Introduction

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA has recently experienced significantly developments and changes on the macroeconomic level that has created new needs for more accounting specialists for different economy wide sectors. Therefore, the 5-year strategic plan of the FUCLTY OF ADMINSTRATIVE SCIENCE is seeking for the effective participation in recent economic developments by providing the community of business administration with accountants and auditors who are specialists and expertise in different business and economic arias. Accordingly, the master program of accounting must be reviewed, evaluated, and revised to produce the qualifications required for development strategy.

Since the existing master program of accounting has started beginning of academic year of 1405-1406 h. with scientific orientations qualifying for PH.D program of accounting, there is a need for a program of master of professional accounting. This program is structured, to fulfill professional needs in the national market, to aim in resolving contemporary, and to encourage applied research in accounting.

 

Objectives

The general objective of the program is to contribute to the Kingdom's development by:

1. Providing the public and the private sector with qualified persons in different area of specialist of accounting and auditing.
2. Developing the accounting professional skills for program students by emphasizing on the theoretical and practical foundations.
3. Developing and enhancing research skill for conducting applied research aiming in resolving accounting issue arising in business community.

 

Degree Title:

Master of Professional Accounting

 

Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the following requirements:

1. Bachelor degree of accounting from KING SAUD UNIVERSITY or degree of equivalence. Other majors can be accepted according to article #17 and #18 of unified higher education bylaw.
2. Spending at least three years experience.
3. Passing  General Aptitude Test.
4. Passing oral exam provided.

 

Program Options:

1. Courses option.
2. Thesis & courses option

 

First: Courses Option

1. Degree Requirements

The student should successfully complete the following requirements for earning the degree:

1. 30 mandated units (10 courses).
2. 12 optional units (5 courses).

 

1. The Structure of Program Courses

A- 21 Unit of Study (7 Courses) Mandated from the Department:

Credits	Course	Code
3 3 3 3 3 3 3	Financial Accounting Standards Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting Contemporary Issues in Managerial Reporting Accountancy Issues of Zakat and Tax  Analysis and Design of Accounting System Issues in Professional Auditing Research Project	ACCT 502 ACCT 503 ACCT 523 ACCT 525 ACCT 530 ACCT 555 ACCT 560
21	Total Units

B- 9 Units of Study (3 Courses) Mandated from outside the Department:

Credits	Course	Code
3 3 3	Corporate Finance Managerial Economics Operations & production Management	FIN 501 ECON 503  BIZ 521
9	Total Units

C- 6 Unit of Studies (3 Courses) Optional from the Department:

Credits	Course	Code
2 3 2 2 2 2 2	Accounting in International Business Environment Financial Accounting (For Master of Scince of Finance) Financial reporting for not for profit organizations Accounting Information and Risk Management Accounting Information and Business Valuation Internal Auditing and Corporate Governance Accounting Information Technology	ACCT 504 ACCT 505 ACCT 535 ACCT 542 ACCT 545 ACCT 556 ACCT 557
6	Total Units

D- 6 Units of Studies (two Courses) Optional from Outside the Department:

Credits	Course	Code
3 3 3	Marketing Human Resources Management &  Organizational Behavior Global Business Management	MKG 501 HRM  501 MKG 551
6	Total Units

 

1. Study Plan

First Level

Credits	Course	Code
3	Financial Accounting Standards	ACCT 502
3	Contemporary Issues in Managerial Reporting	ACCT 523
3	Managerial Economics	ECON 503
9	Total Units

Second Level

Credits	Course	Code
3	Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting	ACCT 503
3	Accountancy Issues of Zakat and Tax	ACCT 525
3	Operations & production Management	BIZ 521
2	Accounting Elective (c)	ACCT
11	Total Units

Third Level

Credits	Course	Code
3	Issues in Professional Auditing	ACCT 555
3	Corporate Finance	FIN 501
2	Accounting Elective (c)	ACCT
3	Non Accounting Elective (D)
11	Total Units

Fourth Level

Credits	Course	Code
3	Analysis and Design of Accounting System	ACCT 560
3	Non Accounting Elective (D)
2	Accounting Elective (C)	ACCT
3	Research Project in Accounting	ACCT 530
11	Total Units

 

Second: Thesis & Courses Option

1. Degree Requirements

The student should successfully complete the following requirements for earning the degree:

1. 21 mandated units (7 courses).
2. 7 optional units (3 courses).
3. Thesis.

