Financial Analysis
ACFN 5143 Quantitative
Methods in Accounting and Financial Analysis*
ACFN 5223 Global
Accounting and Financial Analysis
ACFN 5263 Financial
Statement Analysis
ACFN 5293 Investment
Analysis and Portfolio Theory
ACFN 5303 Derivative
Securities: Analysis and Accounting
ACFN 5313 Fixed Income
Analysis*
ACFN 5333 Finance Seminar
ACFN 5363 Accounting and
Financial Analysis Seminar II
CPA Track:
ACFN 5003 Accounting and
Financial Analysis Seminar I
ACFN 5103 Accounting
Theory Seminar
ACFN 5143 Quantitative
Methods in Accounting and Financial Analysis*
ACFN 5163 Controllership
and Cost Accounting**
ACFN 5193 Taxation and
Business Strategy
ACFN 5223 Global
Accounting and Financial Analysis
ACFN 5233 Accounting and
Financial Information Systems*
ACFN 5243 Auditing and
Attestation*
ACFN 5333 Finance Seminar
ACFN 5363 Accounting and
Financial Analysis Seminar II
CMA Track:
ACFN 5003 Accounting and
Financial Analysis Seminar I
ACFN 5103 Accounting
Theory Seminar
ACFN 5133 Computer
Modeling in Accounting and Financial Analysis
ACFN 5143 Quantitative
Methods in Accounting and Financial Analysis
ACFN 5163 Controllership
and Cost Accounting**
ACFN 5173 Advanced Cost
Accounting and Decision Theory*
ACFN 5223 Global Accounting
and Financial Analysis
ACFN 5233 Accounting and
Financial Information Systems*
ACFN 5333 Finance Seminar
ACFN 5363 Accounting and
Financial Analysis Seminar II
Admission to
Candidacy
Admission
to the MAFA degree program does not imply admission to candidacy. Students are eligible to be admitted to
candidacy if they have:
1.
Been admitted
to the MAFA Program.
2.
Been assigned
an advisor by the Graduate College from the College of Business Graduate Faculty.
3.
Filed a plan
of study signed by the student and approved by the MAFA program advisor and the
Dean of the Graduate College.
4.
Filed a
Statement of Understanding signed by the student and approved by the MAFA
program advisor and the Dean of the Graduate College.
5.
Completed a
minimum of twelve graduate hours as prescribed by the plan of study.
6.
Maintained a
“B” average in all course work by the date of candidacy.
Fifteen
semester hours toward the master’s degree must be completed after being
admitted to candidacy.
Capstone Experience
The
MAFA program requires a learning experience beyond the specified minimum number
of courses. The capstone experience can
be satisfied by making an acceptable score on a professional examination to
receive the Certified Public Accountant license, Certified Management
Accountant designation, or Chartered Financial Analyst® designation or other
equivalent certification or specialist designation. With the approval of an advisory committee,
the capstone experience may also be satisfied by completing a research paper,
thesis, additional coursework, or other synergistic experience. The advisory committee must consist of three
graduate business faculty members, at least two of whom must be faculty who
teach in the MAFA program. Evidence of
completing the capstone experience must be submitted for approval by the Dean
of the Graduate College at least thirty days before conferral of the degree. For the professional examination option, the
required evidence is a capstone completion form that has been signed by the
MAFA Program Coordinator. All other
capstone experiences require a declaration of satisfactory completion that has
been signed by each member of the student’s advisory committee and is included
with the product of the capstone experience that is submitted to the Dean of
the Graduate College.
The
capstone experience may be completed after the student has been admitted to
candidacy. Students who do not complete
the capstone experience by the end of program coursework must enroll in ACFN
5711, MAFA Capstone Experience, under the MAFA Program Coordinator each
semester until the capstone experience is completed.
Course Descriptions
ACCOUNTING
AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS (ACFN)
5003 Accounting and Financial Analysis Seminar I 3
hours
Foundation course integrating
and applying the basic principles of accounting and financial analysis. Topics
include the financial reporting model, entity valuation theory, revenue and
expense recognition, asset and liability measurement, equity reporting,
executive compensation, and financial statement disclosure analysis.
5103 Accounting Theory Seminar 3
hours
A study of the theoretical
foundations of financial reporting, including current accounting practices and
theories. Topics include generally accepted accounting
principles, authoritative pronouncements, measurement of assets and
liabilities, efficient market issues, and global accounting practices.
5133 Computer Modeling in Accounting and
Financial Analysis 3
hours
A study of advanced spreadsheet
and database techniques for decision analysis in accounting and financial
analysis. Topics include Visual Basic for Applications,
XBRL, probabilistic simulation of accounting and financial analysis problems,
and relational database structures.
