Management Master's Degree Requirements

Program | Faculty | Master's | Doctoral | Courses

In accordance with the accreditation guidelines of the AACSB, the foundation for Master's study within the Isenberg School consists of basic course work in economics, statistics, accounting, finance, marketing, computer methods, organizational behavior, and the social and legal environment. Any baccalaureate degree holder is eligible to apply for the program.

The Master's degree program is 55 credit hours. Core courses may be waived upon approval of the instructor and Program Director but an elective must be taken to replace the waived course. Students may also transfer up to 6 credit hours of graduate courses obtained from accredited institutions within the past three years with a grade of B or better with approval of the Program Director as long as those courses have not previously been used for another graduate degree.

Admission to the Master's program is only for the fall semester and all students take the common first-semester core courses regardless of the particular program in which they are enrolled.

Recommended academic preparation: Micro-economics, macroeconomics, introductory statistics (in any field), college-level algebra and calculus.

A description of the requirements of the various Master's degree programs of the Isenberg School follows.

The Master of Business Administration Degree

The M.B.A. program is designed to develop general management and administrative skills and to provide candidates with a broad base of business knowledge. To ensure that all students are exposed to the broad aspects of business, the M.B.A. program requires a number of courses beyond the foundation courses listed for all Master's programs. These include 18 credits of general electives. Elective courses may also be taken outside the Isenberg School to assist those students interested in other nonbusiness areas where a managerial component is desirable.

The M.B.A. degree program is a four-semester sequence taken over a two-year period. Required courses common to all students are taken in the first year. Elective offerings are taken in the second year along with the field practicum experience required of all students. In addition, all first-year full-time M.B.A. students are required to enroll in a professional seminar each semester.

The Master of Science in Accounting Degree

Web site: www.umass.edu/acctg/msa_prog.html

The M.S. in Accounting program prepares students for careers in public accounting, management accounting, information systems, and the not-for-profit area.

The two-year, 55-credit program for non-accounting undergraduate majors includes the core requirements of the M.B.A. program, and accounting courses as prescribed by the Department. Students are expected to have completed successfully the equivalent of Accounting 221 and 222 (introductory accounting) before entering the program.

The following courses are required:

Fall semester SOM 521, 650, 660, 680.

Spring semester SOM 522, 631, 632, 640, 644.

Fall semester SOM 641, 732, 734, and two accounting electives.

Spring semester SOM 689, 731, and two accounting electives.

Elective courses are chosen with the approval of the student's adviser, leading to specialization in various fields such as: managerial accounting, public accounting, not-for-profit accounting, and teaching. With the consent of the student's adviser, special programs can be arranged involving the selection of courses in other departments and schools on campus.

The CPA laws in Massachusetts and some other states permit the holder of the Master's degree to substitute the degree for part of the public accounting experience required for the certificate. Students preparing for other certification programs (CMA, CIA, etc.) should consult the faculty adviser.

M.B.A. Professional Programs

An M.B.A. professional degree program, offered during the evening at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, on weekends at the Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, and on-line via the Internet allows those who are employed full-time the opportunity to pursue an M.B.A. on a part-time basis. Part-time students usually take two courses per semester for a total of 37 credits (eleven 3-credit courses and one 4-credit course). Courses are offered throughout the year, including the summer term.

This program is designed for individuals with an undergraduate degree in business or who have otherwise met departmental prerequisites.

Application

Application for graduate study should be made directly through the Dean of the Graduate School, as described elsewhere in this Bulletin. A complete application consists of a) the application form (indicating the specific program to which application is being made), b) two letters of reference (professional preferred), c) two sets of official transcripts of all college-level work, and d) an official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score report. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not an acceptable substitute for the GMAT. Information on the GMAT may be obtained on-line at www.gmac.com or by calling 1-800-GMAT-NOW. Application deadlines are found elsewhere in this Bulletin. Action is taken as soon as possible after receipt by the Graduate School of a complete application.

Standards for admission are consistent with those described earlier in this Bulletin.

Applicants with a GMAT score of less than 500 are rarely admitted to the program. Com-petition for selection and financial aid is intense and applicants with GMAT scores of 600 or greater fare best in the selection process. International students are not exempt from this requirement. This examination may be taken more than once.

Applicants with Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores of less than 620 are rarely admitted. This examination may be taken more than once.