STEM Designation
The MSA/MSF is a dual degree program with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) designation. Due to the demand of graduates with expertise in STEM fields, the Department of Homeland Security permits international students graduating from STEM programs to apply for a 24 month extension of their initial year of Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more detailed information, please visit the ISSO webpage.
Curriculum
20-26 Courses
56-71 Credits
Program Length:
Required Introductory Courses (2 credits)
Must be taken on campus in first semester of program.
| SBS-700 | Unlocking Your Professional Potential | 1 |
| FIN-601 | Introduction to Statistics, Accounting, & Finance Intensive | 1 |
Management Preparation Courses (6 credits)
May be waived.
MSA Preparation Courses (9 credits)
May be waived.
MSA Core Courses (18 credits)
If a course is marked "must substitute," select an elective following the rules outlined in the Elective Course section.
MSF Core Courses (15 credits)
| FIN-800 | Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation | 3 |
| FIN-808 | General Theory in Corporate Finance | 3 |
| FIN-810 | Investment Analysis | 3 |
| FIN-814 | Options and Futures | 3 |
| FIN-818 | Financial Econometrics | 3 |
Note: ACCT-824 (may be substituted for FIN-800 with MSF Program Director Approval.
Capstone Courses (6 credits)
Courses should be taken as late in the program as possible.
Elective Requirements (15 Credits)
The first required elective must be an ACCT or TAX course. The next four required electives must be approved MSF electives. If a student received any courses marked “must substitute” the first substitution must be an ACCT course, the second substitution must be a TAX course, and the third substitution and beyond can be any course from the approved MSA Electives List.
Approved MSA Electives
| ACCT-803 | Advanced Topics in Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-806 | Fraud Examination | 3 |
| ACCT-807 | Forensic & Investigative Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
| ACCT-825 | Management Decisions and Control | 3 |
| ACCT-827 | Special Topics in Accounting: Business Law & Taxation | 3 |
| ACCT-828 | Special Topics in Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-871 | Not-For-Profit and Governmental Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-910 | Directed Individual Study in Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-920 | Accounting Graduate Internship | 3 |
| TAX-802 | Taxation of Property Transactions | 3 |
| TAX-861 | Tax Research | 3 |
| TAX-862 | Taxation of Corporations | 3 |
| TAX-863 | Taxation of Pass-Through Entities | 3 |
| TAX-864 | Tax Practice and Procedures | 3 |
| TAX-865 | International Taxation Outbound | 3 |
| TAX-866 | State & Local Taxation | 3 |
| TAX-867 | Mergers & Acquisitions Taxation | 3 |
| TAX-871 | Taxation of Estates, Trusts and Gifts | 3 |
| TAX-878 | Tax Compliance | 3 |
| TAX-880 | Companies & Financial Products | 3 |
| TAX-881 | Accounting for Income Taxes | 3 |
| TAX-882 | Criminal Tax Investigations | 3 |
| TAX-883 | Introduction to International Taxation | 3 |
| MBA-730 | Innovative Thinking | 3 |
| MBA-740 | Immerse- Travel Seminar | 3 |
| BLLS-830 | Managing in the International Legal, Environment | 3 |
| BLLS-871 | Corporate Crime and Financial Fraud | 3 |
| ISOM-730 | Python for Business Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-801 | Solving Business Problems Using Advanced Excel | 3 |
| ISOM-821 | Data Management and Modeling | 3 |
| ISOM-825 | Enterprise Data Management | 3 |
| ISOM-827 | Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence | 3 |
