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. Gary Freeman email:
freemadg@nsuok.edu
3100
E. New Orleans Phone: (918) 449-6524
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.