McCoy College of Business launches new IT master’s program

By Marc Speir
University News Service
March 27, 2007

The McCoy College of Business Administration at Texas State University-San Marcos has announced the launch of the new Master of Science in Accounting and Information Technology program. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the degree last May and after careful consideration of course requirements, the program is now accepting applicants for the summer.

The curriculum is designed to meet the growing demand for accountants and concern for information security in modern business settings.

“Most information systems in any kind of business have always been tied to accounting and budgeting,” said Rosie Morris, chair of the department of accounting. “In a company setting, the inventory and billing all ties back to IT (information technology) for auditing purposes.”

Students who are preparing to become auditors, IT auditors, information security specialists and information systems consultants can benefit from the degree. In addition, many students are able to gain the 30 upper-level accounting hours required to sit for the certified public accountant exam in Texas.

Courses are jointly developed and delivered by the accounting and the computer information systems and quantitative methods departments.

“This cross trains the accountant and the IT person to understand each other’s needs,” said Morris.

Major issues are addressed such as fraud detection, forensic auditing, regulatory reporting, information security, business intelligence and data mining, enterprise resource planning systems, e-commerce and data warehouses.

Course work may be completed in as little as 36 hours depending on a person’s undergraduate academic record. Some individuals may be required to take additional leveling coursework.

Courses included in the graduate core include cost and managerial accounting theory, accounting information systems, fraud detection and prevention, business information consulting, database management systems, IT systems project management, information security and enterprise resource planning.

For more information about this graduate program please contact the Department of Accounting in the McCoy College of Business Administration at Texas State University-San Marcos via phone: (512) 245-2566, e-mail: accounting@txstate.edu or visit the website at: http://mait.mccoy.txstate.edu.