The Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) degree program is a professional graduate program for individuals who desire to further their accounting knowledge. Its main purpose is to deepen the understanding of accounting professional knowledge through more in-depth study. The MSA program is designed to be fully integrated with the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting. It combines conceptual and theoretical approaches, emphasizing the current development and application of international accounting practice. The course also provides an analytical and comprehensive study of accounting and financial management. Students will learn some accounting research methods. Through the existing literature collection, accounting and financial data collection and analysis, students independently develop an accounting empirical research. Postgraduate courses cover business financial management, financial reporting, ethics and corporate governance.
MBAZ03 Auditing (3 credits)
This course involves the study of advanced topics and contemporary issues in auditing. Students learn about the professional role that auditing plays in society and in the public and non-public business. This course aims to evaluate existing systems and solve practical problems through a systematic and in-depth study of audit theory and expertise. Audit is an important process of making technical and ethical judgments. Of course, the development of professional judgment arises from participation and experience, which this course cannot replace. However, students should have the skills to face practical problems when they enter professional or business practice in the future.
MBAZ06 Financial Statement Analysis (3 credits)
This course introduces the analysis and application of financial statement information which provides a conceptual framework for business analysis and valuation. It mainly covers the analytical methods and procedures through which students can fully understand the information from balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement and the notes, and then discover firm’s liquidity, solvency, profitability and cash flows. These analysis results can help to realize firm’s financial position and performance, make reasonable valuation and forecasts which are essentially important for corporate management, investment, and finance decisions. In addition, this course also helps to understand the limitation of financial statement which reminds students to take managerial incentives and non-financial information into consideration and properly use the financial statement analysis results in economic decision making.
MBAZ08 Research Methodology (3 credits)
This course introduces the widely used research methodology in accounting to MSA students. It consists of three parts, theory of basic econometrics (linear models/nonlinear models/treatment effects methods etc.), the application of statistical software (i.e. STATA) and the whole process of doing research embedded in the Accounting field, from searching for interesting research ideas to formulating academic papers. The aim of this course is to get students familiar with toolkits of accounting related theories, empirics, and more importantly to inspire them to raise questions, question, reason, analyze, research themselves so that they will be well prepared for the upcoming challenging task of writing master dissertation in the second year. This course is more methodology oriented and lays the foundation for the course “special topics in accounting research” (MBAE12).
MBAZ09 Financial Accounting and Report (3 credits)
This course focuses on knowledge, techniques, principles, theories, and concepts applied in the financial statements. It includes accounting conceptual framework, standard-setting and financial reporting under IASB standards. It also covers the financial accounting and reporting requirements that are applicable to selected financial statement accounts and selected transactions under the IASB standards. Students therefore can account for transactions, prepare and present financial statements for single entities and business combinations, as well as analyze and interpret financial statements in accordance with IASB standards.
MBAZ10 Corporate Governance (3 credits)
Corporate governance is concerned with the management & accounting interactions between dispersed investors and the reconciliation of possible conflicts of interest between various corporate stakeholders. The main issues include the role and responsibility of owners, the role and responsibility of boards, executive compensation, internal control, disclosure of governance arrangements as well as historical explanation about different corporate governance systems across countries. Many countries also have corporate governance codes of conduct in place that public companies can or have to follow. During the course students will understand theoretical perspective influencing regulatory practices as well as recent trends related to corporate governance. The course ends with a discussion on how corporate governance to reach out a company’s other stakeholders. Students will be able to apply the material learned to solve problems when they involve in professional study or future career.
MBAZ11 Managerial accounting (3 credits)
This course contains cost and management accounting, an area of business which develops the financial and non-financial information necessary to effectively manage the firm or organization. It aims to improve business operation and management, and increases organization's economic benefits. It will provide students the ability to use the necessary accounting information to effectively plan and control business activities, evaluate and select decision-making schemes. This course is designed to introduce the basic concepts and techniques of managerial accounting, which are the important tools for planning and controlling in a business environment. The course has broadened from scorekeeping techniques alone to full-fledged coverage of concepts, analyses, and techniques that stress using accounting as a managerial tool. The course introduces students to understand how managers are likely to use and react to the accounting information. Primary topics include: product cost concepts, job costing, process costing, activity-based costing, total quality management (TQM), mater budgets, variance analysis, cost allocation and customer profitability analysis, performance assessment, decision making, etc.
