DIRECTOR, PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANCY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Byunghoon Jin, Ph.D.
Byunghoon.jin@marist.edu

In June 2017, the School of Management at Marist College established a Dual Degree in Accounting (Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Professional Accountancy) and a Master of Science in Professional Accountancy (MS/PAccy).

The Dual Degree in Accounting is designed for entering freshman students at Marist College who wish to major in accounting. The Dual Degree in Accounting provides Marist students majoring in accounting the opportunity to receive both an undergraduate and graduate degree in as little as four years and four months. Accounting majors may elect to be accepted into the Dual Degree in Accounting at the end of their sophomore year. The program is designed for students to complete substantially all of the undergraduate portion of their bachelor degree during the first semester of their senior year and admitted into the graduate portion during the second semester of their senior year with an internship and distant learning courses. Students will be required to take at least one graduate course during their fall semester of their senior year along with undergraduate courses and at least one undergraduate course during the spring semester of their senior year along with graduate courses. The graduate portion is completed during the summer with two five-week sessions and one two-week accelerated tax research course. Information on the Dual Degree in Accounting may be found in the Undergraduate Catalog under the School of Management, Accounting.

The MS/PAccy is an innovative program designed to assist accounting graduates in completing the additional 30-credit hours in graduate courses. It addresses the requirement by accounting firms that are requiring entering accounting professionals to have either completed the 150-credit requirement or have completed a substantial portion with a plan in place to complete the remaining requirements. Students in the program can complete 18 credit hours or 60% of the degree requirements in the summer and begin their career with an accounting firm in the fall. The remaining courses can be completed in a distance learning environment, thereby giving young professionals the opportunity to begin their careers in September. It can be completed within a seven-month period.

The MS/PAccy is a specialty master program that capitalizes on the geographic advantages of Marist’s location, including its proximity to New York City and easy access to a high number of public accounting firms as well as Mid-Atlantic and New England corporate headquarters.

Dual Degree in Accounting and MS/PAccy Mission and Goals

The mission of the Dual Degree in Accounting and the MS/PAccy is to provide accounting graduates the opportunity to expand their horizons of the accounting profession beyond the basic knowledge gained in accounting undergraduate studies. The program does not merely add to the accounting knowledge of the undergraduate courses, but expands that knowledge to current topics facing accounting professionals in the workplace. Students completing the degree requirements will possess a valued skill set sought by accounting firms and enhance their career choices.

Students completing the program will be able to (1) effectively communicate through written and oral presentations; (2) identify research, analyze and solve problems in a changing global environment; (3) identify, analyze and respond to ethical dilemmas; and (4) will be prepared to operate effectively in an accounting career.

AACSB International Accreditation

The School of Management is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the foremost international accrediting organization; less than five percent of business programs worldwide earn AACSB accreditation.

MS/PAccy Program Format & Scheduling

The MS/PAccy Curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of the New York State Department of Education for a Master of Science in Accounting and consists of three core courses; three courses in related fields and 12 electives. The program is designed to provide students the opportunity to complete 18 semester hours in the summer and the remaining 12 semester hours online. The program is flexible in that students can complete the remaining 12 hours in more than one semester (e.g., six hours in fall and six hours in the spring). The online courses except for the course in analytics (a fifteen-week course) are eight-week courses.

Admissions Requirements

Dual Degree in Accounting

Marist accounting majors may elect to be accepted into the program in the second semester of their sophomore year. Upon completing all undergraduate requirements, students are awarded their Bachelor of Science in Accounting. There is no GMAT requirement for Marist accounting majors in the Dual Degree in Accounting program.

Master of Science in Professional Accountancy

All applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree in accounting. The MS/PAccy program looks at the interests, aptitude, and capacity of a prospective student as indicated by the applicant’s previous academic record and resume and should the Director of the Program deem it necessary, an interview with the Director. There is no GMAT requirement except upon request.

Application Process

Applicants must submit all of the material listed below:

• A completed Marist Graduate Admissions Application
• A non-refundable application fee made payable to Marist College
• Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which the applicant received a degree; under certain circumstances, transfer transcripts may also be required
• A current résumé or a written statement describing work history and present responsibilities
• GMAT only upon request

Applicants are required to have a 3.0 in their accounting undergraduate major and a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 to apply to the MS/PAccy program.

• For on-site courses, proof of MMR immunity (if born on or after January 1, 1957).
• Application deadlines are April 1 (Summer Admission), August 1 (Fall Admission) and December 1 (Spring Admission).

MS/PAccy Program Academic Policies

For the MS/PAccy, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required to be maintained for good academic standing and to graduate. Students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 after completing one semester of full-time study or its equivalent.

Any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 or receives a letter grade of F will be placed on academic probation. Students will be required to re-take any course in which they receive a letter grade of F.

The College’s policies with respect to maintaining matriculation, leaves of absence, and withdrawal from the Program apply to the School of Management graduate programs.

Students must be in good academic standing (minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0) to participate in commencement.

Registration Procedures

Registration and payment is done online: http://www.marist.edu/admission/graduate/professional-accountancy/admission.html or directly to the application process at https://think.marist.edu/applynow/inquiryform.

MS/PAccy Program Overview

The Marist MS/PAccy program is comprised of two components: (1) Spring/ Fall courses are taught on-line and (2) Two five-week summer sessions in-class courses and a two-week accelerated tax research course. Three core courses address accounting and auditing topics and the related fields address economics, finance and analytics-all of which are three credit courses, totaling 18 credit hours. The remaining 12 credit hours are electives. The program is a combination of MS/PAccy and MBA courses. The capstone course is an accounting research course which is a ten-week hybrid course taught during the two five-week sessions in the summer.