MSU’s Adkerson School of Accountancy looks to future of analytics, big data with updated curriculum

Vy Nguyen, right, a sophomore accounting major at Mississippi ��APP, meets with representatives from HORNE LLP during a recent on-campus networking event. MSU’s Adkerson School of Accountancy is updating its undergraduate and graduate programs to give students the tools needed to remain leaders in the accounting profession. (Photo by Megan Bean)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—��APP’s Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy is updating its undergraduate and graduate programs to give students the 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 business analytics in the Masters of Professional Accountancy and Masters of Tax programs.

“The main objective of these changes is to ensure that the next generation of accounting professionals from ��APP have the advanced technology skill set necessary to be successful in a highly complex and data-centric environment,” Adkerson School of Accountancy Director Shawn Mauldin said. “The new curriculum is structured in such a way that as new technologies evolve they can easily be incorporated into existing courses without revamping the entire curriculum.”

The school boasts a 100 percent job placement rate among its graduates. The updated curriculum will make MSU’s accounting graduates even more highly sought after, according to leaders in the accounting profession.

John Scott, a partner with HORNE LLP, said MSU accounting graduates “already possess excellent technology skills, and these curriculum changes will further enhance the quality and marketability of ��APP’s accounting students.”

Susan Bell, a partner with EY, observed that, “Technology is a key enabler across all aspects of business, including accounting, tax and auditing. MSU’s added curriculum around data analytics and emerging technologies will help our students be more efficient and effective business leaders and advisors.”

Housed in MSU’s College of Business, the School of Accountancy is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), 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. MSU is among 799 business schools around the world that hold AACSB accreditation. Additionally, MSU is among only 186 institutions that hold an additional, specialized AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs.

“The inclusion of data analytics as part of the new curriculum for both Master of Professional Accountancy and Master of Taxation programs will provide the additional tools needed to keep our MSU graduates at the forefront of an ever-changing accounting profession,” College of Business Dean Sharon Oswald said.

The school graduates approximately 100 bachelor’s degree candidates and 35-40 master’s degree candidates every year. The school offers a bachelor’s in accountancy and an accounting minor for undergraduate students. For graduate students, the school offers professional accountancy and taxation master’s programs. The undergraduate and master’s programs both are ranked among the top 20 in the country by the Commerce Clearing House Public Accounting Report for programs with 15 or fewer faculty.

The school is named for Richard C. Adkerson, an MSU College of Business graduate and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. For more on the Adkerson School of Accountancy, visit .

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

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