Audit and Controls
The primary objective of the audit and controls concentration is to prepare graduates for careers in the assurance function whether in public accounting, internal auditing, or government. Because the audit and controls concentration provides for greater breadth, students seeing careers in corporate accounting frequently choose this concentration. In recent years, graduates of the assurance concentration have accepted positions with Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Dixon Hughes, Cherry Bakert, & Holland, LBMC, Pugh & Company, Pershing Yoakley and Associates, Rodefer Moss, IBM, Home Depot, Department of Energy, State of Tennessee, and other organizations.
Students in the Assurance Concentration must take the following courses:
Fall Term
Accounting 507 - Financial Reporting Research and Contemporary Issues
Practice Theory and practice of contemporary financial reporting issues are covered with a heavy emphasis on researching the authoritative accounting literature. Specific contemporary issues covered vary each semester.
Prereq: Admission to the MAcc program.
Accounting 518 - Professional Standards I
Basic standards and contemporary issues relevant to assurance providers. Actual practice cases are used to illustrate application.
Prereq: Admission to MAcc program, graduate business programs, or consent of the instructor.
Accounting 521 - Governmental, Not for Profit, and Management Accounting
Accounting principles and reporting models for governmental and not for profit organizations. Uses of management accounting information in decision making and performance evaluation.
Prereq: Admission to MAcc program or consent of instructor.
Accounting 531 - Tax Strategy, Tax Research, and Entity Taxation
Current issues in tax strategy including investment models, implicit taxes, tax arbitrage, organizational form, and other selected topics. Methods of researching tax issues within the U.S. federal tax system with emphasis on Web-based research tools. Income taxation of business entity operations.
Prereq: Admission to MAcc program or consent of instructor.
Spring Term
Accounting 519 - Professional Standards II
Continuation of 518 with emphasis on emerging professional accounting standards. Other topics include financial statement analysis, regulatory reporting and accounting and auditing problems of particular industries. Continued emphasis on communication skills.
Prereq: Accounting 518
Accounting 593 - Consolidations
IM 543 - Information Systems Control and Audit
Security-, integrity-, and cost management-oriented risks and control measures for a variety of different business system platforms and applications. Centralized and distributed environments, intranets/extranets, electronic commerce, and enterprise systems.
Prereq: Information Management 541
Business Administration 522 - Business Core for Master of Accountancy
Prereq: Admission to the MAcc program.
Summer Term
Business Administration 521, and 523 - Business Core for Master of Accountancy
Prereq: Admission to the MAcc program.