Master of Accountancy 

Accelerate your career — where it counts.

The Master of Accountancy (MAcc) provides graduates with the superior technical accounting knowledge, strong analytical and communication skills, and highly-developed interpersonal abilities to begin or enhance a successful career in accounting in 12 months or less.

The MAcc program at LSU is a fifth-year professional program that aims to provide students with a greater understanding of accounting and business than is possible in an undergraduate program. The MAcc student will develop superior technical accounting knowledge, strong analytical, written and oral communication skills, and highly developed interpersonal skills. The program prepares students for careers as professional accountants in public practice, industry, financial institutions, government, and nonprofit organizations.

What You'll Learn

The MAcc requires 30 hours of non-thesis course work. The program is primarily designed for those with undergraduate preparation in accounting; however, exceptional candidates from other disciplines may be considered. Upon completion of the program, you should have completed Louisiana's 150-hour educational requirement for the CPA license.

Students interested in concentrating their focus in certain specializations can do so. The MAcc program offers specializations in:

  • Internal Audit
  • Financial Reporting and Assurance Services
  • Taxation Services

Course Hours

ACCT 4022 or ACCT 4421
Advanced Accounting or Governmental Not-for-Profit Accounting1

3

Tax- Students must choose one of the following:
ACCT 4221 - Income Tax Accounting II
ACCT 7201 - Tax Aspects of Business Entities (Fall only)
ACCT 7210 - Tax Research, Planning and Business Decision Making

3

ACCT 7021
Advanced Theory of Accounts

3

Auditing- Students must choose one of the following:
ACCT 7222 - Auditing Theory and Standards
ACCT 7233 - Graduate Internal Auditing I (internal audit students only; Spring Only)
ACCT 7235 - Fraud Auditing 

3

BLAW 4203
Commercial Transactions for Accountants2

3

Upper-level (4000 or 7000) Accounting elective

3

ACCT 4244
Audit Analytics3

3

General Electives - Must be selected from courses in the College of Business4

9

Total

30

1 If both ACCT 4022 (Advanced Accounting) and ACCT 4421 (Governmental & Not-for-Profit Accounting) were taken as an undergraduate, select another upper-level (4000 or 7000)
accounting course.

2 If BLAW 4203 (Commercial Transactions for Accountants) was taken as an undergraduate, select an upper-level (4000 or 7000) elective from the College of Business.

3 If ACCT 4244 (Audit Analytics) was taken as an undergraduate, must take ACCT 4344 (Tax Analytics).

4 [1] When selecting general electives, the student needs to remember that five of the 10 courses they take (15 hours) must be at the 7000-level.

Course Hours
ACCT 4022 or ACCT 4421
Advanced Accounting or Governmental & Not-for-Profit Accounting1
3
Tax- Students must choose one of the following:2
ACCT 7201 - Tax Aspects of Business Entities (Fall only)
ACCT 7210 - Tax Research, Planning and Business Decision Making
3
ACCT 7021
Advanced Theory of Accounts
3
ACCT 7222
Auditing Theory and Standards
3
ACCT 7401
Ethics for Professional Accountants
3
BLAW 4203
Commercial Transactions for Accountants3
3
Upper-level (7000) Accounting elective 3
ACCT 4244
Audit Analytics4
3
Directed Elective - Student must choose one of the following courses:
ACCT 4021     Cases in Accounting Policy
FIN 4830          Analysis of Corporate Financial Statements
 
Total 30

1 If both ACCT 4022 (Advanced Accounting) and ACCT 4421 (Governmental & Not-for-Profit Accounting) were taken as an undergraduate, select another upper-level (4000 or 7000) accounting course.
2 When selecting their Tax Course, students need to remember that five of the 10 courses they take (15 hours) must be at the 7000-level.
3 If BLAW 4203 (Commercial Transactions for Accountants) was taken as an undergraduate, select an upper-level (4000 or 7000) elective from the College of Business.
4 If ACCT 4244 (Audit Analytics) was taken as an undergraduate, must take ACCT 4344 (Tax Analytics).

The Internal Audit specialization follows the calendar year. That is, students begin the program in spring and finish it in fall. For more information on specializing in Internal Audit, please see the webpage for the LSU Center for Internal Audit.

Course Hours
ACCT 4022 or ACCT 4421
Advanced Accounting or Governmental & Not-for-Profit Accounting1

3

Tax- Students must choose one of the following:
ACCT 4221 - Income Tax Accounting II
ACCT 7201 - Tax Aspects of Business Entities (Fall only)
ACCT 7210 - Tax Research, Planning and Business Decision Making
3
ACCT 7021
Advanced Theory of Accounts
3
ACCT 7232
Case Studies in Internal Audit (Summer Only)
3
ACCT 7233
Graduate Internal Auditing I (internal audit students only; Spring Only)
3
ACCT 7234
Operational Auditing (Fall Only)
3
ACCT 7333
Internship in Internal Auditing (Optional)
3
BLAW 4203
Commercial Transactions for Accountants2
3
ACCT 4244
Audit Analytics3
3
Upper level (4000 or 7000) Accounting elective 3
Total 30

1 If both ACCT 4022 (Advanced Accounting) and ACCT 4421 (Governmental & Not-for-Profit Accounting) were taken as an undergraduate, select another upper-level (4000 or 7000) accounting course.
2 If BLAW 4203 (Commercial Transactions for Accountants) was taken as an undergraduate, select an upper-level (4000 or 7000) elective from the College of Business.
3 If ACCT 4244 (Audit Analytics) was taken as an undergraduate, must take ACCT 4344 (Tax Analytics).