 

1. The Structure of Program Courses

A- 15 Unit of Study (5 Courses) Mandated from the Department:

 

Credits	Course	Code
3 3 3 3 3	Financial Accounting Standards Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting Contemporary Issues in Managerial Reporting Accountancy Issues of Zakat and Tax Issues in Professional Auditing	ACCT 502 ACCT 503 ACCT 523 ACCT 525 ACCT 555
15	Total Units

B- 6 Units of Study (2 Courses) Mandated from outside the Department:

 

Credits	Course	Code
3 3	Corporate Finance Managerial Economics	FIN 501 ECON 503
6	Total Units

C- 4 Unit of Studies (2 Courses) Optional from the Department:

 

Credits	Course	Code
2 2 2 2 2 2	Accounting in International Business Environment Financial reporting for not for profit organizations Accounting Information and Risk Management Accounting Information and Business Valuation Internal Auditing and Corporate Governance Accounting Information Technology	ACCT 504 ACCT 535 ACCT 542 ACCT 545 ACCT 556 ACCT 557
4	Total Units

D- 3 Units of Studies (one Course) Optional from Outside the Department:

 

Credits	Course	Code
3 3 3	Personnel Management and  Organizational Behavior Operations and production Management International Business Management	HRM 501 BIZ 521 MKG 551
3	Total Units

 

Credits	Course	Code
	Thesis	ACCT600

 

1. Study Plan

First Level

Credits	Course	Code
3	Financial Accounting Standards	ACCT 502
3	Contemporary Issues in Managerial Reporting	ACCT 523
3	Managerial Economics	ECON 503
9	Total Units

 

Second Level

Credits	Course	Code
3	Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting	ACCT 503
3	Accountancy Issues of Zakat and Tax	ACCT 525
3	Corporate Finance	FIN 501
9	Total Units

 

Third Level

Credits	Course	Code
3	Issues in Professional Auditing	ACCT 555
2	Accounting Elective (c)	ACCT
2	Accounting Elective (c)	ACCT
3	Non Accounting Elective (D)
10	Total Units

 

Fourth Level

Credits	Course	Code
	Thesis	ACCT  600

Courses Description: Accounting

 

ACCT 502  Financial Accounting Standards   3(3 +0)

The course provides studying of Saudi accounting standards especially those dealing with fair value and local business combination. In addition, the course covers major differences of the Saudi standards with IAS and its effects on financial statements.

 

ACCT 503  Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting   3(3 +0)

 This Course deals with financial reporting environment and those factors affecting in it and in preparing accounting standards. The course also addresses contemporary issues resulting from comprehensive adoption of IAS and and its adoption for subjects where there are no Saudi standards issued for it.

 

ACCT 504 Accounting in International Business Environment 2(2 +0)

 The course provides studying of accounting issues relating to foreign currency transaction and those relating to business combination for foreign subsidiaries. The course deal also with the accounting issue resulting from joint ventures.

 

ACCT 505 Financial Accounting (For Master of Scince of Finance)   3(3+0)

This couse provides basic principles of financial accounting and disclosure. The course is dealing with hoe to read and interpret the financial statements: income statement, statement of financial position, cash flow statement, and how to measure, present, and disclose assets, liabilities and owners’ equity in accordance with SAUDI accounting standards. It also covers basic principles of financial and accounting analysis.

 

ACCT 523  Contemporary Issues in Managerial Accounting  3(3 +0)

The purpose of this course is to study contemporary issues in managerial accounting and those techniques dealing with these issues. Among those techniques are, concepts of cost management tools and their relations to cost behavior, products planning and pricing, value chain analysis and performance evaluation, the measurement of the strategic performance, using activity-based budgeting as a tool for goals' achievement, and other managerial accounting techniques.

 

ACCT 525  Accountancy Issues in  Zakat and Tax  3(3 +0)

The course provides opportunities that are necessary to develop theoretical, technical and analytical skills required for successful practical application. Throughout the course, student will learn how to deal with different systems of Zakat and tax, and learn how to resolve more complicated issues. In Addition, the course provides an analysis for legal aspects of Zakat and Tax for the purpose of making business decision.

 

ACCT 530 Analysis and Design of Accounting System   3(3 +0)

The course introduces systems' life cycle, systems' documentation using flowcharts, and how to prepare systems of accounts coding. The course is concentrating on planning, analyzing, developing, and controlling the accounting system.

 

ACCT 535 Financial Reporting for Not for Profit Organizations  2(2 +2)

 The course provides the definition of fund and concepts of accounting and financial reporting for not-for-profit organizations. The course also provides financial aspects of those organizations and differences between reporting standards for not-for-profit organization and those for private sector. In addition, the course deals with accounting issue regarding audit control in those organizations, concentrating on Saudi government accounting and standards.

