Master of Science in Accounting

Expand your career while you prepare for CPA certification

There's a reason most Cox School MSA students land jobs with top firms before they even graduate: This nine-month program, which Public Accounting Report ranked No. 3 in the U.S. among smaller schools, has an edge. Not only do you learn technical and soft skills with award-winning professors who are always there for you, but you'll also have the option to prepare for your CPA and target your goals with electives. With Dallas on your doorstep — ie: enviable internships and valuable connections — and a dynamic career center, you'll be ready to run with your degree.

The MSA program prepared us so well that I passed all four parts of the CPA exam the summer before I began working full‐time. Each year, Professor Sommers improves the Cox MSA, updating the curriculum based on student feedback and his experience.

Stephanie Lau

Audit Senior Assistant at Deloitte, MSA 2016

Find Your Student Club

  • Consulting & Corporate Strategy Club

    This dynamic organization guides SMU students to success in the ever changing business landscape. The club offers members case interview practice, a chance to network with local boutique and specialty consulting firms to create consulting project opportunities, and face time with hiring managers.

  • Cox Graduate Finance Club

    If you’re interested in an investment-related career or corporate finance, this club is for you. Along with students from other MS and MBA programs, you'll get chances to network when you attend speaker panels, visit Dallas firms, join pitch competitions and mix it up at happy hours and crawfish boils.

  • Real Estate Club

    You don’t need real estate experience to benefit from membership in this club — if you’re looking to work in this exciting industry, it’s for you. Careers in real estate are driven by relationships, and members strive get valuable knowledge, connections and professional opportunities in the commercial real estate world.

By the Numbers: The Cox MSA Class of 2022

  • Class Size

    82
  • Average GMAT

    658
  • Average GPA

    3.61
  • Women

    51%
  • Number of Countries Represented

    9
  • International Students

    11%

After Cox: Success Stories

  • Allison Cooley, MSA 2012

    Senior financial analyst at Southwest Airlines

    “The accounting program at SMU was the best decision I have made. My professors help me realize my potential for pursuing a career in accounting and pushed me to go beyond just graduating with a Master’s degree in accounting, but also to get my CPA license.”

    After completing her BBA as an accounting major at SMU Cox, Allison Cooley branched out and enrolled in the Cox MSA program with a tax concentration. On graduating — with her CPA license, thanks to a push from her professors — Allison accepted a job as a tax consultant at Deloitte. Two years later, license in hand, she switched back to accounting, and today she forecasts revenue as a senior financial analyst at Southwest Airlines.

  • Sabrina Janski, MSA 2017

    Assurance associate at PwC

    When Poets&Quants featured Sabrina Janski as one of its Best and Brightest of 2016, the then SMU Cox undergrad said, “I would love to begin working as a full-time associate for Pricewaterhouse Coopers” post-graduation. Done! First, she dived deeper by studying for her MSA at Cox and interning in PwC's downtown Dallas office during her spring term. A few months later, on graduating, the company offered her a job: full-time associate.

  • Eric Mercado, MSA 2016

    Assurance associate at EY

    Eric Mercado was one of five SMU Cox accounting students whose team won the Ernst & Young Beam Abroad Case Competition and were whisked off to London, where they visited the EY London office and shared a meal with the EY global leadership team. Connections matter. Today, Eric is working at EY in Dallas.