method wrote:
Just looking through the websites real quick, I can tell you that Cal State Fullerton and Cal State LA both will admit you into the program, and then you will begin taking your "pre-requisites." San Jose State didn't give enough information, so I would contact the admissions office directly. My guess is that the admissions rates for these programs are very high and not something you should be concerned about. The strength of your app will decide how much money they give you, not whether you get in.
I'm currently doing a MSA at Missouri-Kansas City before pursuing my MBA, and we have a similar setup. My friend Ben was a music undergrad so he has to take 30 or so general business credits on top of 30 advanced accounting credits. Whereas my undergrad was a BBA in Management Information Systems, so I have the general business section waived. We are both program admits with access to the same scholarships and financial aid.
Typically speaking, no one does a MSA unless they're hunting for a CPA license. As part of your research, I would advise you to consider a MBA program if you're only looking at doing one masters degree. To sit for the exam in California, you'll need 150 semester hours, 24 in accounting, and 24 in business. An MBA program is typically 36 hours total, so if you only took accounting electives, you would only be short 12 hours in either accounting or business. You could knock the 12 out during the summer semester instead of an internship -- not sure how important that would be in your situation.
Anyways, just something to consider as you look! With a 3.45 GPA and a 700+ GMAT you would be a very strong candidate @ UCLA Anderson and USC Marshall. If you can nail a 740+ GMAT with great soft factors you could have an outside shot at Berkeley Haas, but Haas is hard for anyone to get into really.
Missing the internship summer in an MBA program almost defeats the purpose of an MBA.