5143
Quantitative Methods in Accounting and
Financial Analysis 3
hours
A study of the foundational
quantitative techniques applicable to accounting and financial analysis. Topics
include discounted cash flow applications, probability theory, probability
distributions, sampling and estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation, simple
and multiple regression, time series analysis, and portfolio concepts.
5163 Controllership 3
hours
Controllership provides a study of management
planning and control in functional and divisional organizations, responsibility
accounting, and performance measurement.
Topics include budgeting, transfer pricing, out-source decisions,
activity based accounting systems, and vendor inventory monitoring systems.
5173
Advanced Cost Accounting and Decision
Theory 3 hours
A study of specialized topics in
product and service costing along with concepts and applications pertaining to
the analysis of complex decisions. Topics include advanced cost-volume-profit
techniques, forecasting, linear programming, network analysis, decision tree
analysis, simulation analysis, queuing theory, and Markov processes. Prerequisite: ACFN 5163.
5193 Taxation and Business Strategy 3
hours
A study of business taxation,
opportunities for tax planning and methods of minimizing taxation including the
formation of taxable entities, operating and liquidation stages. Topics
include entity selection, methods of capitalization, tax accounting methods,
deferred compensation plans, taxation of corporations and shareholders, and tax
research.
5223 Global Accounting and Financial Analysis 3
hours
A study of issues regarding
financial reporting and analysis in the global economy. Topics
include comparison of International Accounting Standards and U.S. generally accepted accounting principles
international market risks and currency issues.
5233 Accounting and Financial Information Systems 3
hours
A study of the planning, design,
and implementation of accounting and financial information systems. Topics
include: relational database structures; transaction and reporting cycles;
internal controls, fraud prevention, and ethical issues; enterprise resource
planning systems; and systems development.
5243 Auditing and Attestation 3
hours
A study of concepts and
practices of auditing and attestation. Topics include auditing and
attestations standards, professional ethics, substantive testing, control
testing, analytical procedures, computerized methods for extracting and
analyzing audit data, and audit reporting. Prerequisite: ACFN 5233.
5263 Financial Statement Analysis 3
hours
This course investigates the information content
of financial statements included in corporate reports and announcements. Topics include methods of measuring income,
assets, liabilities, liquidity, solvency, return on assets and equity interest,
and forecasting financial statement balances and cash flows.
5293 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Theory 3
hours
A study of the development and
implementation of sound investment strategies. Emphasis
is placed on security analysis techniques, evaluation of various types of
securities and their associated risks, and the operation of securities
markets. Special attention is paid to
portfolio construction and management.
5303 Derivative Securities: Analysis and
Accounting 3
hours
An advanced study of the characteristics of and
accounting for derivative securities including call options, put options,
future and forward contracts, and swaps.
Additional topics include risk analysis, hedging, arbitrage, and
financial engineering to achieve financial objectives.
5313
Fixed Income Analysis 3
hours
A study of concepts and
applications pertaining to the valuation of simple and complex fixed income
investments. Topics include: features and risks associated
with fixed income investments; yield measures, spot rates, and forward rates;
duration and convexity; valuing bonds with embedded options; valuing
mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, valuing interest rate derivative
instruments; and general principles of credit analysis.
5333 Finance Seminar 3
hours
A seminar emphasizing the practical application of
advanced financial concepts under conditions of uncertainty such as measuring
risk and return, capital budgeting, cost of capital, capital structure,
dividend policy, derivative securities, financial planning, corporate
restructuring, and financial management by multinational corporations.
5363 Accounting and Financial Analysis Seminar II 3
hours
The integration of concepts in
accounting and financial analysis. Topics include corporate planning, working
capital management, capital markets, tax implications of business decisions,
information systems and internal controls, investment strategies, ethics, risk
valuation, present value analysis, dividend policy, and completion of a
capstone experience.
5610 Special
Topics in Accounting and Financial Analysis 1-3 hours
This course involves the study of a accounting and financial analysis topic of current or
special interest. The purpose of this course is to take advantage of a one-time
class opportunity such as a visiting professor or as a platform for development
of new courses and electives (may be repeated for 1-3 hours).
5711 MAFA Capstone Experience 1
hour
Pass/Fail course required each semester for MAFA
students who have not completed the capstone experience by the end of regular
program coursework. The student will be
required to show satisfactory progress toward completion of the capstone
experience. This course does not qualify
to be counted as part of the minimum thirty hour requirement for the MAFA
degree or as part of the fifteen hours that must be taken after admission to
candidacy.
