Tusculum College announces Master of Accountancy program

Tusculum College has announced a new Master of Accountancy program beginning fall 2017, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Graduates of the Master of Accountancy program have multiple career options including, but not limited to, forensic accounting, public accounting, auditing and compliance accounting, government accounting, and tax and payroll accounting.

According to Dr. Michael Dillon, dean of the School of Business and associate professor of business, earning a graduate degree in accounting is a common practice for those seeking attainment of a Certified Public Accounting license.

“The Tusculum College Master of Accountancy program was developed to provide students with a deeper and broader accounting education that prepares them for advanced career opportunities and preparation for the new set of CPA exams effective spring 2017,” said Dr. Dillon. “The Master of Accountancy program will be led by faculty that are highly qualified academically, but who also bring their extensive real world experience to the classroom.”

In the State of Tennessee, the requirements for application to complete the Certified Public Accounting examination were changed in March 2016, resulting in the requirement of 150 academic credit hours being removed. To sit for the CPA exam, candidates must now have a baccalaureate or higher degree with a major in accounting or a baccalaureate or higher degree with a major other than accounting which includes at least 30 semester credit hours in accounting (at least 24 credit hours in upper level coursework) and at least 24 semester credit hours in general business. The requirement of 150 academic credit hours is still required for the CPA license.

According to Dr. Dillon, the Tusculum College Master of Accountancy program curriculum was developed based on the announced changes to the 2017 CPA testing requirements.

“The program is an excellent option for new accounting undergraduates,” he said. “The program is also an excellent option for students who earned a business degree with some accounting coursework but need additional upper level accounting hours, or students who completed an undergraduate accounting program but have been out of the classroom for many years and need an up-to-date modern accounting curriculum.”

The Master of Accountancy program will be under Graduate and Professional Studies at Tusculum College.  While most Graduate and Professional Studies are designed for non-traditional, evening students, the Master of Accountancy program will be offered during the day.  Initially, the program will be offered at the Greeneville campus and at the Knoxville Regional Center simultaneously. The program is designed to be a one-year, full-time program beginning in the fall term and ending at the end of the summer term. The curriculum will be delivered during two afternoons each week.