| ISOM-835 | Predictive Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-837 | From Data Mining to Business Insights | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| ISOM-845 | Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Storytelling | 3 |
| ISOM-851 | Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| ISOM-861 | Project Management: Gaining Competitive Advantage | 3 |
| MGES-802 | Corporate Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| MGES-803 | Think Like a Leader | 3 |
| MGOB-725 | Managerial Skills | 3 |
| MGOB-810 | Emotional Intelligence | 3 |
| MGOB-835 | Managing Difficult People at Work | 3 |
| MGOB-855 | Conflict & Negotiation | 3 |
| MGOB-860 | Leadership and Team Building | 3 |
| MGOB-866 | Managing Failure for Success | 3 |
| P.AD-815 | Nonprofit Management | 3 |
| P.AD-822 | Public Management Information Systems | 3 |
| P.AD-827 | Financing State & Local Government | 3 |
| P.AD-840 | Comparative Public Policy | 3 |
| P.AD-847 | Nonprofit Financial Management | 3 |
| P.AD-849 | Revenue Strategies for Nonprofits | 3 |
| MGSM-833 | Corporate Innovation | 3 |
| MGSM-834 | Mergers and Acquisitions | 3 |
| MGIB-835 | International Strategy | 3 |
| SBS-920 | Graduate Internship | 0 |
Approved Electives for the CPA Exam
Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) CPA Exam Section
| ACCT-803 | Advanced Topics in Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-871 | Not-For-Profit and Governmental Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT-828 | Special Topics in Financial Accounting | 3 |
Regulation (REG) CPA Exam Section
| TAX-802 | Taxation of Property Transactions | 3 |
| TAX-862 | Taxation of Corporations | 3 |
| TAX-863 | Taxation of Pass-Through Entities | 3 |
| ACCT-827 | Special Topics in Accounting: Business Law & Taxation | 3 |
| TAX-881 | Accounting for Income Taxes | 3 |
Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) CPA Exam Section
Approved Electives for CMA Exam Preparation
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
| ACCT-825 | Management Decisions and Control | 3 |
| FIN-812 | Capital Budgeting | 3 |
Approved Finance Electives
Note: Students wishing to take SBS-920 for an elective in the MSF Program must consult with the MSF Advisor for guidance on how to be considered for this option.
London Financial Services Travel Seminar is the only seminar approved as an MSF elective. Any other travel seminar requires MSF Academic Program Director approval.
Electives:
Concentrations
Students may declare a concentration in Business Intelligence, Corporate Finance & Accounting, Forensic Accounting, or Governmental & Not-for-Profit Accounting if they received enough MSA Core Course waivers for substitution.
Students may also declare a concentration in Corporate Finance, Financial Services and Banking, FinTech, Investments or Risk Management. If a concentration in Corporate Finance, Investments or Risk Management is declared, three or four electives must be in one concentration area.
If a concentration in Financial Services and Banking is declared students must complete FIN 816 and three approved Financial Services and Banking electives. If a concentration in FinTech is declared students must complete ISOM 730, FIN 830, one approved FIN elective and one approved ISOM elective.
Students should consult with their advisor if interested. Students who declare a concentration must submit an SBS Graduate Program Concentration Request Form.
The schedule of when courses within a concentration are offered vary by semester.
The concentration appears on the transcript, not the diploma.
