There are a number of accredited accounting degree programs in Kentucky, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Selecting which of the latter is the best option for improving professional skills and knowledge can be a daunting choice. The information below will hopefully make the choice easier, offering insight into program standards and contexts, as well as providing contact information so that prospective students can get in touch with those they hope to have teach them.
Northern Kentucky University
Haile/US Bank College of Business
Named in honor of a $15 million donation, the Haile/US Bank College of Business at Northern Kentucky University offers undergraduate programs across the typical business fields, as well as specialized programs in Entrepreneurship, Sports Business and Construction Management. It also offers the MBA, the Master of Accountancy and the innovative Master of Leadership and Organizational Change degrees at the graduate level, in addition to hosting a number of regional outreach centers that ensure both the integration of town and gown and the opportunity for students to get practical instruction in their areas of study.
Master of Accountancy
The College offers a Master of Accountancy (MAcc) degree along two tracks: Professional and Accounting Practice and Reporting. The former prepares those with undergraduate accounting degrees for the CPA, while the latter brings those who lack undergraduate accounting degrees into accountancy.
The Professional Track (which offers a concentration in Taxation) requires 30 semester-hours of coursework, consisting of 21 required hours and nine directed electives. The required courses include
• Management Control Systems
• Consolidations & Partnerships
• Tax Research & Practice
• Advanced Auditing
• Advanced Accounting Theory
• CPA Law
• Either CPA Review or an additional 600-level elective
Notably, the Taxation concentration specifies the nine elective hours, as well. They are taken in Advanced Individual Taxation, Taxation of Partnerships & Pass Through Entities and Corporate Taxation.
The Accounting Practice and Reporting Track requires 36 semester-hours of specified coursework. It does not oblige prerequisites, but it allows no flexibility. Required courses are
• Financial Accounting & Reporting
• Financial Accounting I and II
• Tax Planning
• Auditing
• Advanced Auditing
• Advanced Accounting Theory
• CPA Law
• Management Control
• Tax Research
• Consolidations & Partnerships
• CPA Review
Accreditation
• University: Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• College: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Contact
Nunn Drive
BC 373
Highland Heights, KY 41099
Phone: 859.572.5164
Email: salyerb@nku.edu
Website: http://cob.nku.edu/graduatedegrees/accountancy.html
University of Kentucky
Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics
The Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky has an 80-year history of excellence. Awarding undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in its Departments of Economics, Finance & Quantitative Methods, Management and Marketing & Supply Chain, as well as the Von Allmen School of Accountancy, it seeks to prepare world-ready professionals through intensive programs that enable students to work alongside prospective employers. It thus fosters the kinds of relationships upon which commerce and industry depend, suiting its graduates for work in the world after their schooling ends.
Master of Science in Accounting
The College, through the Von Allmen School of Accountancy, offers a Master of Science degree in Accounting that is newly revised and re-envisioned. The degree requires 30 semester hours of coursework, of which at least 21 must be in accounting courses and at least 15 at the 600 level. Core accounting courses (the first seven listed below) are taken in lock-step, while other courses can be scheduled more flexibly. Obligatory courses include
• Advanced Topics in Taxation
• Advanced Topics in Financial Reporting
• Research in Accounting Theory
• Attest Function
• Selected Topics in Taxation
• Understanding Financial Statements (the final examination or project completed in which is required for graduation from the program)
• Enterprise Information and Control Systems
• Legal Issues for Accountants
Two more courses, electives, round out the curriculum. At least one must be at the 600 level. They may be additional accounting courses, but they are subject to approval by program administration.
Accreditation
• University: Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• College: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Contact
Von Allmen School of Accountancy
Gatton College of Business and Economics
Room 350A Gatton Building
Lexington, KY 40506
Phone: 859.323.9683
Email: jesm222@uky.edu
Website: https://gatton.uky.edu/programs/masters
University of Louisville
College of Business
The College of Business at the University of Louisville seeks to develop students who improve their city, region and broader business community through quality educational offerings. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels in Accounting, general business, Computer Information Systems, Economics, Equine Business, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management and Marketing, covering the whole of the business field and reflecting local interests in ways that nonetheless prepare students for professional work in an increasingly global economy. Innovation from faculty and students is encouraged, as is immersion in the world, ensuring that classroom lessons can find application.
Master of Accountancy
The College offers a Master of Accountancy degree that emphasizes teamwork and collaboration as it prepares students for the CPA exam. The degree requires 30 hours of coursework, divided into 1.5-hour modules that focus on recent and current developments in accountancy and meet in the evenings and on Saturdays in an intensive, fast-paced curriculum. Outside work is not recommended while students are in the program. Modules cover such areas as data analytics, information systems, auditing, professional research, taxation, ethic, leadership and current topics; details appear to be restricted to participants in the program. Admission to the program is restrictive; entering cohorts are kept small and carefully screened for cohesion, since they proceed through the curriculum together in sequence. Unity of the cohort is emphasized in initial orientation and retreat, an available graduate student lounge (which is open to students in other graduate business programs, fostering networking) and a final commencement dinner.
Accreditation
• University: Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• College: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Contact
Harry Frazier Hall
110 W. Brandeis Ave.
Louisville, KY 40292
Phone: 502.852.7257
Email: MBA@louisville.edu
Website: http://business.louisville.edu/master-of-accountancy/
Western Kentucky University
Gordon Ford College of Business
The Gordon Ford College of Business at Western Kentucky University began as a private business college that was later acquired by the University and renamed in honor of a donation from Gordon B. Ford in 1998. It currently hosts undergraduate programs in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Information Systems, Management and Marketing, as well as offering the MBA, the MA in Economics, and the MAcc degrees at the graduate level. Some fields combine with graduate work in 4+1 programs, where students can earn a master’s with only one additional year of study instead of the typical two.
Master of Accountancy
The College offers a Master of Accountancy degree program meant to equip those whose undergraduate curricula trained them as accountants with the skills and knowledge necessary not only to succeed, but to excel. The degree requires 30 hours of graduate-level coursework (some undergraduate courses may need to be taken to offer background and context), of which 18 must be in accounting. Required courses include
• Advanced Financial Accounting and Reporting
• Advanced Accounting Information Systems Control and Audit
• Special Topics in Managerial Accounting
• Special Topics in Tax Research and Planning
• Advanced Auditing Standards, Applications and Fraud
• Special Topics in Accounting for Not-For-Profit Organizations and Governments
The remaining 12 hours are electives and allow students to more narrowly tailor their studies to their professional interests. Half may come from outside the College with the approval of the Department. Courses may also come from other Departments within the College by approval.
Accreditation
• University: Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• College: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Contact
Department of Accounting, Grise Hall 501
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11061
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1061
Phone: 270.745.3895
Email: sheri.henson@wku.edu
Website: https://www.wku.edu/accounting/master-of-accountancy.php
Other programs can be found, of course, both in Kentucky and elsewhere. Many MBA programs offer substantial accounting coursework, for example. The above information about accredited accounting degree programs in Kentucky should make investigating such programs easier, though, by showing what to look for in them no less than by pointing out the merits of the accounting-specific programs already available.
Related Resources:
- What Is The Expected Salary for Someone with a Master’s in Finance Degree?
- What is the Difference Between a Master of Finance and an MBA?
- What is the Difference Between a Master’s in Finance and a Master’s in Accounting?
- What is the Difference Between a Master’s in Finance and a Master’s in Economics?
