This section is for the stand-alone M.S. in Accounting. Information is available in a different section for the concurrent B.S./M.S. degree in Accounting
Overview
The Leeds M.S. Accounting program features internationally recognized research faculty and award-winning teachers. Researchers teaching in our program have made notable contributions in the areas of international accounting, behavior of auditors, and use of accounting information by managers and participants in capital markets.
Admission to the M.S. program is competitive, ensuring that students learn in an environment enriched by challenging peers. The program graduates more than 50 students per year, most of whom have job offers before graduation. Recent full-time offers and internships have placed our students not only in Denver, but also in New York, San Francisco, and Houston.
The standard two-year program offers many opportunities for internships, which are integral to both the learning environment and the job search process. The busy-season (spring) internship typically occurs during the second of four semesters. Our students are consistently placed in tax, audit, and financial analysis internships with high profile firms which are looking for new talent.
The MS requires ten courses, which can be completed in three semesters, though the three semester option curtails some internship opportunities, and increases the challenge in completing the CPA exam before beginning employment.
Leeds faculty work closely with national and international business and accounting leaders to generate relevant course materials, and to help create a broad set of internship and career opportunities for Leeds students. Many of the accounting practitioners are Leeds alumni who have a close relationship with Leeds. They have generously lectured in our courses, and can be counted on to participate in our alumni events.
Our tax program is closely affiliated with the Colorado Law School. M.S. students who concentrate in taxation take five tax courses, three of which are law courses taken at the law school. Many of our students become certified tax preparers and then participate in our Tax Help Program for low-income Colorado families. In spring 2011, students completed 491 tax returns, garnering $808,665 in total refunds for these families.
Each spring, CPA review courses are taught on campus by a Leeds faculty member. Students typically attend these review sessions on Saturdays, during their fourth semester in the program. The review sessions enable students to start taking parts of the CPA exam before graduation, and continue taking exam sections in the summer after graduation, so that the CPA exam is completed before they begin working in the fall.
How to Apply
The MS Accounting Program welcomes highly motivated applicants from a variety of backgrounds.
Decisions on acceptance are made after the application deadlines no later than April 15 for fall semester applicants and no later than November 15 for spring semester applicants. Rolling admissions is not utilized. Like many other graduate business programs we will review all parts of your application before making a decision. Unfortunately we are not able to evaluate your profile before a complete application is submitted.
The following items are required for a complete application for admission to the MS Accounting Program at the University of Colorado:
- Complete the online application
- An Official transcript from every college or university previously attended. Transcripts marked “issued to student” are not acceptable. For international applicants, a certified English translation must be enclosed if the original transcript is not in English.
- Three letters of recommendation from faculty or employers who can address your capacity for graduate course work. When you complete the online admission application, you will be asked to provide the names and addresses of your recommenders. Once your application is submitted, an email will be sent with a link that will allow recommenders to complete their letter of recommendation online.
- GMAT Scores – All Applicants must submit official Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) scores. GMAT scores must be less than five years old as of application deadline. Official scores must be sent directly to CU by the testing agency. The school code is 4841. The minimum score required is 550. Contact GMAT (www.gmac.com/gmac) for information about the exam.
- TOEFL Scores – All students are required to be proficient in English. TOEFL scores are required if your native language is not English. You are not required to submit TOEFL scores if 1) your native language is English; or 2) at the time of application, and within two years of admission term, you have completed at least one year of full-time study at a U.S. institution, or at an institution in a country where English is the native language. A minimum TOEFL score of 79 (iBT) is required by the department.
- Applicant Information Form - Download this form, complete, and upload along with other supporting documents when completing the admission application.
- Current Resume – upload with online application
- Personal Statement – upload with online application. Applicants should discuss their academic interests as well as their career objectives. This is also an opportunity to present your unique qualifications for applying to the MS Accounting Program.
- Application Fee - The application fee for domestic applicants is $50 and for international applicants is $70 USD. When you apply online you may pay with a credit card.
Application Deadlines
| Domestic Applicants |
International Applicants |
| Fall Semester: March 31 |
Fall Semester: March 1 |
| Spring Semester: October 31 |
Spring Semester: October 1 |
These are dates by which the application including all supporting documents must be submitted.
Addresses for submitting transcripts and other supporting document
Domestic Applicants
For standard international mail or mail within the US, including USPS Priority and Express:
- Graduate Admissions
University of Colorado Boulder
3100 Marine St Suite A122
553 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0553 USA
For overnight or express mail (DHL, FEDEX, UPS) send to:
-
Graduate Admissions
University of Colorado Boulder
3100 Marine Street - 553 UCB
Bldg RL3 Suite A122
Boulder, CO 80303-1058 USA
International Applicants
For standard international mail or mail within the US, including USPS Priority and Express:
-
Office of Admissions/International
University of Colorado Boulder
3100 Marine St Suite A122
65 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0065 USA
Overnight/Express Mailing Address (DHL, UPS, Fedex)
- Office of Admissions/International
University of Colorado Boulder
3100 Marine Street - 65 UCB
Bldg. RL3 Suite A122
Boulder, CO 80303-1058 USA
303-492-6301
Additional information about admission to the Graduate School at the University of Colorado is at admissions.colorado.edu/graduate
Questions about the program may be directed to leedsms@colorado.edu.
Questions regarding admission applications: including fee payment issues, re-sending letters of recommendation, and online application tech-support, should be directed to gradadm@colorado.edu.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites may be satisfied at any accredited college or university.