MSA Concentrations
Business Intelligence Concentration
Required Courses (1 course, 6 credits)
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-821 | Data Management and Modeling | 3 |
Elective Course (1 course, 3 credits) Choose one course from the following list:
| ISOM-801 | Solving Business Problems Using Advanced Excel | 3 |
| ISOM-825 | Enterprise Data Management | 3 |
| ISOM-827 | Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence | 3 |
| ISOM-845 | Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Storytelling | 3 |
Corporate Accounting and Finance Concentration
Required Course (1 course, 3 credits)
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
Elective Courses (2 courses, 6 credits) Choose two courses from the following list:
Forensic Accounting Concentration
Required Course (1 course, 3 credits)
Elective Courses (2 Courses, 6 Credits) Choose two (2) courses from the following list:
| ACCT-807 | Forensic & Investigative Accounting | 3 |
| BLLS-871 | Corporate Crime and Financial Fraud | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| CJ-704 | Legal Issues in Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| ISOM-801 | Solving Business Problems Using Advanced Excel | 3 |
Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting Concentration
Required Course (3 credits)
| ACCT-871 | Not-For-Profit and Governmental Accounting | 3 |
Elective Courses (2 courses, 6 credits) Choose 2 courses from the following list:
| P.AD-827 | Financing State & Local Government | 3 |
| P.AD-847 | Nonprofit Financial Management | 3 |
| P.AD-849 | Revenue Strategies for Nonprofits | 3 |
MSF Concentrations
Corporate Finance Concentration
Choose 3 courses from the following list: (9 credits)
Financial Services and Banking Concentration
Required Course (3 credits)
| FIN-816 | Risk Management in Banking and Finance | 3 |
Choose 2 courses from the following list: (6 credits)
FinTech Concentration
Required Courses (6 credits)
Finance Elective Course (1 course, 3 credits) Take one from the following list of electives:
ISOM Elective (1 course, 3 credits) Take one from the following list of electives:
| ISOM-801 | Solving Business Problems Using Advanced Excel | 3 |
| ISOM-821 | Data Management and Modeling | 3 |
| ISOM-825 | Enterprise Data Management | 3 |
| ISOM-827 | Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence | 3 |
| ISOM-835 | Predictive Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-840 | Security and Privacy | 3 |
| ISOM-845 | Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Storytelling | 3 |
Investments Concentration
Choose 3 courses from the following list: (9 credits)
Risk Management Concentration
Required Courses (6 credits)
| FIN-816 | Risk Management in Banking and Finance | 3 |
| FIN-882 | Applied Risk Management | 3 |
Elective Course (1 course, 3 credits) Choose one (1) of the following:
Waiver Policy
To waive a management preparation course, a student must successfully complete equivalent coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the seven (7) years prior to MSA/MSF matriculation, with a grade of "B" or better.
To waive an MSA preparation course, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the five (5) years prior to MSA matriculation, with a grade of "B" or better. Exception: ACCT-800 will only be waived if a student has completed prior coursework at a U.S. university.
To substitute an approved elective for an MSA Core Course, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the five (5) years prior to MSA/MSF matriculation, with a “B” or better. Exception: ACIB-872 and TAX-801 will only be substituted if a student has completed prior coursework at a U.S. university.
To substitute an approved elective for an MSF Core Course, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the graduate level in the seven (7) years prior to MSA/MSF matriculation, with a “B” or better.
Students must provide official transcripts (with English translations, if applicable). All waiver requests are evaluated upon a student's acceptance into the MSA/MSF Program. Students may also elect to take a proficiency exam, for a fee, to gain a waiver for management preparation courses. Proficiency exams must be taken in the first semester and are administered on the Boston Campus.
All MSA/MSF students must complete a minimum of 56 credits in the Sawyer Business School.
Transfer Credit Policy
For any candidate seeking transfer credits, courses taken at the graduate level from an AACSB-accredited graduate program in business, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. These credits may be considered for transfer if the credits do not apply to a previously completed degree.
MSA specific transfer credits must have an earned grade of "B" or better and be taken within five (5) years prior to entering the Suffolk MSA/MSF program. MSF specific transfer credits must have earned a grade of “B” or better and be taken within seven (7) years prior to entering the Suffolk MSA/MSF program. However, at the discretion of the program director, MSA Core Courses or MSF Core Courses may not be transferred if the subject material has changed significantly since completion. A maximum of six (6) credits of Elective, MSA Core, or MSF Core Courses may be considered for transfer.
Students Who Leave Boston Before Their Degree is Complete
Occasionally, Suffolk MSA/MSF students must leave the Boston area having not yet completed their degree. You may be able to transfer in six (6) credits of elective courses from an AACSB-accredited MSF Program close to your new place of residence. Courses must be pre-approved by Suffolk's Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs and have a grade of "B" or better.
Students who leave the area may also be able to complete the MSA (all or a portion) of their Suffolk MSA/MSF on a part time basis online. The MSF portion of the degree is not available online.