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Shared Program

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Bachelor of Arts–Master of Science in Accounting Program

The shared bachelor’s – master’s program in accounting allows accepted students to get an early start on their graduate program. Up to nine qualifying 400-level and above credits may be taken at the undergraduate level and tuition rates and applied to the master’s program.

Students interested in pursuing the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license must have 150 credit hours of college/university credit to be eligible for certification. The shared program may not reduce the overall number of credits a student must take, but it can provide a cost savings to the student, allowing up to nine graduate program credits to be taken at undergraduate tuition rates. This will be considered and built into the student’s study plan.

Application Deadlines for 2025-2026

  • October 1, 2025 for those students eligible to start the shared program in Spring Semester 2026
  • January 15, 2026 for those students eligible to start the shared program in Summer or Fall Semesters 2026
  • March 1, 2026 for those students eligible to start the shared program in Summer or Fall Semesters 2026
  • October 1, 2026 for those students eligible to start the shared program in Spring Semester 2027

When to Apply

Students must have completed at least 56 credits and have a grade in either ACC 300 or ACC 305 before applying. Admission to the program requires a minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 and is competitive based on space available.

Application Process

Step 1: You will need to have an approved plan of study. Please email Katie Burley to develop your approved plan of study for the shared program. This plan must be submitted with your application.

Step 2: Create a profile and begin the application for the MS in Accounting program. There is only one application for the MS in Accounting Program (shared or regular). You will be applying for the first semester you will be at the Graduate Career Level. For example, if you are graduating in the Spring of 2026, have a summer 2026 internship, but plan to start as a full-time Graduate Student in Fall 2026, then you would apply for the Fall 2026 semester.

*If the semester you plan to apply for is not available, you can submit the MS in Accounting Shared Program Application instead.

Listed below are supplemental items that must be uploaded and/or submitted online with your application:

  1. Current resume
  2. Academic Progress Plan
  3. Three essay responses: 2 written essays (750 word maximum), 1 video essay
  4. Letters of Recommendation- For shared applicants, use the following as recommenders:

Shannon Mulally (mulally@msu.edu)

MSA Program (msacct@broad.msu.edu)

5. $75 application fee

Step 3: Once your application has been reviewed, you will receive an email notification of the admission decision.

Step 4: If admitted, you will need to complete a Request for Shared Enrollment Status form. Further program instructions will be provided with the admission notification.

Admitted students can take up to three courses that apply to the M.S. in Accounting degree at the undergraduate level. Students may take these courses, along with other B.A. degree requirements, during senior year.

In other words, if a student will graduate with more than 120 credits, the student may be able to take up to nine credits at the undergraduate level and tuition rate that will count towards the MS in Accounting degree. These credits must be in addition to the 120 credits needed for undergraduate graduation. For example, if a student will meet their undergraduate degree requirements with 129 credits, the student could take ACC 411, MGT 409 and ACC 821 for the MS program at the undergraduate tuition rate. The number of credits taken at the graduate premium tuition rate would be reduced to 21. The student would have the 150 credit hours required for CPA certification. Individual circumstances will dictate how the student can take advantage of the shared program.

Courses

Courses marked with an * are available to seniors on a space-available basis and if prerequisites are completed.

Students should familiarize themselves with the curriculum guide available online.

All M.S. students are required to take COM 875 Communication Leadership Skills in Organizations, (fall, spring, and summer semesters) and ACC 827 Accounting Analytics (fall and spring semesters).

In addition to the concentration requirements, students must take 12–15 credits in electives. A student may take up to six credits at the 400 level.

Nine credits must be outside of the major. PCA, Tax, and TS students may count IS courses as outside the major, while IS students may count other accounting courses as outside the major.

Information Systems Concentration (IS)

ACC 827 is required. Choose three of the remaining courses:

Public and Corporate Accounting Concentration (PCA)

FI 801 required. Choose four of the remaining courses:

Taxation Concentration (Tax)

FI 801 required. Choose all of the following:

Transaction Services Concentration (TS)

FI 801 required. Choose all of the following:

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