There are a number of accredited accounting degree programs in South Carolina. Several of them are at the master’s level, bespeaking a deeper focus than can be had in undergraduate education; those who hold such degrees can rightly claim greater expertise and knowledge in their fields. Knowing which of those programs is the best fit may take some doing; the information below helps to make it easier by offering department and program descriptions, as well as contact information, about the various master-level accounting programs South Carolina hosts.

Charleston Southern University

School of Business

The School of Business at Charleston Southern University offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with majors in Accounting, Financial Management, Management and Marketing, as well as emphases in Entrepreneurship, Management and Marketing; a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics; a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Business Administration degree with emphases in Accounting, Finance, Leadership, Management Information Systems and General Management. Students of the School thus have a variety of programs in which to master the knowledge and skills of the business world while immersing themselves in a devoutly Christian environment.

Master of Business Administration, Accounting Emphasis

The School offers a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in accounting. The degree requires 33 semester-hours of credit, normally completed within two years if all prerequisites are in place. Students in all emphases take 18 hours of program core courses (Managing with Excellence and Integrity, Advanced Marketing Management, Business Ethics from a Christian Worldview, Advanced Managerial Accounting, Financial Management Practices, and the capstone, Strategic Planning and Analysis), three from the quasi-core selections (Macroeconomic Policy in a Global Economy, Advanced Investments, Advanced Managerial Economics, Information Systems Concepts, and International Finance and Monetary Policy), three hours of electives and nine in the emphasis. Accounting emphasis courses include Cost Accounting and Management Control, Federal Taxation for Individuals, Federal Taxation for Corporations and Other Entities, Advanced Financial Accounting, Auditing and Attestation, Government & Not for Profit Accounting, International Accounting, Accounting Information Systems, and Financial Statement Analysis.

Accreditation

  • The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • The International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education

Contact

9200 University Boulevard
Charleston, SC 29406
Phone:(843) 863-7534
Email: jcogdill@csnuiv.edu
Website: http://www.csuniv.edu/business/mba/index.html

Clemson University

School of Accountancy and Finance

A component of the College of Business and Behavioral Science, the School of Accountancy and Finance at Clemson University offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, a Bachelor of Science degree in Financial Management and a Master of Professional Accountancy degree. The recipients of each are qualified to enter prominent positions in the workforce or to continue their formal educations without difficulty. Students are equipped to be leaders as well as workers and to guide future developments in their fields in the interest of the public good.

Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc)

The School offers a Master of Professional Accountancy degree meant to ease students into sitting for their CPA exams and prepare them for the accounting careers to follow. The degree requires 30 hours of coursework, normally completed in one year if all prerequisites are in place. The program reports that fifteen hours are in core areas such as ethics and law, finance and advanced accounting practices. The remaining fifteen allow for specialization in either taxation or assurance services; the former is more heavily supported.. Specific courses include Tax Research; Ethical, Professional and Societal Responsibilities; Advanced Accounting Problems; Forensics & Analysis; International & Special Topics in Taxation; Federal & State Income Taxation of Corporations; Law for Professional Accountants; Financial Theory & Research; Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting; Financial Auditing; Taxation of Flowthrough Entities; and State, Local & Advanced Topics in Taxation. Full-time study ranges from $4,433 to $8,829 per term, depending on residency.

Accreditation

  • The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

305 Sirrine Hall
Clemson, SC 39634-1303
Phone: (864) 656-4883
Email: chollin@clemson.edu
Website: http://www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/Accounting/

Coastal Carolina University

E. Craig Wall, Sr., College of Business Administration

The E. Craig Wall, Sr., College of Business Administration at Coastal Carolina University offers a variety of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including a PGA of America-accredited golf management program and both the Master of Business Administration and Master of Accountancy degrees. A number of minors are available for non-business students, marking the College as heavily engaged in interdisciplinary outreach that is sure to enrich its program offerings for those enrolled in it. Accelerated and articulating degree programs are available to ensure that students can meet their educational goals rapidly and fully.

