Villanova School of Business Announces Enhanced Master of Accounting with Data Analytics Program

Villanova, Pa., July 24, 2017 — Villanova School of Business (VSB) is proud to announce exciting enhancements to its Master of Accounting with Data Analytics (MACDA) program. Beginning in Fall 2018, VSB will roll out a curriculum including data analytics and a full-time, year-long format.

The MACDA program enhancements will continue aligning students’ skills with evolving future market demands in the field of accounting. Including input from the Big 4 accounting firms and other firms, the MAC curriculum will integrate data analytics, build leadership and negotiation skills, and offer more specialized elective course offerings than before.

Accountants equipped with multi-dimensional skills are more valuable to their organizations and acquiring these skills during an academic program is a differentiator in terms of long-term success. These skills now include grounding in data and analytics; more specifically how it is applied in accounting settings. The courses in leadership and negotiations emphasize two important soft skills that are necessary for professional success.

Additionally, the Master of Accounting with Data Analytics will now shift from a summer-focused program to an academic year program that begins in the fall. This format change will afford students more time to prepare for the CPA exam and increased opportunities to network with outstanding firms.

The new program is unique in that it was designed – from the ground up – to prepare students for the new world of data and analytics. This redesign not only includes new courses in data and analytics but also existing courses were overhauled that infuse data and analytics in their curriculum.

Rising seniors, graduating in May 2018, will be the first class to enroll in the new program. When combined with an undergraduate degree, the 30-credit program will provide students with the 150 credit hours necessary to earn a CPA license.

“The Villanova MACDA provides our students with a new, cutting-edge curriculum that will keep them at the forefront of current and future accounting profession, as well as top-tier preparation for the CPA exam,” said Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD, The Helen and William O’Toole Dean of VSB. "With the revamped MAC, our Master’s program will align its curriculum with the skill sets needed in the professional world, while also providing employers with well-rounded, innovative and technologically advanced students ready to perform in a competitive marketplace.”

The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is ranked #1 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek and has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to six Centers or Institutes of Excellence (the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights, the Center for Church Management and the Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Institute) with each center and institute designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and teaching opportunities for business faculty. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.