Orfalea College of Business - Graduate - MS in Accounting

MS in Accounting

Each program is a one-year intensive program that seeks to enable its graduates to meet the academic requirements for licensure as a Certified Public Accountant in California including the changes in the California law expected to go into effect January 2014. Students preparing to become licensed as a CPA will be candidates for careers with international public accounting firms, regional and local CPA firms, industry and government. Students may select a specialization in financial reporting or taxation. The curriculum in each program requires 45 units of study.

Master of Science in Accounting – specialization in Tax: The MSA-Tax specialization prepares its graduates for a career in federal, state or local taxation with a public accounting firm, industry, or a state or federal governmental tax agency. The graduate tax student begins the program of study with a 3-week special summer session beginning one month prior to the traditional start of fall quarter classes. All MST students will successfully complete a clinical tax education internship during the winter tax-filing season consistent with Cal Poly’s educational philosophy of “learn by doing.”

Master of Science in Accounting – specialization in Financial Accounting: The MSA-FA specialization prepares candidates for careers with international public accounting firms, regional and local CPA firms, industry and government. The MSA-FA specialization is a uniquely designed, multi-disciplinary approach to graduate accounting education that couples advanced financial accounting and audit curriculum with courses in information systems.