Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University will launch new online master’s programs in accountancy and taxation in 2021.

The MSU College of Business’ Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy is set to begin offering online Master of Professional Accountancy and Master of Taxation programs in the fall, building on the college’s nationally-recognized online offerings. The new online programs are made possible by a recent gift from the Richard C. Adkerson Family Foundation.

Shawn Mauldin, Adkerson School of Accountancy director, said the investments in new online programs reflect the changing landscape of graduate education.

“With Richard Adkerson’s gift, we can provide the technology that ensures we are delivering the same quality accounting education as in the face-to-face environment,” Mauldin said. “Although both programs will continue to be offered face-to-face, we believe there will be significant interest from students who cannot come to campus to complete the graduate programs for a variety of reasons. The Adkerson School of Accountancy is at the forefront of re-envisioning how graduate accounting education is delivered.”

Both 30-hour programs prepare students for careers in business and accounting. Enrollment will begin in spring 2021 with classes commencing at the start of the fall semester in August.

In recent years, the Adkerson School of Accountancy updated its undergraduate and graduate programs to give students additional tools needed to remain at the forefront of the accounting profession. The curriculum update emphasizes technology skills relevant to data analytics and big data, areas that are becoming increasingly prominent in the accounting profession. The changes include integrating data analytics content into current courses, adding a required data analytics graduate course, and providing a minor in accounting data analytics in the Master of Professional Accountancy and Master of Taxation programs, which is available for students in both the online and face-to-face programs.

“As the fields of business and accounting evolve, it is our job to equip students with both the foundational concepts and the modern tools they need to be at the forefront of their profession,” College of Business Dean Sharon Oswald said. “Our updated accounting curriculum and expanded online offerings are two great examples of how we are doing just that. I am excited that we can expanded access to our world-class educational offerings through the online Master of Taxation and Master of Professional Accountancy programs.”

The Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy, housed in MSU’s College of Business, maintains supplemental accounting accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the world’s largest business education network and longest-serving accrediting body for business schools with undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. For more, visit www.business.msstate.edu/programs/adkerson/.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.