The University of Akron is also featured in our ranking 30 Top Affordable Master’s in Accounting/Master’s of Accountancy Degree Programs.
Master of Science in Accountancy
Unlike other accounting programs at the graduate level that require students have a background in finance or accounting, the University of Akron Master of Science in Accountancy program is open to all types of students. Also called its MSA program, it asks students to submit transcripts when applying. The university will use those records to decide if students should take any prerequisites. Those who have a business degree from an accredited college or university can immediately enroll in the full MSA program. Other students will take some basic classes on accounting and finance principles first. Those classes can include Managerial Finance, Accounting Decision Support Systems, Business Analytics and Information Strategy and Business Law and Regulation.
All MSA students will take 15 credits of core courses, including Contemporary Accounting Issues and Advanced Financial Reporting and Analysis. Once they complete these required classes, they can take a capstone class and work on a final research project. The university requires that students get approval from the instructor offering that class before taking it. This program also features a tax core, but the university only requires that students take a single tax class. They can pick from options like Federal Taxation, Corporate Tax and Tax Research. Students can also take finance or accounting electives.
This University of Akron program is one of the only ones in the state with an accounting information systems core. Students have the option of entering a general accounting program of focusing their studies on accounting information systems. Those in this program take 12 credits of classes such as Software Development and Quality Assurance, Business Database Systems, Management of Data Networks and Project Management.
Students must take at least 30 credits of classes to get a Master of Science in Accountancy. Only 15 of those classes are core courses though. They can pick five electives to take from different disciplines based on their unique career goals. The University of Akron pairs incoming MSA majors with advisers who work in the accounting department to ensure that they complete all the requirements to get their degrees.
About University of Akron
The University of Akron is one of several public colleges that make up the University System of Ohio. Founded in 1870, it used the name Buchtel College up until the 1910s. Affiliated with the Universalist Church for a number of years, it offered courses and programs that followed the principles of that religious organization. Many of its early students attended church services on the campus each week. The Church donated most of the funds needed to get the college off the ground. After dropping its affiliation with that organization, the city of Akron took over the daily operations of the college and renamed it the University of Akron.
Twelve different colleges with their own departments now operate under the school’s banner, including the College of Engineering and the College of Business. The Graduate School is responsible for all its graduate programs, but this school works closely with other colleges. Princeton Review included the university on its list of the best colleges in the Midwest, and BusinessWeek ranked its undergrad business program as one of the top 100 of its type in the entire country. The university also receives a large number of funds each year that allows its students and professors to do their own research. More than 18,000 undergrad students and more than 2,800 advanced students take classes online and on its urban Akron campus every year.
University of Akron Accreditation Details
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS) granted regional accreditation to the University of Akron. This is important because it both lets students use financial aid and allows them to transfer college credits into the accountancy program. All the business programs that it offers through its business school have accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) too. Students can view all the different types of accreditation that the university has on its official website.
University of Akron Application Requirements
All graduate students applying to the University of Akron must use the graduate application, which the university offers online. Though they can spend some time working on this application, they must submit it prior to the university’s deadline and pay a $45 fee. Students can use a debit card or a credit card to pay this fee. Those who attended the university in the past and want to return must use the same application and pay the same fee. Students must also provide the university with official college transcripts. Once the school receives those transcripts, it will send the completed application to the appropriate college or department for review. Those departments may the final decision regarding a student’s application.
In addition to this application, certain departments may ask for other information. A large number of programs ask for two or three letters of recommendation. Students should submit both educational and professional letters of recommendation. They may have the option of supplying names and contact information for their references and letting the university contact those individuals. Departments may ask that students submit resumes to show that they have professional experience or a goals statement that lists all their school and future goals.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The cost of earning a master’s degree from the University of Akron depends on the number of classes or credits that a student takes. With the cost of all fees factored in, Ohio resident pay around $490 per credit hour. The university charges a nonresident fee that brings this cost up to around $800 per credit hour for any student who is not an Ohio resident. Students will pay at least $4,400 to more than $7,000 a semester as a full-time student.
Like other schools, the University of Akron asks students to file the FAFSA and submit it to see if they will get any financial aid for the coming school year. Grad students generally qualify for one or more loans. They can borrow up to $20,500 a year from the federal government in the form of unsubsidized loans. Students may also qualify for graduate PLUS loans or for private student loans that come from various lenders. The government will base the amount that they can borrow for graduate school on the total amount they borrowed during their undergrad years.
