The Leadership M.A.S. program includes academic experiences in leadership combined with a variety of assessment tools and required coaching and mentoring experiences. These experiences will allow students to learn and apply the management theories, principles, and analytical methods needed to understand and execute effective business practices, as both an individual and a member of a team. In addition, students will gain the ability to lead a team and manage people and influence others' thinking and actions to achieve organizational goals.
These leadership experiences complement the balance of our 30 semester hour program which provides students with foundational accountancy knowledge that is not covered in an undergraduate program and essential business knowledge from the strategy, information technology, and financial management areas. Additionally, the program includes a research skills course and a capstone course in which accountancy and business knowledge is integrated and applied to business decision-making scenarios.
The NIU MAS Program is designed to help individuals develop important professional skills throughout their coursework. Development of the following skills is integrated throughout our courses.
Our graduates are successfully placed in a wide variety of organizations, including Big-4 accounting firms and leading corporations throughout the Midwest. A number of national rankings indicate the quality of the accounting program at NIU. Our CPA pass rate continues to place us among the top 20 schools in the nation. NIU's accountancy program is well known for its success in preparing students for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) certificates.
Professors across the nation have once again rated Northern Illinois University's accountancy program among the elite in the nation. The Public Accounting Report's 27th Annual Professor's Survey published in 2008, ranked NIU's Accountancy program 13th in the United States and one of only four non-Ph.D. programs in the top 15. Inclusion in the rankings places NIU in some highly regarded company including six Big Ten schools (including Illinois) and Notre Dame. Our programs were ranked 23rd in the 2008 Annual America's Best Colleges edition of U.S. News and World Report.
In addition, NIU accountancy students' performance on the CPA exam has ranked among the best in the nation for three decades. In January 2009, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy released pass rates for candidates taking the CPA exam in 2007. NIU Department of Accountancy graduate students placed 12th in the country (out of more than 900 institutions). NIU is the only Illinois university to have student performance ranked in the top twenty nationally. In addition, our students placed second in the country on the auditing section of the CPA exam (with a 90 percent pass rate). NIU accountancy graduate students placed 24th in the nation in 2006, and 9th best in 2004.
NIU offers a nationally ranked review course, which includes detailed coverage of all four parts of the exam. Award-winning faculty teaches it. Students who have completed the CPA review course have performed extremely well on the exam. For more information about the exam, please visit the website www.cob.niu.edu/cparev.
Members of NIU's accountancy faculty are nationally known for their excellence in teaching, research, and public service. All have terminal degrees in their fields and have one or more professional certificates. Many faculty have received teaching awards and national recognition.
The M.A.S. program is a day time program at the DeKalb campus. Most courses are offered during the day, while a few are offered early evening. The College of Business provides several computer labs and smart classrooms that enrich the student learning environment.
Graduate assistantships are available to assist students financially. A normal course load for a graduate or teaching assistantship is nine-twelve semester hours. Positions are usually 10 to 20 hours per week. The position covers tuition only and pays a stipend. The assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis. Contact the MAS Director for further details.
The internship program is designed to give qualified applicants valuable work experience in accounting. Internships for academic credit are available with leading public and corporate firms during the spring and summer terms. Internship income may be used to help offset the cost of the MAS program. For more information, click here.
The M.A.S. program at NIU is very affordable. The requirements for the degree can typically be met with in-state tuition and fees of approximately $16,500 (2009-2010 estimate). A few scholarships are also available for graduate students.
Career Services assists students identify and secure employment. Services include job-related counseling, resume writing and interviewing workshops, and on-campus interview. Further, each fall, national and regional firms and corporations come to campus specifically to interview students with an Accountancy degree.
The following are companies who have recently recruited accountancy majors on campus: