MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTANCY Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 1. Is a specific undergraduate degree required for admission? The MSA is open to applicants from all disciplines. 2. How many courses are required to complete the degree? Ten courses (thirty units) are required. 3. How long will it take to complete the program? The MSA is a full-time, accelerated program that takes two semesters to complete. 4. What does the program cost? Estimated program cost for state residents is $16,189 and $27,349 for non-residents and international students. 5. Are there prerequisite courses? The MSA requires six prerequisite courses completed with an average of B or better within the five years prior to matriculation. The first prerequisite course is Introductory Financial Accounting, which must be the equivalent of three semester hours. The acceptable course offered at San Jose State University is Financial Accounting, BUS 20. We also accept courses offered by other regionally accredited higher education institutions. The remaining five courses are:     Accounting Information Systems, Intermediate Financial Accounting I & II Management Accounting and Control Systems, Tax Factors of Business and Investment Decisions. These courses are upper division and may be taken as part of an undergraduate degree from any accredited 4-year University or in the Lucas School’s Certificate of Accounting Fundamentals offered in the Summer term. Lucas Graduate School of Business | One Washington Square | San José, CA 95192-0162 | 408-924-3420 | www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool 6. Is an internship required? No. However, Bus 220K is a six unit practicum scheduled during the Spring semester that is an integral part of the MSA program and provides invaluable practical experience. As a result, all students admitted to the program should be eligible to work in the United States. Therefore, all applicants who hold visas that do not permit employment, (such as H-4) should apply for an F-1 visa upon an offer of admission to the MSA program. 7. How do I secure an internship? The MSA program provides every opportunity to support and assist students in obtaining an internship; however, please note that it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to secure the internship. The MSA program cannot guarantee that all students will be offered an internship. 8. Is there a minimum GMAT or GRE score required? A GMAT score equal to or above the 50th percentile on both the quantitative and verbal sections of the exam is preferred. The AWA portion of the GMAT is also required. For the GRE, a comparable score is 151 in Verbal Reasoning and 152 in Quantitative Reasoning. 9. Is there a minimum GPA required for admission? A candidate’s GPA should be a 3.0 or above for admission to the MSA. The last 60 units or 90 quarter units are used to calculate the GPA. An absolute minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for graduate admission at San José State University. 10. Do I need an English language proficiency examination (TOEFL)? An English language proficiency exam is required for all students who graduated from a higher education institution in a country in which the primary language is not English. The MSA program requires a minimum score of 90 on the internet-based TOEFL, 7.5 on the IELTS, or 75 on the PTE. Please note that these scores are higher than the minimum scores required by San Jose State University. (The University requires a minimum score of 80 on the internet-based TOEFL, 7.0 on the IELTS, or 68 on the PTE.) The examination can be waived if the applicant has: a) Received a Bachelor's or Master's degree from an accredited U.S. institution. b) Completed 3 years full-time school in a U.S. institution. Lucas Graduate School of Business | One Washington Square | San José, CA 95192-0162 | 408-924-3420 | www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool 11. What is the profile of the class most recently admitted? Average GMAT - 623, Average GPA - 3.44, Average age - 29, 42% male, 58% female. 12. I earned my undergraduate degree outside the U.S. Who will evaluate my degree? Graduate Admissions (GAPE) requires a WES ICAP course by course evaluation for all transcripts and degrees earned outside of the United States. This applies to all applicants with international credentials, both domestic and foreign. WES (World Education Services) is a non-profit organization that conducts research on international education and trends and provides expert credential evaluation services. You may find an application and directions on the WES website located at http://www.wes.org/students/index.asp. 13. How do I apply? The Lucas Graduate School of Business website contains step-by-step instructions on the application process. Please see http://www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool/prospective/apply/index.html. 14. Which application do I use? Domestic students are defined as U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents (Green Card holders), and non-F or non-J visa holders such as H-4 and H-1B. These applicants should follow the directions for Domestic Students on http://www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool/applynowdomestic/index.html. International students are defined as those who hold F-1 or J-1 visas. These applicants should follow the directions for International Students on http://www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool/applynowinternational/index.html. 15. Do I need to complete the prerequisite course(s) and take the GMAT or GRE before I apply? NO! We recommend that you apply early and obtain a San José State University ID. This will enable you and the Lucas Graduate School of Business to monitor the progress of your application. Lucas Graduate School of Business | One Washington Square | San José, CA 95192-0162 | 408-924-3420 | www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool 16. When does the Lucas School accept applications? MSA students are admitted once a year in Fall. 17. What is the application deadline for Fall 2014?  The priority application deadline is April 1st, 2014 and the priority document deadline is April 15th. Applicants who do not have an accounting background should plan to complete their applications, a course in financial accounting, and submit their test scores by the April 15th deadline. This will enable the MSA Admissions Committee to conduct a review of candidates and offer admission in time for summer enrollment in the Certificate in Accounting Fundamentals.  The final application deadline is May 1st, 2014 and the document deadline is May 15th. Applicants with an accounting background who have completed all six prerequisite courses with a B average within the past five years do not need to enroll in the summer Certificate in Accounting Fundamentals. Applicants in this category must complete their applications and submit their test scores by the May 15th deadline. 18. Are there students I can speak with about the program? Yes, please contact the Lucas School to make arrangements. 408-924-3420 or email us < [email protected]>. 19. Does the Lucas School offer scholarships for MSA students? Once enrolled, the Lucas School’s MSA Program Coordinator will alert you about scholarship opportunities as they arise. You may also visit Scholarships < http://www.sjsu.edu/faso/Scholarships/ > or Financial Resources from SJSU for more information on San Jose State University scholarship opportunities. 20. What type of Financial Aid is available? MSA students may be considered for State University Grant, Graduate Professional Business Grant, and Federal Direct Stafford Loans. If additional funds are needed, students may apply for the Graduate Plus Loan based on credit rating. Lucas Graduate School of Business | One Washington Square | San José, CA 95192-0162 | 408-924-3420 | www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool 21. Who is eligible for Financial Aid? Graduate students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens. Eligible non-citizens are defined as individuals who have been issued an alien registration number. 22. How do I apply for Financial Aid? You must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 2, 2014 for priority consideration. If you will not complete your federal tax return by the priority filing date, use an estimated income on your FAFSA. You may still complete the FAFSA application after the priority filing date of March 2nd (www.fafsa.ed.gov). Questions? Fill out the questionnaire located on the Lucas Graduate School of Business website at http://www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool/admission/index.html (scroll down to the bottom of the page). Lucas Graduate School of Business | One Washington Square | San José, CA 95192-0162 | 408-924-3420 | www.sjsu.edu/lucasschool