Albers Launches STEM-Designated Accounting Master’s Program

Designed for students with an undergraduate degree in accounting, five out of the MSAA’s 15 courses will be in analytics, while eight out of the 15 are STEM-related. The STEM designation enables international students to explore Optional Practical Training (OPT) opportunities in the United States. Emphasis on analytics reflects accounting’s evolution as it embraces emerging technologies.

“The new program offers unique courses tailored for growth as an accounting, auditing or business risk advisory professional, while building a strong skill foundation in analytics,” says Albers Accounting Department Chair Niranjan Chipalkatti, PhD. “The accounting industry has expanded to include analytics, visualization, block chain, AI and other technologies as part of the accounting, audit, and risk assurance process. The MSAA will build students’ functional skills and knowledge that today’s employers are seeking, while also prepping them for strategic leadership positions in the workforce.”

The MSAA evolved from the school’s graduate accounting program that was founded in 1999. It has been ranked in the Top 25 nationwide for nine consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report.

“We constantly review our curriculum to ensure that our students continue to be the most highly sought-after talent in Seattle and beyond,” says Albers Dean Joseph Phillips. “The MSAA ensures that our graduates have first-mover advantage in today’s rapidly changing accounting landscape.”

The program is an accredited partner of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and one of only nine Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Centers of Excellence in the world. Graduates have built careers at the Big 4 accounting firms as well as top Seattle-based companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Costco.