Frequently Asked Questions | Master of Accountancy in Financial Accounting

No. You are only required to have an undergraduate degree in accounting.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in accounting from schools other than Rutgers and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) are required to submit a GMAT score with their application.

If you complete and/or are completing your undergraduate degree in accounting from Rutgers or The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), you are not required to submit a GMAT score as long as your cumulative GPA at the time of submitting your application is at least a 3.0. If you are a Rutgers student and your GPA falls below a 3.0, you must submit a GMAT score as part of the application process.

The GMAT is waived for applicants who have successfully completed all four parts of the CPA exam and can provide a letter from the licensing jurisdiction indicating completion of all four parts of the exam.

If you have successfully completed other professional licensing requirements (e.g., The Law Bar exam, Chartered Financial Analysts, Certified Management Accountant, etc.) you may petition the program director for a waiver of the GMAT requirement.

The average GMAT score is 550.

No. RBS and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) accounting students with GPAs in excess of 3.0 are not required to submit two letters of recommendation with their application.

Yes, but an applicant with an undergraduate degree in something other than accounting must have completed the 24 credit hours of accounting courses required to be considered an accounting major.

The prerequisite accounting courses are as follows:

• Introduction to Financial Accounting
• Introduction to Managerial Accounting
• Intermediate Accounting I
• Intermediate Accounting II
• Advanced Accounting
• Auditing
• Income Tax Accounting
• Cost Accounting
• Accounting Information Systems

All prerequisite courses have to be completed prior to admission into the financial accounting program.

Yes. There are two options for taking the program:

1. F-1 holders of an undergraduate accounting degree from a U.S. institution can take summer core courses plus fall completion of three in-class electives and two online electives.
2. F-1 holders of an undergraduate accounting degree from a U.S. institution can take summer core courses plus fall completion of three in-class electives and one online elective and spring internship depending on availability. If you choose this option, you must discuss at the beginning of your first semester to ensure internship is available.

No. Calculus and statistics are not required to be admitted into the financial accounting program.

The following documents must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office by Rutgers Business School and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) for accounting undergraduates:

• RBS online graduate application
• Resume
• Essay (on an ethical dilemma)
• Official Transcripts from all institutions attended
• Application Fee

Yes. However, the five core courses are only offered during the summer semester on campus. The accommodation is to allow students to split the courses over two summers. We would, however, expect the employer to confirm their support for the student's participation in the program.

No. However, if admitted into the financial accounting program, we highly recommend you take both the Governmental Accounting & Auditing and Ethics in Business courses unless you took an equivalent course in your undergraduate studies.

Elective courses are typically taken online, but also may be taken in a formal classroom setting. Formal classroom courses must be approved by the program director and can be taken either on the Newark or New Brunswick campuses.

International students (F-1 holders) are required to take three courses in the classroom.

Online courses offered in the Master of Accountancy in Governmental Accounting program may also be taken. Examples of such courses are:

• Design and Development of Information Systems
• Government Budgeting Systems
• Public Sector Auditing
• Public Financial Management

A full-time student in the Rutgers Business School is defined as a student who takes a minimum of 12 credit hours.

There are no scholarships available to students admitted into the financial accounting program. There is, however, a financial aid program set up by the Financial Aid Office. For more information, please contact:

Last names A-D: Vanessa Galindo

Last names E-L: Martha Arevalo

Last names M-R: Urvi Khandhar

Last names S: Nicholas Ramjattan

Last names T-Z: Maria Correia

Due to the nature of the program, there are no TA positions available in the program.

There are two ways that employers fund the education of their employee's education—direct billing or tuition reimbursement.

Direct Billing – The student is issued a voucher from the employer with the indicated tuition benefit the employer is providing for the semester. The student submits the voucher to the Rutgers Billing Office. The Billing Office will then prepare an invoice and submit it to the employer for payment. The employer does not have any stipulations for payment (e.g., grades).

Tuition Reimbursement – The student pays the term bill by the due date for the semester. At the end of the semester, after grades are submitted, the student submits a tuition reimbursement request to his/her employer. The employer reimburses the student for the indicated tuition benefit, provided the student meets the stipulation in the employer's tuition reimbursement program (e.g., attainment of a certain grade level).

In the event that the employer provides the student with a tuition reimbursement option, the student must pay tuition up front (by the billing due date for the semester) and manage the reimbursement process separately with his/her employer.

Yes. An undergraduate student interested in applying for the financial accounting program may request special permission to take a graduate elective. Restrictions apply.

No. While most students complete the requirements of the financial accounting degree within a year after beginning the program, the program is flexible and permits students who may have work conflicts to arrange their classes around those conflicts. A student who fails to register for any courses for three consecutive semesters must formally notify the senior program administrator and registrar of their plans for program completion.

No. You can not take online courses on a non-matriculating basis. These courses are limited in size and to students who have been formally admitted to program.

Yes, summer housing is available for students admitted into the financial accounting program. Information on summer housing may be obtained by sending a request for information to oncampus@rci.rutgers.edu.

New students are registered for the summer core classes by the program administrator during orientation.

The summer core classes are taught on the New Brunswick (100 Rock) campus.

Read the university policy on COVID-19 Immunization Record Requirement for Students.