Anyone know anything about UMKC's MSA program?

U of MO- Kansas City

Is it any good?
Does the big 4 recruit there?
job placement statistics?

I've perused their website, but I didn't find much relevant info.

1) It's fine. Not great, but fine.
2) No formal recruiting by Big 4 there, although ironically it's the program of choice for current Big 4 employees since it's so close to downtown. UMKC students often go to the KU job fair for exposure to Big 4.
3) I don't know details, but I'm sure the big local corporations (Sprint-Nextel, YRC, Hallmark, etc.) all take people. Some regional firms probably do recruit there.

If you're considering schools in the greater KC area, definitely go for KU. It's a target program for all four firms, and each will pick up 15-30 students a year for their Kansas City office, plus more for St. Louis, Chicago, and other large national cities. KU has a really active BAP that does a great job of coordinating activities and events with the Big 4. I would be on KU's campus 5-10 times in the fall semester, most of those with BAP and career services events.

(full disclosure- did my undergrad at KU, took 2 classes at UMKC to hit the 150 hour requirement, worked for a Big 4 in KC for 3.5 years before my current international assignment)

Thanks, I'll definitely give KU a look. The only problem is that I don't have an undergrad degree in accounting. Do you have any idea about whether my lack of business background (other than a few intro classes) would be a problem in getting into KU's Macc program?

Ah, yes, that does change some things. See KU's site for specifics

http://www.business.ku.edu/masters/accounting/

According to one part of the site, it appears they must offer some sort of introductory plan for those without an undergrad in accounting:

"The MAcc program is designed to be a seamless fifth year of study for accounting students. However, those beginning the program without an accounting degree may be required to take certain prerequisite courses. Incoming students must have a foundation in accounting that includes coursework in introductory and intermediate financial accounting, introductory and intermediate managerial accounting, information systems for accountants, introductory taxation, and auditing."

I assume you're wanting to end up in the KC area? Do you live there now? (Feel free to PM me if you don't want that info public) If your top priority is getting an accounting degree ASAP then UMKC might be a good choice. However, if you're serious about wanting to start off at Big 4, you'll probably need to navigate the KU prereqs or choose a third program as I'd be surprised if 1 student a year is picked up from UMKC between all 4 firms.

If you want some contacts at KU to discuss the MAcc further, let me know. I've stayed in touch with several professors in leadership roles in the accounting program and would be happy to provide you with their email addresses.

PM'ed!

I'm currently in the UMKC MSA program qualifying for the CPA exam. The impression Sailorette gives is fairly accurate, but UMKC does a smidge better than the impression given. Every major firm in the city including the Big 4 presents here through BAP, and the standout students here get Big 4 offers. But if you can't crack the top 5% of the class, you'll be looking at regional firms.

In terms of actual learning, the professors here are exceptional!

Hi! I'm thinking about going to UMKC for the MSA program as well. I was looking at the grad student handbook though, and they mentioned that classes are only twice a week and in the evening. Is this true for all of the classes? Seems like it's geared towards people working fulltime? Thanks for the help!

No, unfortunately that's not very accurate!

The typical time blocks are:

Two-day blocks (MW or TR)
12:30-1:45pm
2:00-3:15pm
4:00-5:15pm
5:30-6:45pm

One-day blocks (M,T,W, or R)
7:00-9:45pm

So like right now, I take a MW 12:30pm, TR 5:30-6:45pm, and a W 7:00-9:45pm.

They do a decent job of mixing the classes around from semester to semester, so if you can only take classes at night you can still finish the program without much hassle. In the Fall and Spring, if you need to take nonprofit accounting then you're only given the MW 2:00 option. But you can take it in the short Summer term where it's all evening classes for three weeks too.

I hope that helps! Oh and I guess I should say that yes, there's a lot of people working full-time. But there's also a lot of undergraduates, and many of the classes have both student populations in them with the only curricular difference being an extra project for the graduate students.

Great, thanks for clarifying. Good luck with your courses!