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Location: 236 Galloway Business Bldg.,  Phone: (409) 880-8610;  Fax:  (409) 880-8611

Director:  Dr. J. Donald Warren, Jr. 

Degrees Offered

 - 120 hours

 - 34 hours

Director of M.S.A.: Dr. J. Donald Warren, Jr. don.warren@lamar.edu 

The School of Accounting and Information Systems offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting, a Master of Science in Accounting and a graduate certificate in accounting. The B.B.A. provides the student with a broad education in accounting and prepares the student for an entry level position in industry or government. The M.S.A. prepares students for positions in public accounting, industry, or government. In addition, the M.S.A. is designed to meet the educational requirements of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy to sit for the CPA exam. The graduate certificate helps students satisfy the requirements for the CPA examination established by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.

Requirements for Graduation

In addition to the College of Business degree requirements for the B.B.A., the accounting major must earn a minimum grade of "B" in ACCT 2301 and ACCT 3370. Accounting majors are limited to two attempts to complete ACCT 2301, ACCT 3370 and ACCT 3310. A minimum grade of "C" is required in each accounting course beyond ACCT 3370. Students pursuing this degree program must take all professional upper-level courses at ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ.

Master of Science in Accounting

Director of msA.: Dr. J. Donald Warren, Jr.  don.warren@lamar.edu

The ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ Master of Science in Accounting is a 34-hour program designed to provide students with the necessary technical knowledge, communication skills, and critical thinking abilities for successful careers in public accounting, industry, government, and not-for-profit organizations. The ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ M.S. in accounting degree can satisfy all educational requirements [1] adopted by the TSBPA to sit the CPA exam in the state of Texas. ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ's College of Business is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

The program admits students with diverse backgrounds. While a majority of M.S. in accounting students have an undergraduate degree in accounting or business, a number of students have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in areas other than business. Students admitted without the necessary undergraduate coursework in accounting and/or business will be required to take prerequisite courses in those areas before enrolling for graduate accounting or business courses.

The flexible nature of the program allows both full-time and part-time students to obtain the degree. Applications are accepted throughout the year and students are admitted in fall, spring, and summer semesters. The length of the program will vary depending on the accounting and business administration background the student possesses.

Students holding an accounting degree from a domestic accredited business program can complete the degree in as few as 34 credit hours.

Students entering the ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ M.S. in accounting program with an undergraduate degree in business from an accredited business school will likely have satisfied the business leveling course requirements and may complete the degree in as little as 49 credit hours.

For students without any previous undergraduate study in business who want to become CPA-exam ready, the ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ M.S. in accounting degree may be completed in as few as 67 credit hours. Typically students without a business background will take six accounting prerequisite courses including ACCT 2301 (with a “B” or better), the five business leveling courses and the 12 courses required by the M.S. in accounting degree. Students do not need to be admitted into the M.S.A. program to take the accounting prerequisite and business leveling courses.

Education requirements to sit the CPA exam in the state of Texas:

• four-year degree from an accredited university
• 150 board-approved college credit hours
• 30 hours of ACCT above Principles
• 3-hour board-approved ethics course
• 24 upper-level business hours (Principles of Economics and Statistics are an exception)
• 2 hours of accounting research

The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) makes all final decisions regarding the eligibility of exam candidates. You may find additional information at their Internet site . Students who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting or business from a university other than Lamar are strongly encouraged to file an Application of Intent with the TSBPA after being admitted into the M.S.A. program to determine which undergraduate courses satisfy the TSBPA requirements.

M.S. in Accounting Admissions Requirements

Persons seeking admission to this program must meet the general requirements for admission with the following exceptions:

1. Applicants with an undergraduate accounting degree from an accredited domestic university who have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all accounting courses and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 may be granted a waiver for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and admitted to the M.S.A. program. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in accounting must meet these minimum GPA requirements to be admitted into the M.S.A. program.

2. Applicants with a bachelor's degree other than accounting who want to be admitted directly into the M.S.A. program, must take the GMAT. The applicant’s undergraduate grade point average and GMAT scores must equal or exceed the minimum standards. Applicants must meet at least one of the following standards:

• A total of at least 1050 points based on the formula: 200 times the overall undergraduate GPA for the first baccalaureate degree (4.0 system) plus a GMAT score.
• A total of at least 1100 points based on the formula: 200 times the GPA (4.0 system) of the last 60 hours of undergraduate work for the first baccalaureate degree plus GMAT score.