 

ACCT 542 Accounting Information and Risk Management   2(2 +2)

 The purpose of this course is to build students' knowledge and skills to produce accounting information supporting the process of risk appraisal and management and reporting on risks in annual reporting. During the course, students deal with risk managements devices in accounting and auditing.

 

ACCT 545 Accounting Information and Business Valuation  2(2 +2)

The provides studying of approaches and techniques for determining fair value of business units, equities, debts, financial and non-financial assets, and investments. The course focuses on the role of accounting information in business valuation context.

 

ACCT 555  Issues in Professional  Auditing  3(3 +0)

The purpose of this course is to assist students to have professional knowledge through providing them with rules of conduct and practitioner's responsibility and his relationship with clients, and learn them how to conduct an audit, gathering evidence, and preparing audit report. The course also provides how to prepare and organize working papers, using statistical sampling in auditing, and professional rules for non-audit services.

 

ACCT 556 Internal Auditing and Corporate Governance    2(2 +2)

 The purpose of this course is to study internal auditing from international and national perspectives, the role of internal auditor including adding value and enhancing internal control, and the role within corporate governance context especially the process of reporting to outsiders and insiders regarding performance, control, and compliance.

 

ACCT 557 Accounting Information Technology  2(2 +2)

 The course purposes to learn how to strategically plan to information technology, how to computerize  accounting information system,  and providing learning concerning positive and negative effects of accounting information systems technology.

 

ACCT 560 Research Project in Accounting  3(3 +0)

This course is designed to improve the ability of student to prepare research in the field of accounting. The topic of the submitted paper may be related to one of the accounting research methods, e.g. Philosophical, quantitative and behavioral methods.  The student may conduct research and chooses a topic of his interest provided that it is approved by his advisor.

 

Courses Description: Non-Accounting

 

FIN 501 Corporate Finance      3(3 +0)

 The course gives an introduction to managerial finance and specific topics fundamental to all business students.  Topics covered include: introduction to financial management, financial analysis, financial planning and control, investment analysis, and financing decisions.

 

HRM 501 Human Resources Management & Organizational Behavior 3(3 +0)

 This course covers theories related to individuals, work groups and organizations.  It focuses on developing what managers need in terms of skills and experiences to enable them to understand behaviors and individuals in a business setting. The course touches topics such as: strategic human resources management, legal and social environments that impact human resources management, planning, recruiting, selecting, training, developing, evaluating performance, and compensating. The course also deals with individual behaviors such as: perception and decision making; group behaviors such as: understanding work groups, leadership, power and conflicts; organizational design, work design, managerial environment and organizational change and development. The course strives to develop student's skills and its application in a business organization.

 

MKG 501 Marketing    3(3 +0)

This course emphasizes the managerial aspects of the marketing function. The focus is placed upon the criteria, both quantitative and qualitative, used in evaluating marketing alternatives and in choosing among these alternatives within a global environment characterized by continuous change and is influenced by social, economic, and competitive forces that are getting tougher over time. The course includes topics related to the decision making process such as: marketing research and marketing information systems, cost and demand analysis, competition, product management and development, advertising and promotion, sales management, pricing, and channels of distribution. The course includes applications on case studies and various readings.

 

ECON 503 Managerial  Economics    3(3 +0)

 The course covers the following topics: an introduction to economic relations, optimization techniques, demand theory and elasticities, estimation of demand functions, production functions and their estimation, cost functions for the short and long run and their estimation, linear programming, pricing practices, investment decisions, risk analysis, the role of government in business decisions, and some macroeconomic relations relevant to business decisions.

 

BIZ 521 Operations & Production Management   3(3 +0)

 This course presents a general management perspective on the operations function in a business. It is concerned with how operations activities can best be designed and managed to support the strategic objectives of a business. The course provides major competitive advantage along dimensions that include: cost of products and services, delivery speed and reliability, quality and quick response in product design. The course also deals with cross-functional integration, total quality management, product and service design, process management, materials requirement planning, supply chain management, and inventory management. Pre-requisite: BIZ 501.

 

 MKG 551 Global Business Management  3(3 +0)

Global Business is an analytical course whereby students get exposes to the various elements that impact global business and analyze in a methodical way how international firms are managed.  Business environments are examined both at macro and micro levels from a multidisciplinary integrative perspective to tackle issues such as the political, economical, cultural, and legal elements that shape the global business environment.  The second part of the course provides a framework for analyzing the management of these global businesses at the strategic as well as the functional level such as organization, marketing, finance, operations and human resources management.