MBAZ12 Advanced Corporate Finance (3 credits)
This course is designed to facilitate master students in Finance or Accounting the understanding of principles and applications of modern finance. Although the core concepts of finance are simple, the applications of those concepts in real world, however, are not. This course aims to present corporate finance as an application of a set of simple yet powerful ideas. After taking this course, students will be familiar with the following context: the basic knowledge about modern corporation and its governance; the key financial statements which are crucial for corporation valuation; the time value of money and the significance of interest in modern world; the way to price fix-income securities such as bond; and eventually, the principles of investment and the rules which we should follow when invest. Students will find this course valuable not only theoretically but also practically. They will be requested to actively participate in class discussions and will also have the chance to do case studies through teamwork with their classmates.
MBAZ13 Regulation (3 credits)
This course is designed to assist the students in gaining understanding of important legal principles and laws which affect business—that is, the “legal environment” in which business operates. During the course a wide range of legal topics which impact many different aspects of business will be examined. This course includes major issues in the field of contract law, tort law, corporate law, securities regulation, employment law, insolvency law and tax law. Upon completing the course, students should understand and comprehend the contract law, corporate law and some key issues on the securities law, the insolvency law and the labor law, develop the ability to think critically about legal and ethical issues and propose legal solutions for business operations, understand how to calculate individual income tax, corporate income tax and value added tax of the PRC. However, if the class finds an issue or a particular topic that is important or interesting to the class as a whole, we want to be able to adjust our pace and spend more time in that area.
MBAE08 Accounting Ethics (3 credits)
Accounting ethics refers to specific rules and guidelines set by governing bodies that every accountant should follow to prevent misuse of the financial information. This course overviews the major accounting ethical systems in the world today. The course examines ethical issues that impact the accounting and audit professions and explore the appropriate role of accounting professionals in business and society.
This course also presents an in-depth analysis of various ethical cases for the accounting profession and examines their appropriateness in resolving accounting ethics dilemmas. Students need to combine their accounting knowledge with investigative skill in various litigation support and investigative account ethics, including earnings management and fraud, internal control and corporate governance. This course also familiarize students with various ethical theories and frameworks for ethical decision making while integrating this knowledge into an individualized personal ethics tool for making ethical decisions.
MBAE09 Governmental & Nonprofit Accounting (3 credits)
This is graduate level course in accounting for non-business organizations. This course covers financial accounting principles for governmental and not-for-profit organizations. The theory and techniques of accounting and financial reporting for public entities such as cities, counties, and states; as well as not-for-profit charities, universities, and hospitals will be studied.
The overall goal of this course is for students to develop an in-depth understanding of generally accepted accounting principles for governmental and not-for-profit organizations. On completion of this course, students will be able to critically interpret and analyze accounting reports and financial statements for government agencies and public universities, hospitals and charities in the US. In addition, this course will also introduce the Chinese accounting principles for governmental and not-for-profit organizations in China.
MBAE10 Financial Accounting and Practice (3 credits)
This course provides an up-to-date, comprehensive, and highly illustrated presentation of the accounting and reporting principles and procedures used in a variety of business entities. Students learn how to collect raw data, prepare journal entry, post accounting book and prepare final financial statement. Students apply the accounting knowledge in simulated case study using accounting software. This course helps students well-prepared for future career as an accountant.
MBAE11 Auditing Simulation Practice (3 credits)
This course is designed to increase students’ abilities to understand a client’s business and industry, their system of internal control and to deepen the students’ knowledge of the assessment of risk required based on current auditing standards by an auditing case. Students are organized into audit teams and each team member takes on the role of staff auditors and learn about some auditing technology and process including how to draft an audit plan, organize a plan, assess risks, process audit worksheets and complete an audit report.
MBAE12 Special Topic in Accounting Research (3 credits)
This subject examines contemporary and emerging topics and issues within accounting research. Specific topics may be drawn from many areas of contemporary developments in accounting research, such as financial accounting, managerial accounting, auditing, accounting information systems and application of technology in accounting (e.g., Fintech, Block chain). This subject is based on MBAZ08 Research Methodology, which aims to advance students’ understanding of accounting theory and research skills and get students well-prepared for completing Master Thesis. After learning this subject, students should be able to explain the key issues associated with the special topic and analyze the relationship of the special topic to the broader accounting research literature. On successful completion of this subject, students should have improved generic skills (e.g., Written communication, Collaborative learning, Application of theory to practice, Interpretation and analysis, Critical thinking…).
MBAE13 Economics (3 credits)
This course covers intermediate and advanced micro - and macro-economic theory and related knowledge. Its main contents include the methodological basis of microeconomics, individual choice and production theory, decision theory under uncertainty, risk and uncertainty, game theory under complete information and incomplete information, and its specific application in oligarchic markets. On the other hand, it also includes Macroeconomic policy and analysis: labor market and unemployment, consumption and investment, economic growth and business cycle, money supply and inflation, monetary policy and fiscal policy, macroeconomic of open economies, macroeconomic policy debates, etc.