3. 
   Domestic students who elect to take the accounting prerequisite courses and business leveling courses as a post-baccalaureate student may be granted a GMAT waiver when applying to the M.S.A. program under the following conditions: The student maintained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the accounting leveling courses of a minimum and overall GPA of a 3.0 in all leveling courses taken.
   
   4.  Applicants without an undergraduate degree in accounting from an accredited domestic university are required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all undergraduate accounting courses taken before and after acceptance into the program
   
   5.  A student whose native language is not English is expected to take a language proficiency exam.  Acceptable scores and additional information for prospective international students may be found here.
   
   6.  The pre-M.S.A. program allows a student to take up to six graduate credit hours in elective courses towards the M.S.A. A pre-M.S.A. student must have a four-year undergraduate degree and meet the general university requirements for admission. After completing the six hours, the student must meet the minimum standards to be accepted into the M.S.A. program
   
   All applications will be reviewed on the basis of the profile material required and submitted for admission consideration. Each required document contributes to the overall profile of the candidate for admission. Qualified applicants for graduate study must provide evidence of good standing at the college or university from which they earned their undergraduate degree. The requirements outlined above represent the minimum criteria that applicants must meet to be considered for admission into the M.S. in accounting program. The final decision regarding admittance into the program will be made by the M.S.A. program committee. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee an applicant's admittance into the program.

Integrated B.B.A./M.S. in Accounting

As detailed above, current law requires 150 college credit hours to sit the Uniform CPA Examination in the state of Texas.[1]  To help students meet this requirement, the graduate college provides for dual enrollment in the B.B.A./M.S.A. This enables a timely completion of internships that offers greater opportunities for initial employment and career success.  In addition to the exceptions to the general requirements for admission referred to above, those seeking an integrated B.B.A./M.S. in accounting may apply and be admitted to the M.S. integrated program prior to completing a bachelor's degree.  Applicants must:

• complete at least 75 hours (must complete 12 hours of upper-level accounting courses including ACCT 3320)
• have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all undergraduate accounting courses at the time of admittance and maintain an accounting GPA of 3.0 throughout the undergraduate program
• have a minimum cumulative overall GPA of 3.0 at the time of admittance and throughout the program.

Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA)

The Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) is a 15-hour non-degree seeking program that provides advanced accounting coursework. The GCPA is primarily designed for candidates who intend to pursue CPA certification and need to obtain additional credits in accounting. It also seeks to serve accounting professionals who seek to update and expand their accounting knowledge and skills through graduate-level coursework Certificate Program at a Glance

    The certificate program requires the completion of five graduate courses (15 credits).
    Both full-time and part-time students may obtain the certificate. Applications are accepted throughout the year and students are admitted in Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. The length of the program will vary depending on how many courses the student completes in any given semester.

Graduate Certificate Admission Requirements

All applications to the GCPA will be reviewed on the basis of the profile material required and submitted for admission consideration. The requirements outlined below represent the minimum criteria that applicants must meet to be considered for admission into the GCPA. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee an applicant’s admittance into the program.

The admission requirements for the GCPA are as follows:

• Current ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ undergraduate accounting students will be considered for admission provided they have maintained a minimum overall 2.5 GPA and a minimum 2.0 accounting GPA including the following courses: ACCT 2301, ACCT 3370, ACCT 3310, and ACCT 3320. Students may apply while enrolled in ACCT 3320, but admission decisions will not be made until that course is completed with a minimum grade of C. The GMAT is not required for admission.
• Students who hold a Bachelor of Business Administration with an accounting major from ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ will be considered for admission provided they have maintained a minimum overall 2.5 GPA and a minimum 2.0 accounting GPA. The GMAT is not required for admission.
• Students from institutions other than ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ must have completed an undergraduate business degree with an accounting major from a domestic (U.S.) accredited university with a 2.5 overall GPA and a 2.5 accounting GPA. The GMAT is not required for admission.
• Admission to the GCPA does not guarantee admission into the M.S.A. program. However, upon successful completion of the GCPA, a student may apply for admission to the M.S.A. program and the certificate courses taken will be applied towards M.S.A. degree requirements.

Certificate Program Completion Requirements

In order to obtain the GCPA, students must meet all of the following requirements:

• Complete all certificate course requirements (15 hours).
• Earn a minimum letter grade of ‘‘C’’ in each certificate course on their first attempt.
• Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the five certificate courses.

