Feb 07, 2025

2023-2024 Graduate Catalog

2023-2024 Graduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Accounting + Tax Consulting [BBA + M.S.]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid, Hyflex

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The intent of the Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Master of Science in Tax Consulting 150 hrs program is to develop tax professionals who are prepared to serve in the public and private sectors with a broad understanding of compliance, planning, and policy elements of tax practice, who are highly skilled in the technological advances in the tax environment, and who are committed to the ethical and legal standards that govern the practice of tax.

The Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems Department offers the graduate portion of the program Hyflex in a synchronous format using current technology. Thus, online students can access the same course media, materials, discussions, etc., as if in the classroom. In addition, the faculty records class meetings enabling students to revisit lectures as often as necessary while enrolled in each course.

The undergraduate courses are offered primarily in-person/hybrid and may also occasionally be offered online.

Learn

All business students at Eastern Michigan University must take a Business Core that provides basic knowledge in statistics, accounting and finance principles, information systems, law, management, marketing, operations management, and business policy.

Accounting majors take advanced courses in financial accounting, managerial accounting, tax accounting, accounting information systems, governmental accounting, and internal auditing. The courses provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to identify, measure, collect, analyze, and communicate economic information to permit informed judgments and decisions by managers in various organizations and outside users of accounting information. In addition, the combined BBA-MS (Taxation) program is designed for individuals interested in developing their understanding of technical aspects of tax planning, tax compliance, tax policy, and the legal and ethical issues governing tax practice.

Opportunities

An Accounting Major offers diverse opportunities in all types of organizations: for-profit, non-profit, and local and federal government agencies. Accounting majors generally start their careers in Public Accounting Firms as Staff Accountant and may progress all the way to Partner. Other opportunities may include Tax Accountants and Managers, International Tax Manager/Consultant, Director of Tax, Accounting Manager, Internal and External Auditor, Information Systems Analyst. Over time, Accounting Majors hold senior positions such as Partner, Controller, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Executive Officer.

Program Admission (Undergraduate)

Following are the minimal standards for admission to the combined degree program. Generally, each item should be satisfied, though program faculty consider the candidate’s overall record. Transfer credits and grades are evaluated in terms of Eastern Michigan University equivalency.

Undergraduate Program Admission

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
A written statement of personal goals
An interview with the program advisor
Completion of 90 hours of undergraduate coursework, including General Education, ACC 340 Intermediate Accounting , and College of Business Admission Criteria, as described below:

Students seeking admission to any program in the College of Business must complete 56 credit hours of coursework, including the courses listed below. In addition, students must complete the foundation courses for admission to the College of Business with a minimum earned grade of C- (C required for transfer courses) in each. Students must also have an EMU GPA of at least 2.50.

College of Business Foundation Courses: 21 hours

The following seven COB courses must be completed before COB admission and count toward the total credit hours required for this major.

ACC 240 Principles of Financial Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 241 Principles of Managerial Accounting 3 hrs
COB 200L4 Introduction to Business 3 hrs
IS 215 Information Systems for Business 3 hrs
LAW 293 Legal Environment of Business 3 hrs
MGMT 202 Business Communication 3 hrs

Choose one course from the following

DS 251 Business Statistics for Decision Making 3 hrs
DS 265 Business Statistics I 3 hrs

Non-College of Business Foundation Courses: 15 hours

COMM 124 Foundations of Speech Communication 3 hrs
ECON 201 Principles of Macroeconomics 3 hrs
ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics 3 hrs
Quantitative Reasoning (GEQR) requirement (See the Undergraduate Catalog for details) 3 hrs
WRTG 121 Composition II: Researching the Public Experience 3 hrs

Program Admission (Graduate)

Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall. See Application Deadlines.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and be previously admitted to the undergraduate portion of the combined program.

Applicants must confirm with their advisor that they have completed enough undergraduate credits before applying to the graduate portion of the program. A student must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours before being fully admitted to the graduate portion of the program.

Program Requirements

Applicants must also meet the following program requirements:

Completion of 120 hours of undergraduate coursework, including course content noted under initial admission above and the undergraduate components (i.e., required and restricted electives)
A GMAT score of 500 or higher OR a GRE score of 306 or higher. The GMAT/GRE requirement is waived if the student achieves an aggregate GPA of 3.2 or above (combined) in ACC 340 and three additional EMU ACC courses other than ACC 240 and ACC 241 . Requests to waive the GRE/GMAT requirement are sent via email to the Graduate Programs Office (cob_graduate@emich.edu).
A cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

Candidates should apply to the graduate program at the beginning of their senior year. If taken, the GMAT or GRE must be taken during the fourth year to receive the candidate’s score before admission to the fifth year.

Application

Your application will be submitted using BusinessCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.

To inquire about the specific requirements and to develop the program of study, contact: Director of Graduate Business Programs 102 Hill Hall, 734.487.4444, cob_graduate@emich.edu.

Department Information

Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems 403 Hill Hall, 734.487.3320

Charles E. Teague III, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information

Noel Brock, JD LLM, 402 Hill Hall, 734.487.0527

Undergraduate Degree -

The requirements listed below will appear on a student’s undergraduate transcript.

According to university policy, students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours at the 100-level or above for a bachelor’s degree. Completing this combined program’s minimum credit hour total (Undergrad + Grad) will likely require students to complete more than 120 credit hours as an undergraduate.

