MSA Online Curriculum
11-16 Courses
31-44.5 Credits
Program Length:
- Part-time in as few as 20 months
Required Introductory Course (1 credit)
Must be taken as early in the program as possible.
| SBS-700 | Unlocking Your Professional Potential | 1 |
Management Preparation Courses (4.5 credits)
May be waived.
| MBA-625 | Managerial Statistics | 1.5 |
| MBA-650 | Value Based Financial Management | 3 |
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 Courses section.
Capstone Course (3 credits)
Should be taken as late in the program as possible.
| ACCT-861 | Leadership in the Financial Professions | 3 |
Elective Courses (9 credits)
The first elective must be an ACCT or TAX course. The second and third electives can be any courses from the Approved MSA Electives List. If a student received any "must substitute" under the MSA Core Courses section of this document, the fourth elective must be an ACCT course, the fifth elective must be a TAX course, and the sixth elective can be any course from the Approved MSA Electives List.
| ACCT-806 | Fraud Examination | 3 |
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 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-862 | Taxation of Corporations | 3 |
| TAX-863 | Taxation of Pass-Through Entities | 3 |
| MBA-730 | Innovative Thinking | 3 |
| MBA-740 | Immerse- Travel Seminar | 3 |
| MBA-741 | Experiential Intensive | 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-861 | Project Management: Gaining Competitive Advantage | 3 |
| FIN-800 | Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation | 3 |
| FIN-808 | General Theory in Corporate Finance | 3 |
| FIN-810 | Investment Analysis | 3 |
| MGIB-835 | International Strategy | 3 |
| SBS-910 | Directed Independent Study | 1-3 |
| SBS-920 | Graduate Internship | 0 |
Approved Electives for the CPA Exam
Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) for CPA Exam
Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) CPA Exam
| ACCT-871 | Not-For-Profit and Governmental Accounting | 3 |
Regulation (REG) CPA Exam
| TAX-862 | Taxation of Corporations | 3 |
| TAX-863 | Taxation of Pass-Through Entities | 3 |
Approved Electives for CMA Exam Preparation
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
Concentrations
The MSA program requires three (3) electives as part of the degree program. If a concentration is declared, three electives must be in one concentration area. The schedule of when courses within a concentration are offered vary by semester. Concentrations include: Business Intelligence, Corporate Accounting & Finance, or Forensic Accounting.
Students who declare a concentration must submit an SBS Graduate Program Concentration Request Form. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor before they declare a concentration.
The concentration appears on the transcript, not the diploma.
Business Intelligence Concentration
Required Courses (6 credits)
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
| ISOM-821 | Data Management and Modeling | 3 |
Elective course (1 course, 3 credits)
| 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 (3 credits)
| ACCT-824 | Big Data and Financial Statement Analytics | 3 |
Elective courses (2 courses, 6 credits)
Forensic Accounting Concentration
Required Courses (9 credits)
Waiver Policy
Management Preparation Courses may be waived. MSA Preparation Courses may be waived. MSA Core Courses may need to be substituted with approved electives. To waive a Management Preparation Course, a student must have successfully completed equivalent academic coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the seven (7) years prior to MSA matriculation, with a “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 “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 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.
Students must provide official transcripts (with English translations, if applicable). All waiver requests are evaluated upon a student's acceptance into the MSA 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 students must complete a minimum of 31 graduate credits (10 courses and SBS 700) in the Sawyer Business School.
Transfer Policy
Any candidate seeking transfer credits, taken at the graduate level from an AACSB-accredited MBA, MSA, MSF, or MST program, 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.
Transfer credits must have an earned grade of a "B" or better and have been taken within five (5) years prior to entering the Suffolk MSA program. However, at the discretion of the program director, MSA Core Courses may not be transferred if the subject material has changed significantly since completion. A maximum of six (6) credits of Elective or MSA Core Courses may be considered for transfer.