Admission to graduate programs in business is limited to those students who can demonstrate high promise of success in a graduate business degree program. There are a limited number of students who can be admitted to the program. Final admission decisions will be based on GPA, GMAT score, and letters of recommendation.
Admission standards and process for the Master of Accounting Science are:
GPA and GMAT Score. The minimum criteria are a 2.75 cumulative GPA, 3.00 GPA in Accountancy
courses, 475 GMAT score, and appropriate leadership and communication skills as evidenced by letters of
recommendation and goals statement.
In addition, students must have a composite score of 1100 or higher. The composite score is calculated by the following formula:
(Cumulative GPA x 200) + GMAT score = 1100 or higher.
Admission to the program is competitive and limited to candidates who demonstrate high promise. Meeting
the minimum criteria above is not a guarantee of admission into the program.
If the undergraduate degree is not in accountancy and/or business, the student must fulfill the Phase I
College of Business foundation courses and Phase I accountancy requirements. A student who wishes to enroll in Phase I Courses at NIU, must be admitted to the M.A.S. program.
Admission deadlines:
Students who have all documents submitted to Graduate School by the M.A.S. deadline will be
considered first for admission.
M.A.S.
Deadline
All Documents to
Grad School Deadline
International
Students Deadline
Summer
February 1st
June 1st
-------*
Fall
April 1st
July 15th
May 1st
Spring
September 15th
December 10th
October 1st
* International students can not apply for summer term.
Complete the following M.A.S. Information Admission Form. This is in addition to filing all documents with
the Graduate School. It is the student's responsibility to make sure all documents are on file with the
Graduate School by the deadline listed above. NIU students need to submit an unofficial NIU transcript to
the Department of Accountancy. The unofficial NIU transcript may be obtained at the Office of Registration
and Records, on the second floor of Williston Hall.
The following documents need to be submitted to the Graduate School, along with the nonrefundable $30
application fee:
Official GMAT score; It takes approximately 4-5 weeks for the official GMAT score to reach NIU.
Two letters of recommendation; Preferably from an academic source rather than from a work-related source. You may use the NIU Graduate School recommendation form.
Official transcripts (both English and native language copies if you are an international student); Transfer students who submit official transcripts before a bachelor's degree is earned, will need to send another official transcript with the degree posted. NIU students do not need to submit transcripts to Graduate School for admission purposes or to verify the degree confirmation. Transfer students must submit an official transcript from each school attended, if you wish courses to be evaluated for Phase I requirements.
TOEFL score (if you are an international student).
After your application has been up-loaded into the student database by the Graduate School, you will be able to track your progress through the admission process via the self-service area of MyNIU. Any outstanding documents which are necessary to process your application will be on your "To Do List" on your MyNIU page.
All admission decisions will be made according to the following schedule. Students must have submitted all documents to Graduate School by the admission deadline above to be considered. The department's admission committee meets after the department deadline and considers all complete applications for admission.
Applications submitted after the department deadlines will be considered if additional space in the M.A.S. program is available.
Admission Term
Accountancy Department
Admission Decision
Graduate School Admission
Decision Sent to Student
Summer
Mid-February
Beginning of March
Fall
Mid-April
Beginning of May
Spring
Beginning of October
End of October
Once you receive an official Graduate School acceptance letter, you must confirm on MyNIU that you plan to attend NIU.
To answer questions about the MAS program, contact Rowene Linden, M.A.S. Advisor, at 1(815) 753-6200.
M.A.S. Advisor Mailing Address:
Rowene Linden
Department of Accountancy
Barsema Hall – 345
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Graduate School Mailing Address:
The Graduate School
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