Master of Accountancy (MAcc)

The School offers a Master of Accountancy program meant to equip its students with a deeper broad base of knowledge and skills so that they can successfully face the dynamic challenges presented to them. Two tracks are available: Assurance and Taxation. Each requires 30 units of coursework, 18 of which are a shared core (Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting, Advanced Accounting, Fraud Examination, Advanced Tax, Financial Statement Analysis and Law for Accountants). Another three are in an accounting or business elective; the remaining nine are specific to the track. Assurance students take Advanced Auditing, Digital Forensics and E-Discovery and Fraud and Litigation Advisory Services. Taxation students take Taxation of C Corporations, Taxation of Pass-through Entities, and Estate and Gift Taxation. In both cases, students gather sufficient understanding to be able to face most any accounting task while still focusing their skill-sets to be highly qualified experts in their fields.

Accreditation

  • The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

P.O. Box 261954
Conway, SC 29528-6054
Phone: (843) 347-3161
Email: macc@coastal.edu
Website: http://www.coastal.edu/business/gradprograms/macc/index.html

College of Charleston

School of Business

Only a few years past its 25-year anniversary, the School or Business at the College of Charleston enrolls some 2,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, offering them seven undergraduate majors, honors opportunities, interdisciplinary minors, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Science in Accountancy. An emphasis on globalized learning and international discourse in the School recognizes that business knows no borders and effective business works to build intercultural understandings so that all who participate can benefit. The School also hosts a number of centers to offer students additional opportunities and support the local community.

Master of Science in Accountancy

The School offers a Master of Science degree in Accountancy that prepares students for public, private, and government accounting work; the program satisfies the educational requirements for most states’ CPA exams. Three tracks are available: Financial Reporting/Assurance, Taxation, and International. All three require students to take 30 semester hours of courses, including the two core courses Accounting Theory and Contemporary Accountancy Issues. The remaining hours vary by track. The Financial Reporting/Assurance track is relatively flexible, with program data explicitly noting that students tailor their curricula to their individual interests. The Taxation track appropriately focuses on taxation, which is amply represented in program course offerings. The International track requires students to take two study-abroad courses in Europe (European Origins of Modern Accountancy and European Financial Markets) as well as International Business Law; they are expected to address global issues in their theses and in their work in the core courses.

Related Resource: How Long Should I Expect to Be a College Student If I Want to Be a CPA?

Accreditation

  • The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

College of Charleston
School of Business
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
Phone: (843) 953-8041
Email: danielsr@cofc.edu
Website: http://sb.cofc.edu/academics/graduate/accountancy/index.php

University of South Carolina

Darla Moore School of Business

Founded in 1919 as the School of Commerce, the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina enrolls nearly 5,000 students in nine undergraduate, seven master’s, and two doctoral programs in the Departments of Accounting, Economics, Finance, International Business, Management, Management Science, and Marketing. Those programs are highly ranked by such bodies as the U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek. Hosting an executive education center and an economics conference, it claims the distinction of being the first flagship university’s business school named after a woman, following Darla Moore’s many generous gifts to the School

Master of Accountancy, MAcc

The School offers a Master of Accountancy degree meant to equip students for professional life, in no small part through suiting them to sit for the CPA exam. The 30-credit-hour full-time program (usually completed in one calendar year) offers two tracks: Business Measurement and Assurance and Taxation. The former requires students to take four required courses (Auditing II; Accounting Research & Communication; Information Technology Assurance, Control, and Security and Accounting Systems II) as well as an additional 18 hours from the following (or from electives if the equivalents have already been taken): Financial Accounting III, Cost/Managerial Accounting II, Tax II, Legal Issues for Accountants and Government and Nonprofit Accounting. The latter consists of five required courses (Tax Research & Communication, Taxation of Corporations and Partnerships I and II, Estate Planning and Advanced Estate and Income Planning), nine hours drawn from among four other courses (Financial Accounting III, Cost/Managerial Accounting II, Legal Issues for Accountants and Government and Nonprofit Accounting) and electives to meet the hours required.

Accreditation

  • The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

Taylor Self
MACC Program Assistant
1014 Greene Street
Columbia, SC 29208
Phone: (803) 777-4447
Email: macc@moore.sc.edu
Website: http://mooreschool.sc.edu/academicprograms/masters/masterofaccountancy.aspx

There are, of course, other programs in other places. Even if one of them is the best fit, though, the above information about accredited accounting degree programs in South Carolina can be of help, offering models for comparison to drive optimal selections.