Requirements

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the Advanced Certificate Program, students must have completed 15 credits of coursework in the MPA Program with an average of 3.2 or better. In addition, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree in accounting or the equivalent from an accredited college or university, including 24 undergraduate credits in accounting and 18 undergraduate credits in general business electives.

Certificate Requirements

Students must complete the following four courses for a total of 12 course credits.

• ACC 71x: Advanced Financial Reporting and Analysis. 3 hours, 3 credits
• ACC 72x: Advanced Auditing with Analytical Applications. 3 hours, 3 credits.
• ACC 7xx: Analytical Methods in Inspection and Oversight . 3 hours, 3 credits
• ACC 74x: Forensic Accounting and Auditing. 3 hours, 3 credits

Two of the above courses can be transferred to the MPA Program and count toward program requirements. ACC 71x Advanced Financial Reporting can be substituted for PAD 742 and ACC 7xx Analytical Methods can be substituted for PAD 747 to satisfy the Research Methods and Quantitative Skills requirement.

In addition, the student must complete the Master of Public Administration Program and the Fiscal Policy Analysis and Oversight concentration. To complete the Fiscal Policy Analysis and Oversight concentration, students must include the following courses:

• Fiscal Policy Analysis and Oversight concentration
• ACC 75x: Advanced Taxation 3 hours, 3 credits
• ACC 76x: Strategic Cost Management 3 hours, 3 credits

Each student who is admitted to the Advanced Certificate Program will be provide an Official Program of Study, signed by the MPA Inspector General Program Director, the Advanced Certificate in Forensic Accounting Director, and the Director of Graduate Admissions, specifying the student’s program requirements, and specifying how the student’s course of study satisfies the CPA 150 requirements.

Summary of Graduation Requirements

The student graduates with the Master of Public Administration degree upon completion of the requirements for the MPA program with the concentration in Fiscal Policy Analysis and Oversight.

The student will also receive the Advanced Certificate in Forensic Accounting upon completion of the additional requirements of the certificate as specified in the Official Program of Study, including the four required courses, and the two additional required courses within the MPA Program, and any other requirements necessary to satisfy CPA 150.