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"After going through several interviews and having a selection of offers, I realized that the MSA degree at Cal Poly is quite the golden ticket. Everyone was very impressed with the program courses and topics. So, to you and the other MSA professors, thanks and keep doing exactly what you do."
Keith Hankins
MS Accounting, Class of 2008

MS Accounting
Curriculm FAQs


How does the Special Session and its courses work?
The Program requires two (2) intensive courses during a three week special session that begins in mid-August and ends normally one week before the start of the fall quarter.

Note: These courses are intense, graduate school courses condensed into three weeks. The pace is fast and the intensity and expectations of performance are high. They are not courses where a student does half the work of a regular graduate school course and only does it over the course of three weeks. Thus, please prepare and be ready to perform accordingly. During weekends of the 3-week special session, you should plan on working on your studies in these courses for the succeeding week.

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About MS Accounting

MBA Students

Cal Poly MS Accounting Program: Curriculum

The Value of the Cal Poly MS Accounting Degree


MS in Accounting - specialization in Tax - Required Courses

View MS Accounting Course Catalog (PDF)
View MS Accounting - Tax - Forcasted Schedule (PDF)

The courses listed in the following table are required for all students seeking the MSA-Tax degree.
Course Number Course Title Units
Required Courses
GSB 529 Effective Communication Skills for Managers 4
GSA 536 Taxation of Trusts & Estates and Transfer Taxes 4
GSA 537 State and Local Taxation 4
GSA 538 Current Developments in Taxation 4
GSA 546 Tax Research and Administrative Procedures 4
GSA 548 Advanced Individual Taxation and Tax Planning 4
GSA 549 Advanced Taxation of Flow-through Entities 4
GSA 550 Advanced Corporate Taxation 4
GSA 551 International Taxation 4
Required Course (9 units)
GSA 539 Internship 9
Transitional Course (Required for those who have not previously completed BUS 417 (or BUS 414 and 415) at Cal Poly
GSA 540 Taxation of Corporations and Partnerships 4
Elective Course Option
GSA 570 (0nly if not taking GSA 540) Selected Advanced Topics 4
Total Units
45-49


MS in Accounting - specialization in Financial Accounting - Required Courses

The courses listed in the following table are required for all students seeking the MSA-FA degree

View MS Accounting - FA - Forcasted Schedule (PDF)

Course Number Course Title Units
Required Courses
GSB 529 Effective Communication Skills for Managers 4
GSA 540 Taxation of Corporations and Partnerships 4
GSA 541 Advanced Financial Reporting Issues I 4
GSA 543 Advanced Financial Reporting II 5
GSA 544 Enterprise Wide Business Processes 4
GSA 545 Applied Research and Communication 4
GSA 552 Fraud Auditing & Examination 4
GSA 553 International Accounting 4
GSA 554 Advanced Spreadsheet Modeling for Accounting 4
GSA 555 Accounting Data Base Modeling and Analysis 4
GSA 556 Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation 4
Total Units 45