The MSA is designed to prepare students for rewarding careers in the rapidly growing and changing accounting field. Upon completing the MSA, students will qualify for the Uniform Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Exam. The curriculum has been designed by the College of Management Accounting and Finance (AF) faculty in consultation with the AF Department's Advisory Board. The MSA program is STEM-designated, allowing international students to apply for up to three years of Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the United States upon graduation. The MSA has been redesigned to emphasize data analytics and quantitative techniques in response to the evolving data analytics practices in businesses and the accounting profession. Courses include Intermediate Accounting, Cost Accounting, Federal Tax Planning, Auditing, International Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, Accounting Information Systems, Financial Frauds, and the capstone course Financial Accounting Theory and Analysis. The program is designed for students with different academic backgrounds, a bachelor's degree in accounting is not required and can be completed full-time or part-time, with classes that meet primarily in the evenings, late afternoons, and online. Scheduling is highly flexible, with most classes meeting once per week. Graduates with an MSA have been hired by the Big 4 accounting firms (Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PwC), national and regional CPA firms, and major financial institutions.