Students with an undergraduate degree in business (non accounting discipline)
Generally, all general business and economics prerequisites are satisfied in the undergraduate degree. Three intermediate level accounting must be completed before taking any masters level accounting courses. Those courses are:
In addition, applicants with a non-business undergraduate degree must complete the equivalent of the following courses before they can begin the MS Accounting program.
Students must also:
- complete a course in microeconomics.
- demonstrate proficiency using Excel.
Please note that these prerequisite courses are undergraduate courses and can be completed at any accredited college or university with approval by the program director.
Curriculum
We offer two specializations within the MS degree that respond to continuing high demand for professionals skilled in either financial accounting or taxation.
Value
Students have the opportunity to gain work experience and earn up to three credits through a paid internship.
Students are qualified to sit for the CPA exam upon graduating.
Financial Accounting Track
- ACCT 5240: Advanced Financial Accounting
- ACCT 5250: Financial Statement Analysis
- ACCT 5440: Income Taxation
- BSLW 5120: Advanced Business Law
- ACCT 5620: Auditing and Assurance Services
- ACCT 5700: International Financial Reporting Standards
- ACCT 6620: Business Risk & Decision Analysis in Auditing
- ACCT 6350: Current Issues in Professional Accounting (Capstone Course)
Financial Track Electives
- ACCT 5330: Advanced Cost Management
- ACCT 5540 Accounting Information Systems
- ACCT 5820: Income Tax for Corporations (Tax II)
- ACCT 6900: Independent Research Project/Internship
Taxation Accounting Track
- ACCT 5440: Income Taxation
- BSLW 5120: Advanced Business Law
- ACCT 5620: Auditing and Assurance Services
- ACCT 5700: International Financial Reporting Standards
- ACCT 6620: Business Risk and Decision Analysis in Auditing
- ACCT 6420: Research and Writing in Income Taxation
- ACCT 6430: Taxation of Partnerships (Taken at Law School)
- ACCT 6700: Income Taxation (Taken at Law School)
- ACCT 6450: Taxation of Corporations (Taken at Law School)
- ACCT 6350: Current Issues in Professional Accounting (Capstone Course)
Taxation Track Electives
- ACCT 5540: Accounting Information Systems
- ACCT 6440: Tax Policy (Taken at Law School)
- ACCT 6780: International Taxation (Taken at Law School)
- ACCT 6900: Independent Research Project/Internship
Not all courses are offered each semester. Prerequisite courses may be designated for particular courses. Please check the University of Colorado catalog for course descriptions.
Funding Resources
The M.S. in Accounting Program offers limited scholarships. Leeds Scholarships are available for Undergraduate and M.S. Accounting students. Also on a limited basis there may be teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships available. Some students also independently tutor undergraduates.
Students are encouraged to complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) annually to be considered for funding.
Tuition and University Financial Aid
Please visit the Bursar's Office website for tuition rates, fees and as well as a bill estimator.
The Office of the Registar provides information on determining resident/non-resident status for tuition purposes.
The Office of Financial Aid provides information on applying for financial aid and links to external resources.
Recent Graduates
Renée Hall, Director of the MS Accounting programs, congratulated all of this Spring’s MS Accounting graduates. "We are proud of their accomplishments, optimistic about their futures, and are delighted to see how our MS Accounting Programs—both concurrent BS/MS and the stand-alone MS—enable nearly all of our graduates to secure jobs with excellent career opportunities directly after graduation. We have always had excellent relationships with the accounting firms in Colorado; now we are finding that our graduates are in demand across the nation.
Kayla Tway received her concurrent BS/MS in Accounting this May, and is headed to San Franciso where she will start as an Audit Associate with PwC LLP (PricewatershouseCoopers) in the fall. While a student in Boulder, Kayla worked as a Portfolio Analyst Intern at MBA Financial Services LLC, a private wealth management firm. She was also involved in several Boulder area volunteer organizations. In fact, many students at CU Boulder find rewarding ways in which to serve the community.
Misha Levental combined an undergraduate emphasis in Finance with a graduate tax accounting emphasis while earning his BS/MS degrees. Misha will be starting his career doing equity research with the New York office of Dahlman Rose & Company, an investment banking firm specializing in natural resources. Misha’s experience demonstrates how the preparation in finance and accounting opens up exciting placement opportunities beyond the tax and audit work that appeals to so many of our MS Accounting graduates.
At CU, Misha worked as a Student Assistant for the University of Colorado Foundation Development Office. He was also fortunate enough to act as Music Director for the CU Buffoons, the campus’ oldest all-male a cappella group, founded in 1962. Under his leadership, the Buffoons released their studio album Bell Time, and were one of 13 a cappella groups across the United States to be featured on Grammy-Award winner Ben Folds’ a cappella project, University A Cappella!, sold nationally.
Students
-
Katherine Hart
- M.S. (2011)
-
Nadezhda Vovk
- M.S. (2011)
Past Events
Graduate
May 5, 2011
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Byron R. Koste Atrium
Leeds School of Business
Reception for graduating students of the masters accounting and concurrent masters and bachelors accounting programs.
Graduate
April 4, 2011
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Koelbel 255
Information session for prospective students to the master's degree standalone or the five-year concurrent degree program.
Event
March 8, 2011
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Byron R. Koste Atrium
Koelbel Building
Learn what it’s really like working in the Financial Information Profession. Panelists with a wide range of experience will be answering questions about careers in Accounting, Finance, and Information Systems.
Graduate
March 7, 2011
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Koelbel 255
Information session for prospective students to the master's degree standalone or the five-year concurrent degree program.
