Since Suffolk receives numerous inquiries regarding our graduate accounting and taxation programs, admissions, and financial aid, we have posted a selection of frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Additional Information

Graduate Admissions
Financial Aid
International Applicants

 

What is the difference between your graduate accounting programs?

View a matrix comparing all of Suffolk’s programs at our online Graduate Programs in Accounting and Taxation brochure.

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Do you offer joint degree programs for accounting and taxation?

Yes, Suffolk offers the following joint programs:

• MBA/MSA
• MBA/MST
• MSA/MST
• MBA/GDPA
• MST/GDPA

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What are tracks and how do they work?

Suffolk has designed a few groups of courses (tracks) that may be useful based on a student’s professional goals. A student is not required to formally declare or select a track -- we are merely offering some guidance. However, students planning to take the CPA exam are required to take the courses in the public accounting track.

Available Tracks

• Fraud Examination Accounting
• Public Accounting
• Information Technology
• Controllership (For-Profit & Non-Profit)

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What is the profile of a typical student?

There is no typical student. Students in the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk tend to be:

• Part-time
• Between the ages of 25 and 33 (slightly younger in the MSA because of CPA exam and licensing requirements).
• Approximately 50% male versus 50% female. The MSA is slightly more female at 55% versus 45% male while the MSF and the Executive MBA Programs tend to be more male.

Additional Information

• Approximately 40% of our students come into the graduate school directly from undergraduate while 60% have varying degrees of work experience.
• A majority of students have completed an internship before embarking on our business programs.
• Approximately 30-40% of our students have had some education outside the United States.
  

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What are the placement statistics for the graduate accounting programs?

Since many of our students are employed when they begin our program, it is difficult to measure placement statistics.

When surveyed, part-time graduates say they realize the benefit (economically and/or professionally) from their Suffolk advanced degrees within 18 months of graduating and full-time students realize the benefit within six months.

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How long will it take to complete my MSA degree?

The amount of time it takes to finish the program varies per student. It can take as little as 10 months for full-time or up to 24 months for part-time students.

Once admitted to the program, your academic advisor will review your transcript and design a program of study that shows how many classes you’ll be required to complete.

Prior to being accepted to the program, you can find out the number of classes that have been waived for you with a pre-evaluation of your transcript. To schedule a pre-evaluation, email msa@suffolk.edu.

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When do the MSA or Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting (GDPA) programs begin?

Students can start in the fall (September), spring (January), or summer (May). Nearly all of our courses for both programs are offered each semester.

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How does the MSA program at Suffolk compare to other schools?

We are one of only three schools in Massachusetts that have a separate AACSB accreditation for our accounting program. The others are Bentley University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

At Suffolk, we believe that an MSA graduate must be a well-rounded business professional with some exposure to all other business disciplines (organizational behavior, management, finance, marketing, international business management, etc.). This exposure enables our graduates to step into management roles where they can speak the language of their peers.

Suffolk requires management preparation courses and a course on Managing in the Global Environment. Some of the programs offered at other schools consist solely of accounting courses. At Suffolk, applicants do not need an undergraduate degree in accounting or business to apply to the MSA program.

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What elective courses are required for the MSA program?

Students have a minimum of 3 electives in the MSA program.

A student can take any graduate-level course in either the Sawyer Business School or the College of Arts & Sciences as long as it relates to his degree. For example, an economics course would be acceptable but a psychology course would not.

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