Master of Science in Accounting | Academics

Below is the list of courses offered in the program. This is a Full-time program and most classes take place during the daytime. But please note that classes may take place in the morning, afternoon, and sometimes the evening, typically weekdays. Class schedules are subject to change year to year.

Authoritative curriculum information can be found exclusively in the University Bulletin. All other content, including this page, is for informational purpose only. You can find the curriculum for this program on this page of the Bulletin.

• Auditing

• Business Acquisitions, Deferred Taxes, Translations, and Derivatives

• Data Management and Analysis*

• Financial Reporting and Disclosure

• Financial Statement Analysis

• Forensic Accounting and Financial Statement Fraud

• Foundations of Corporate Finance

• Internal Controls & Accounting Information Systems - A Data Analytics Perspective

• Modeling Financial Statements

• Professional Responsibility

• Taxation of Individuals and Business Income

• Topics in Advanced Communication in Accounting

*Students who have met the Managerial Accounting pre-enrollment requirement at Stern via a continuing education course or non-credit course have the option to take Advanced Managerial Accounting instead of Data Management and Analysis.
 

Auditing

An intensive study is made of fundamental concepts and principles underlying the examination of the financial statements by the independent public accountant. Auditing and reporting standards and the responsibilities assumed by the auditor in the attest function are analyzed within the broad framework of the code and principles of professional conduct. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation of evidential matter and the system of internal control. Current literature is examined, including the publications of the AICPA Auditing Standards Board.

New York State requires students to take an Audit course prior to sitting for the CPA exam. Accordingly, students who have not yet completed an Audit course prior to entering the program will be enrolled in Auditing in the Fall semester and Managerial Accounting in the Spring semester. Students who have completed an Audit course at an accredited 4-year institution prior to entering the program will be enrolled in Managerial Accounting in the Fall semester and Auditing in the Spring semester.  

Business Acquisitions, Deferred Taxes, Translations, and Derivatives

This advanced level course will cover accounting for income taxes, business combinations, consolidations, foreign operations, and derivatives. A good knowledge of these topics is crucial for a successful accounting career.

This course requires Financial Statement Analysis as a prerequisite. If you have not established proficiency in Financial Statement Analysis, you will be required to register for NYU Stern’s Financial Statement Analysis course to be offered in the Fall semester.

Data Management and Analysis

The practice of accounting is fundamentally tied to data and our ability to analyze them. Whether the data reside in spreadsheets, databases, text documents, or public web sites, we can use them to gain valuable insights into the financial performance of a business. You may also hear popular terms like data science, big data, and advanced analytics and wonder what they mean for a career in industry or professional services. This course provides concepts and tools for making sense of data and performing data analysis. From simple calculations to sophisticated statistical models, data analysis calls for (1) asking the right questions, (2) acquiring, transforming, and analyzing data, and (3) effective presentation of results. We introduce concepts in data management and analysis, review the use of spreadsheets and SQL (Structured Query), and introduce tools for visual analytics and statistical programming. We discuss how to apply these skills to accounting-related areas such as fundamental analysis, management consulting, and auditing. In addition, we survey topics such as machine learning and XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) and consider the impact of analytics in industry and on the accounting profession. The course concludes with a final project to demonstrate end-to-end data analysis skills.

Financial Reporting and Disclosure

This course uses tools learned in Financial Accounting and Reporting, such as ratio and accounting analysis, to discuss financial reporting principles, emphasizing the link between the reporting principles and the financial statements. Students learn how management uses financial reporting decisions to influence reported income and asset and liability values, and they gain the tools necessary to analyze the impacts of alternative reporting decisions on financial statements. It is ideal for students who wish to pursue careers in investment banking, investment management, and consulting as well as public accounting. In addition to being a required course for the CPA-track, it is a highly recommended course for students in finance, economics, marketing, and information systems.

This course requires Financial Statement Analysis as a prerequisite. If you have not established proficiency in Financial Statement Analysis, you will be required to register for NYU Stern’s Financial Statement Analysis course to be offered in the Fall semester.

Financial Statement Analysis

This course will explain financial accounting from a new angle so that you have some of the background necessary for intermediate courses in financial reporting, analysis, and modeling. The course presents a framework for analysis and provides spreadsheets to implement the framework.