Students who fail to meet the program completion requirements will not be awarded the certificate
How to Apply?
Type of Applicant    Application Procedure
Applicants who are currently enrolled as accounting majors at ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ.    Please fill out the application available in the Department of Accounting and Business Law.
Applicants who obtained an undergraduate degree in Business Administration with an accounting major at ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ.    

Please apply at  
Applicants who obtained an undergraduate degree in Business Administration with an accounting major at a domestic (U.S.) accredited university.    

Please apply at  
Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (CPA)

Fall 2016
Degree: Non-degree program. Students obtain a Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting.
Major: Accounting
Concentration: None
Required Courses for Certificate
4 courses (No substitutions)

ACCT 5310 Financial Accounting Research and Procedures (3 credits)
ACCT 5320 Regulation and Professionalism (3 credits)
ACCT 5350 Entity Tax (3 credits)
BULW 5340 Business Ethics (3 credits)

Elective Courses
1 course

Choose one of the following:
ACCT 5300 Advanced Accounting (3 credits)
ACCT 5325 Fraud and Forensic Accounting (3 credits)
ACCT 5330 Advanced Auditing (3 credits)
ACCT 5335 Partnership Taxation (3 credits)
ACCT 5345 Oil & Gas Accounting (3 credits)
ACCT 5361 Financial Statement Analysis (3 credits)
ACCT 5375 Advanced Accounting Information Systems (3 credits)
ACCT 5380 Internship (3 credits)

Hours
15

Dual M.S.A./M.B.A.

The dual M.S.A./M.B.A. is a dual-degree plan for those students already earning an M.S.A. with at least six hours of electives from the M.B.A. An additional 18 hours of M.B.A. core courses (including MGMT 5380) are required, and the student must complete the M.B.A. Exit Exam.  Applications must be submitted for each program individually.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to M.S.A. students who (1) earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 for their first baccalaureate degree and a minimum GMAT score of 450 or (2) received a GMAT waiver and earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all undergraduate accounting courses taken and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25.

[1] Including 30 hours in upper-division accounting, 24 hours in upper-division related business, and 3 hours in an approved ethics course
Applicants who obtained an undergraduate degree in Business Administration with an accounting major at a domestic (U.S.) accredited university

Location: 236A Galloway Business Bldg., Phone: (409) 880-8627

Director of Graduate Studies: Dr. Kakoli Bandyopadhyay, kakoli.bandyopadhyay@lamar.edu

The School of Accounting and Information Systems offers a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) major in Management Information Systems (MIS) with two tracks (Enterprise Resource Planning and Business Analytics), a minor in MIS, a minor in Business Analytics, and a STEM-certified Master of Science program in MIS. MIS courses are integrated with SAP education through the SAP-University Alliance Program. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required to enter and remain in the BBA-MIS program. A minimum GPA of 2.5 in MIS courses is required to successfully complete the BBA in MIS. A student can obtain a minor in MIS or Business Analytics by completing 18 credit hours of approved courses listed in the ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ catalog.

The discipline of Management Information Systems focuses on socio-technical issues related to managing and delivering technology-based solutions that support organizational processes, decision-making, and products and services. An MIS professional will apply technology to integrate and support business functions such as accounting, finance, marketing, and management. MIS students learn to analyze, design, develop, and maintain information systems to support business activities across the organization. Additionally, with the ERP track, the students learn how to identify key integration points and navigate successful business transactions, and with the Business Analytics track, the students learn how to use data to help businesses make operational and strategic decisions that optimize their competitiveness in the marketplace.  MIS students are taught a variety of software such as Oracle, many different SAP S/4 HANA modules, Tableau, Visible Analyst (CASE tool), SAS, Python, R, Primavera P6, Advanced Excel, etc.

Graduates of the MIS program are highly sought after because of their training in data analysis and problem-solving. They contribute to the performance improvement of the organizations through the planning and implementation of information systems. They are prepared to meet the challenges of a global environment characterized by rapid technological change because they have mastered many professional skills.

The program prepares graduates to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. It requires students to develop interpersonal skills and to apply both qualitative and quantitative techniques to solve business problems in group and team settings.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor projections, jobs in MIS and related areas will grow at a faster rate than in most other areas. Careers awaiting the graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree in MIS include Systems Analyst, SAP Consultant, IT Project Manager, Database & Data Warehousing Administrator, SAP Business Analyst, Computer Support Specialist, ERP-Analyst, Technical Support Analyst and Customer Support Specialist.

