Master of Accounting Admission Requirements
The Chapman Graduate School of Business in Florida International University’s College of Business Administration admits students in the fall and spring terms.
Mailing Address:
Submit all materials to
Florida International University
Chapman Graduate School of Business
Attn: Accounting Programs
11200 SW 8th Street CBC 200
Miami, FL 33199-0001
Application Deadlines
The program admits students every fall and spring terms.
Candidates applying to our Master of Accounting Program must adhere to the following deadlines:
Fall Classes
April 1: Last day for international students to submit a graduate application.
May 1: Last day for international students to submit all supporting Academic credentials, appropriate test scores, and Declaration of Finances.
June 1: Last day for U.S. applicants to submit a graduate application and supporting credentials.
Spring Classes
September 1: Last day for international students to submit a graduate application.
October 1: Last day for U.S. applicants to submit a graduate application and supporting credentials. Last day for international students to submit all supporting academic credentials, appropriate test scores, and Declaration of Finances.
For all applicants
- Complete the online application for admission (http://gradschool.fiu.edu/admissions.html). Scroll down, under “Quick Links” click “Apply online”.
- To begin the online application you will need to click on the icon that says “Create Account” in the User Login section. After you create the PIN, you will use the PIN to enter the system and complete the online application.
- You may complete the online application and submit it, even without having taken the GMAT, GRE or TOEFL. We prefer that you mail supporting materials (essay, letters of recommendation, etc…) to us rather than uploading them onto the online application.
- Pay a $30 nonrefundable application fee. Most major credit cards are accepted. Checks or money orders are also accepted and should be made payable to Florida International University.
- Send official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and/or universities, in a sealed envelope.
- A four year bachelor’s in an accounting business degree or related area from a US regionally accredited institution, as well as a minimum upper division grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 are required. If you are an alumnus (ae) of the university, there is no need to have transcripts sent.
- The original transcripts must be submitted in an envelope sealed by the degree-granting institution.
- Students whose official transcripts are not in English will be required to submit translated transcripts. If this applies to you, please ask your university to provide two original transcripts. The first set of transcripts must remain in the sealed envelope. The second set of transcripts should be sent to an official translation agency for translation.
- Official proof of degree: a copy of the original diploma is required if the degree is not posted on the official transcript.
- Be in good standing with all previously-attended colleges and universities.
- Submit official GMAT. Earn a score of at least 500 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) (www.mba.com) or 1000 on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) (www.ets.org) and achieve a minimum of 25 in the verbal and quantitative percentile sections. Scores are considered official when sent by the testing center directly to our school. FIU’s university code is 5206.
- Students with above average grades from an AACSB accredited university may qualify for a waiver to the GMAT/GRE Test requirements. To meet this waiver, the student must have a GPA of 3.25 or better on upper-level coursework AND have a GPA of 3.0 or better in the aggregate of Intermediate Financial Accounting I, Intermediate Financial Accounting II, Management Accounting, and Income Taxes. (FIU courses ACG4101, ACG4111, ACG4341, and TAX4001)
The Chapman Graduate School of Business offers special GMAT preparation courses throughout the year.
- If you earned your Bachelor Degree in a country whose official language is not English, you must demonstrate English proficiency by taking either the TOEFL or IELTS. Minimum scores for the TOEFL are: 550 paper-based, 213 computer-based and 80 internet-based. Minimum score for the IELTS is 6.5. To obtain information about the TOEFL exam, please contact the English Language Institute at 305-348-2222, or visit www.toefl.org. To obtain more information on the IELTS, visit www.ielts.org. When requesting the official scores, please refer to the Florida International University Institution code 5206.
- Submit a current resume of professional experience. Resumes may be sent to gradadv@fiu.edu.
- Submit 2 letters of recommendation.
- Participate in a personal interview once your complete application is received.
For international students
International students applying for the F-1 student visa will be required to submit financial documentation. Financial documents must be recent (6 months or less from the program start date).
- Request a letter from your bank or the bank of your sponsor (a parent, for example) stating that you or your sponsor have sufficient funds of at least$46,000 for tuition and living expenses. The types of accounts from which these bank letters are accepted are: savings, checking or money market accounts.
- If the bank account and aforementioned letter are in the name of a sponsor, the sponsor will need to submit a signed sponsor letter stating that he or she will fund your education and expenses while you are enrolled in the MS in Finance program. Click here to see a sample sponsor letter.
- Submit a completed and signed Declaration of Finance (DCF) form. Please note that the minimum amount in the DCF must be at least $46,000 for the academic year 2009-2010.
If you fail to meet one or more of the above criteria, or feel your earned GPA or standardized test scores are not indicative of your ability to be successful in a graduate degree program, please submit additional documentation to augment your application portfolio. The Admissions Committee will consider, for example, a master’s or a law degree, a professional certification such as the CPA, CFA, SHRM or other comparable certification, specialized leadership experience or training, or other similar evidence of special qualities as additional factors in evaluating your application.
Under exceptional circumstances, applicants may be admitted conditionally, provided they have a GPA of 2.75 or higher in all of their upper division course work as undergraduates and demonstrate extraordinary credentials in all other aspects of the admissions criteria. In such cases, students must complete their first 12 graduate credit hours with a GPA of 3.25 or higher in order to qualify for full admission to the program.
Keep in mind, that for this competitive program, students with the best combination of GPA and test scores will have the first opportunity to enter the program. Only those applicants who have submitted complete application packets will be considered. Meeting the minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission.