Forensic Accounting and Financial Statement Fraud

The objective of the course is to impart a detailed understanding of forensic accounting with particular emphasis on the methods to detect financial statement fraud. It is designed to demonstrate the various aspects of fraud, i.e., fraudulent financial reporting; identifying fraud schemes, including computer fraud and methods of concealment; as well as the analytical techniques in uncovering fraud and its prevention through effective internal control systems.  It also includes an analysis of the general techniques used in working in litigation support services. It is of particular interest to accounting and finance professionals. The course content has also become of critical interest to regulators and lawmakers because of the notoriety of a series of recent financial scandals that have affected the entire business community. It reviews the new institutional structures that have been put in place recently by lawmakers and the accounting profession to deal with fraud and its prevention, i.e., the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and self-regulating measures adopted by the accounting profession.

This course requires Financial Statement Analysis as a prerequisite. If you have not established proficiency in Financial Statement Analysis, you will be required to register for NYU Stern’s Financial Statement Analysis course to be offered in the Fall semester.

Foundations of Corporate Finance

This course analyzes the major financial decisions facing corporate managers.  The major topics include investment valuation (capital budgeting), capital structure and dividend policy, and mergers and acquisitions. There will be emphasis on both developing the tools and mindset of the financial practitioner as well as examining specific applications in the form of examples and several case discussions.

Internal Controls & Accounting Information Systems - A Data Analytics Perspective

The purpose of this course is to help prepare you for a successful career in public practice, industry, or government by understanding how accountants and other financial professionals rely on, manage and translate data generated by accounting information systems and other technology-related data sources to guide clients and organizations in making better business decisions in an increasingly complex and data-driven world. Using an accountant’s perspective, the course will integrate the study of big-data analytics and technology, and the application of related software to the establishment and management and auditing of internal control systems.

Modeling Financial Statements

Making educated decisions today by forecasting operating and financial performance is a critical exercise for owners, managers, consultants, investment bankers, creditors, equity and credit analysts, as well as investors such as private equity groups, hedge funds, institutional investors, and individuals. Financial projections are rarely perfect as the future cannot be predicted, however this course endeavors to model several scenarios forecasted on historical and anticipated results to derive various conclusions. There are myriad variables that can be incorporated into projections, but the best financial model is always the one that is stable and robust, yet simple and easy to build, navigate, and audit. The goal of this course is to provide step-by-step instruction on how to build a comprehensive, multi-purpose projection model in Excel and subsequently interpret selective operating, credit, and equity valuation data. Based on this information, students learn how to evaluate a company’s operating and financial performance; how to develop an appropriate capital structure by structuring debt and equity transactions which not only protect both the creditors and shareholders, but also create an appropriate risk and reward equilibrium; and how to formulate an educated investment opinion.

This course requires Financial Statement Analysis as a prerequisite. If you have not established proficiency in Financial Statement Analysis, you will be required to register for NYU Stern’s Financial Statement Analysis course to be offered in the Fall semester.

Professional Responsibility

The purpose of this interdisciplinary course is twofold: First, it is designed to build the student's awareness of the interplay among a society's laws, ethical norms, and markets. Second, through case analyses, it provides the student with a chance to exercise his or her own ethical judgment in business situations. The overall goal is to help the student to realize that ethical assumptions, choices, and conflicts are inherent in virtually all business decisions, and to develop a greater understanding of the manager's professional responsibilities. Essential topics include fiduciary responsibilities, product liability, ethical issues in the workplace (such as preferential hiring, sexual harassment, drug testing, or whistle blowing) and ethical conflicts in international business. Yet, by the instructor's selection of specific cases or readings, each section of the course will differ slightly in emphasis. Course instructors come from every department in the Stern School and reflect a broad range of interests and orientation.

Taxation of Individuals and Business Income

This course focuses on federal income tax law as it applies to individuals. Topics covered in this course include what constitutes income; what is deductible; the tax treatment of gains and losses; and which income items are taxed at preferential rates. Learning to read and apply the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations is an important focus of this course. Class discussion often will focus on the application of the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations, cases, and other sources of tax law to the factual situations in the problems in the casebook. Policies underlying the tax law will also be discussed.

Topics in Advanced Communication in Accounting

Effective communication is now seen as an essential aspect of employability in any business setting. But in recent years, the specific communication tasks that new CPA accountants encounter early in their careers have become much more demanding. Young recruits can no longer remain in back-office cubicles crunching numbers. They must now be prepared to join with more senior members of a firm and interact with clients as well as take responsibility for important documents that will circulate internally or go out to clients. The activities and assignments in this new course will help staff-level accountants improve their ability to write industry-specific documents, compose effective messages to clients, develop the interpersonal skills to successfully participate in client interviews, probe and listen to obtain requisite information, and importantly, to engage comfortably and appropriately in all client interactions.

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