Degrees Offered
Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems

Master of Science in Management Information Systems

Minor
To receive a minor in MIS, the student must complete four required courses and two elective courses:

Four required courses (12 hours):

MISY 3310: Principles of Management Information Systems (SAP)
MISY 3340: IS Infrastructure
MISY 3370: IS Analysis and Design
MISY 4370: ERP Overview (SAP)

Two elective courses (6 hours) should be taken from the list below:

MISY 3360: Fundamentals of Software Development

MISY 3395: E-Commerce Design and Development (SAP)
(with MKTG 3350 E-Marketing as a course substitution)
MISY4350: Project Management and Practice
(with MGMT 3340 Project Management as a course substitution)
MISY 4380: IS Development
MISY 4340: Business Intelligence and Analytics (SAP)

To receive a Minor in Business Analytics, the students must complete any six of the eight courses listed below:

MISY 3321 – Spreadsheet for Business Analytics
MISY 3341 – Data Visualization
MISY 3350 - Programming for Business Analytics
MISY 3390 – Data Mining
MISY 4340 – Business Intelligence and Analytics
MISY 4380 – IS Development 
ECON 4370 – Economics Analytics
MKTG 4380 – Marketing Analytics  

Master of Science in MIS
The Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MIS) is a 30 hour STEM program designed to provide students with the necessary technical skills to solve business problems. The program offered both on-campus and online (100%), is especially positioned toward exposing students to Enterprise Systems thereby offering them a competitive edge in the global job market. The students graduating from this program will work as Business Analysts, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Consultants, Business Intelligence Designer, Systems Analysts, Data Analysts, etc. Specifically, the objective of an M.S. in MIS will be to provide a clear and distinctive opportunity for students to enter into a professional career as an Enterprise Systems consultant and/or Business Analyst.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants with a 3.0 GPA in their Bachelor's degree or a 3.0 in the last 60 hours of their Bachelor's degree, as long as the total Bachelor's degree GPA is no lower than 2.5, will be admitted without a GMAT/GRE requirement. (If an applicant has at least 15 post-graduate hours, these hours may be used in tandem with a Bachelor's degree with a GPA of between 2.5 and 2.999 to establish a GPA in the last 60 hours).
Those applicants who do not have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in either the Bachelor's or the last 60 hours but do have a GPA between 2.5 and 2.999 in the last 60 hours will be required to take the GMAT/GRE. New applicants admitted with a GRE/GMAT requirement will be able to take 9 credit hours prior to providing the required GMAT/GRE score.
The GMAT/GRE requirement may also be waived for applicants with 3 or more years of professional experience.
Our formula for determining admission will take into account the undergraduate GPA and the score on the GMAT: (GPA x 200) + GMAT score = 1,000, and on GRE: (GPA x 50) + GRE Verbal + GRE Quantitative =/or greater than 428.
¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ undergraduate students will be welcomed to take M.S. in MIS courses provided they have a minimum 2.75 cumulative undergraduate GPA. Undergraduate students may take a maximum of 9 graduate credit hours before their undergraduate degree is conferred

How to Apply

Please apply at  

To obtain an M.S. in MIS degree, students must:

Complete the five following REQUIRED courses:

MISY 5340 – ERP Overview
MISY 5350 – ERP E-Commerce
MISY 5360 – Business Intelligence
MIS 5370 – Data Mining and Predictive Analytics
MISY 5380 – ES/CRM

Complete five of the following Elective courses:

MGMT 5370 – Supply Chain Management
MISY 5300 – Database Management Systems
MISY 5310 – IT Project Management
MISY 5315 – Introduction to Programming for Business Solutions
MISY 5320 – Information Assurance and Security
MISY 5325 – Cybersecurity Management
MISY 5330 – Healthcare Information Systems
BUAL 5380 – Managerial Decision Making
BUSI 5380 - Global Enrichment

Scholarships

The department will offer a limited number of graduate assistantships each semester. The criteria for selection will be based on the department's needs and the student's qualifications. To hold an assistantship, graduate students must maintain full-time student status. Students who are on academic probation are not eligible for an assistantship.

The department will automatically consider all prospective students who receive an admission offer to the M.S.-MIS program for these positions. For prospective students, an applicant's admissions application will also serve as his/her application for graduate assistantships. Graduate assistant selections will be made on a competitive basis.