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, please see the Undergraduate Catalog or print a General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 60 hours

Business Core: 36 hours

College of Business Foundation Courses: 21 hours

The following COB courses are to be completed prior to admission and count towards the total credit hours required for this major.

ACC 240 Principles of Financial Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 241 Principles of Managerial Accounting 3 hrs
COB 200L4 Introduction to Business | GELB 3 hrs
IS 215 Information Systems for Business 3 hrs
LAW 293 Legal Environment of Business 3 hrs
MGMT 202 Business Communication 3 hrs

Choose one course from the following

DS 251 Business Statistics for Decision Making 3 hrs
DS 265 Business Statistics I 3 hrs

Post Admission Core Requirement: 15 hours

All 300-level Core Courses listed below must be completed before enrollment in MGMT 490. OM 374 can be taken concurrently with MGMT 490.

FIN 350 Principles of Finance 3 hrs
MGMT 386 Organizational Behavior and Theory 3 hrs
MGMT 490 Business Policy 3 hrs
MKTG 360 Principles of Marketing 3 hrs
OM 374 Introduction to Operations Management 3 hrs

Discipline: 24 hours

Required Core Courses: 21 hours
ACC 296 The Accounting Cycle and Profession 3 hrs
ACC 340 Intermediate Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 342 Managerial Cost Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 356 Accounting Information Systems 3 hrs
ACC 496W Financial Management and Controllership 3 hrs
ACC 544 Federal Income Taxation 3 hrs
or ACC 344 Income Tax Accounting I 3 hrs
TAX 561 Federal Tax Research & Writing 3 hrs
Restricted Accounting Elective: 3 hours

Choose one course from the following. If a student does not complete a 500-level restricted elective course as an undergraduate student, they must complete an additional restricted elective course as a graduate student.
ACC 442 Advanced Cost Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 450 Internal Auditing 3 hrs
ACC 460 Principles of Fraud Examination 3 hrs
ACC 475 International Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 479 Special Topics 3 hrs
ACC 491 Accounting Honors Thesis 3 hrs
ACC 499 Directed Studies 3 hrs
ACC 511 Accounting Data Analytics and Emerging Technologies 3 hrs
ACC 541 Advanced Financial Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 546 Government and Non-Profit Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 567 Professional Auditing 3 hrs
ACC 592 Special Topics 3 hrs
ECON 500 Foundations of Economics Analysis 3 hrs
TAX 572 State & Local Tax 3 hrs
TAX 574 Electronic Tax Preparation 3 hrs
TAX 576 Estate & Trust Federal Income Tax 3 hrs
TAX 592 Special Topics 3 hrs

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Important Information

Students must have a 3.0 GPA
A GMAT score of 500 or higher OR GRE score of 306 or higher (must be taken during the fourth year, so that the candidate’s score is received before admission to the fifth year)
Students must be admitted to the graduate portion of the program before registering for courses in the graduate section of this program of study.
Graduate courses taken as an undergraduate student can not be applied to the Graduate portion of this program.
Students who intend to sit for the CPA examination in Michigan must elect ACC 546 Government and Non-Profit Accounting and should also consider ACC 540 and ACC 567 at a minimum, in order to sit for CPA exam.

Graduate Degree -

The requirements listed below will appear on a student’s graduate transcript.

Students must ensure they have completed the necessary graduate credit hours that, when combined with those taken as an undergraduate, equal or exceed the minimum number of credit hours required for this combined program. Sometimes, a student may need additional coursework beyond the minimum requirements listed below to meet the total hour requirement.

Degree Requirements: 24-27 hours

Required Courses: 18 hours
TAX 563 Federal Taxation of Corporations and Partnerships 3 hrs
TAX 565 Federal Taxation of Property Transactions 3 hrs
TAX 569 Income Tax Accounting 3 hrs
TAX 671 Advanced Federal Corporate Taxation 3 hrs
TAX 673 Advanced Federal Partnership Taxation 3 hrs
TAX 675 International Taxation 3 hrs
Note - A student who completed a required 500-level course as part of their undergraduate degree, must complete an alternative accounting or tax course to satisfy the requirements of this graduate program. Students must obtain approval from the MSTC advisor before selecting an alternative course.
Restricted Electives: 6-9 hours

Choose a minimum of one course from the following. If a student does not complete a 500-level restricted elective course as an undergraduate student, they must complete an additional restricted elective course below.
ACC 511 Accounting Data Analytics and Emerging Technologies 3 hrs
ACC 540 Corporate Financial Reporting 3 hrs
ACC 541 Advanced Financial Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 546 Government and Non-Profit Accounting 3 hrs
ACC 567 Professional Auditing 3 hrs
ACC 681 Special Topics 3 hrs
ACC 699 Independent Study 3 hrs
ECON 500 Foundations of Economics Analysis 3 hrs
LAW 615 Law for Financial Professionals 3 hrs
TAX 572 State & Local Tax 3 hrs
TAX 574 Electronic Tax Preparation 3 hrs
TAX 576 Estate & Trust Federal Income Tax 3 hrs
TAX 681 Special Topics 3 hrs
TAX 699 Independent Study 3 hrs

Combined Program Total: 150 hours

Critical Graduation Information

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the on-line catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
Complete a Writing Intensive (WI) Course in your major.
Earn a minimum of 45 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor, will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements | EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available on the General Education section of the undergraduate catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.