Course Hours
ACCT 4022 or ACCT 4421
Advanced Accounting or Governmental & Not-for-Profit Accounting1
3
ACCT 4221
Income Tax Accounting II
3
ACCT 7021
Advanced Theory of Accounts
3
ACCT 7201
Tax Aspects of Business Entities (Fall only)
3
ACCT 7210
Tax Research, Planning and Business Decision Making
3
ACCT 7235
Fraud Auditing 
3
BLAW 4203
Commercial Transactions for Accountants2
3
Upper-level (4000 or 7000) Accounting course 3
ACCT 4244
Audit Analytics3
3
Total 30

1 If both ACCT 4022 (Advanced Accounting) and ACCT 4421 (Governmental & Not-for-Profit Accounting) were taken as an undergraduate, select another upper-level (4000 or 7000) accounting course.

2 If BLAW 4203 (Commercial Transactions for Accountants) was taken as an undergraduate, select an upper-level (4000 or 7000) elective from the College of Business.

3  If ACCT 4244 (Audit Analytics) was taken as an undergraduate, must take ACCT 4344 (Tax Analytics).

4 When selecting General Electives, the student needs to remember that five of the 10 courses they take (15 hours) must be at the 7000-level.

92%

of Master of Accountancy graduates are employed

- within 6 mos. of graduating

Top 50

Best Master's Degree Programs in Accounting

- Best Accredited Colleges (2021)

 

 

Additional Program Details

Enrollment in the MAcc program is competitive with a faculty review process determining admission. The minimum admission requirements are:

  • Admission to the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School.
  • Admission requirements for graduates from the E. J. Ourso College of Business with the required prerequisite accounting courses (see below) are a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the applicant’s accounting courses. If the overall GPA is below 3.0, an applicant’s GPA in their last 60 hours of coursework must be at least 3.0. The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is no longer required for an applicant from LSU’s E. J. Ourso College of Business’s undergraduate programs.
  • The GMAT is waived for applicants from AACSB accredited schools who have an undergraduate accounting degree (or a business degree with the prerequisite courses) and have an overall GPA of 3.5 with a 3.2 GPA in their accounting courses.
    All other applicants from AACSB accredited schools must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (or a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their last 60 hours of coursework), a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their accounting courses, and a minimum GMAT score of 500.
  • The completion of an undergraduate degree in accounting, or the equivalent, at a four-year accredited institution.
  • Each applicant should either have an undergraduate degree in accounting (or the equivalent), or an undergraduate degree other than accounting, but have completed the following (or equivalent to the following) pre-requisite courses:
    • Accounting 3001 - Intermediate Accounting Part 1  (has pre-requisites)
    • 3021 - Intermediate Accounting Part 2 *
    • Accounting 3221 - Income Tax Accounting *
    • Accounting 3121 - Cost Analysis and Control *
    • Accounting 3122 - Accounting Information Systems *
    • Accounting 3222 - Auditing **

* Intermediate Accounting Part 1 is a pre-requisite for these courses
** Accounting Information Systems is a pre-requisite for this course

Application
Application to the MAcc program begins with an application to the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School. You may apply online or contact the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School at 225-578-2311 for more information. The Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School will forward your completed application to the Department of Accounting for admission consideration. The Department of Accounting does not require a writing sample or a statement of purpose.

Deadline 
The deadline for submitting an application for consideration into the MAcc program is October 15 for Spring entry and March 15 for Summer and Fall entry. The application must be complete, including the GMAT score and all letters of recommendation, to be considered. No applications will be evaluated before these dates. After these dates, applications may be considered on a rolling basis.

Letters of Recommendation 
Three letters of recommendation are required from applicants who are not undergraduate accounting majors at LSU. Letters of recommendation do not have to be on any particular form and may be submitted online at the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School or sent directly to the MAcc Program Advisor. Applicants who are undergraduate accounting majors at LSU may submit letters of recommendation if they wish. 

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available for full-time students, which require 10 hours of work per week. If you wish to be considered for an assistantship, you may complete and return the application that will be included with your notification of acceptance into the MAcc program.

The LSU BS in Accounting program meets the Louisiana educational requirements to take the CPA exam.  To apply for a Louisiana CPA license, students must also complete an additional 30 hours beyond the accounting BS program.  Many students choose to earn the additional 30 hours by enrolling in LSU’s Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program.  The State Board of CPAs of Louisiana will evaluate each applicant in its entirety to make a final decision regarding licensure.  Additional non-educational requirements such as work experience and character references may apply.  For more information, visit the Louisiana State Board website.

The LSU Department of Accounting offers the accounting research and ethics courses that are required by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.  Students completing both BS and MAcc degrees can meet the educational requirements to take the CPA exam as a Texas candidate as long as the required accounting research and ethics courses are taken as part of the coursework. The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy will evaluate each applicant in its entirety to make a final decision regarding licensure.  Additional non-educational requirements such as work experience, fingerprinting, and character references may apply.  For more information, visit the Texas state board website.

Students who are interested in being licensed as a CPA in any other state besides Louisiana or Texas should contact the respective state board before enrolling in LSU’s accounting program.  LSU has not determined whether this program meets the educational requirements for licensure in other states.

Please contact accounting@lsu.edu for more information.

 

Contact Us

MAcc Program Contact

Charlene Henderson
2814 Business Education Complex North
225-578-6202
henderson@lsu.edu