Creating new ways for students of all different backgrounds to earn advanced degrees is a standard of the Fox School. To that end, the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program will now offer the MAcc Summer Bridge program to prepare students who have no previous accounting or business education.  

This program allows accepted students to receive credit for the six pre-requisite courses required to start the graduate program in the fall. Additionally, the program will prepare the students with the fundamental background knowledge needed to succeed.  

Accounting Associate Professor, Deputy Department Chair and Academic Director of the MAcc program, Cory Ng believes that the Summer Bridge program provides individuals who may have degrees in subjects like history or English the opportunity to change the trajectory of their careers and open themselves to rewarding opportunities in the business world.  

“The innovation of the Summer Bridge program is that we allow students to complete the equivalent of Temple’s ACCT 2101 Financial Accounting at another college or university, or through an online program such as Coursera,” says Ng. “Then you can begin the Summer Bridge program to take the five other prerequisite courses prior to the start of the MAcc program in the fall semester.” 

Students can apply to the MAcc program, then document their plan to complete the Summer Bridge program in their application. They will receive conditional acceptance, assuming they will finish the prerequisite courses and begin the program in the fall.  

“We are making the MAcc degree more flexible and open to all students of all different educational backgrounds,” says Ng. “Many people are looking for better career opportunities and this is a great place to start.” 

For previous non-accounting major students, taking these pre-requisite courses and earning a MAcc degree have helped them excel both in the classroom and in the workplace.  

Jung Min Cha, MAcc ’22, earned a Master of International Affairs (MIA) from Columbia University prior to deciding to join the MAcc program. 

“After finishing my education, I worked as both a consultant and an accountant for various nonprofit organizations but didn’t have an accounting degree,” says Cha. “I decided to get a degree in something practical so I could advance in my career.  

“I took all the prerequisite courses at a local community college, then applied to the MAcc program where they honored my prior experience and education.” 

Cha believes the program has a unique curriculum that you can’t find at other universities.  

“The MAcc program is run in three semesters, with each semester being short but intense. In between each semester there is a break for preparing for the CPA exam, as well as prep courses   you could take,” says Cha. “Within a one-year span, I was able to get my MAcc degree and pass each CPA exam.” 

Alex Hazanov, MAcc ’22, also came to the program with an advanced degree–a PhD in Russian history from the University of Pennsylvania. However, he decided that pursuing the MAcc would allow him to successfully navigate a career change.  

“After I completed my PhD, I had trouble finding a job in academia, but I found a position I liked with a due diligence firm,” says Hazanov. “However, the job was in a subject area that I did not have any credentials in. When I found the MAcc program, it was very appealing to me because I could earn a degree in one year that would help me in the career I’m pursuing.” 

After earning a criminal justice degree from Temple in 2018, Nicholas Masceri, MAcc ’22, was determined to earn a master’s degree, go to law school or apply to PhD programs. After speaking to a professor about his post graduate plans, he learned that his interests and timeline aligned best with the MAcc program.  

“I found this program to benefit me both financially and educationally,” says Masceri. “I took the prerequisites before entering the program and took about two years to learn about accounting and studying as much as I could.” 

Masceri emphasized that with the help of the prerequisite courses, he was able to catch up with the students who were accounting majors.  

“My professors and classmates were always understanding and open to helping me succeed as I did not have as much previous experience or knowledge as them,” says Masceri. “I gained a lot of exposure to the real accounting world through being in this program.” 

Min Cha, Hazanov and Masceri have each landed a career in accounting since graduating with a MAcc degree which is a testament to the program's success in teaching non-accounting majors.  

Click here to learn more about the Summer Bridge/MAcc program.