Admissions

Admission to the MAcct Program requires formal admission to the Graduate School at The University of Montana. Although many applicants will already have taken equivalents to all or some of the prerequisite courses, they are not required for admission to the MAcct Program.

Admission to the MAcct Program is dependent primarily on your undergraduate GPA, total GMAT score, individual section scores on the GMAT, as well as your accounting GPA. Other information is also reviewed such as letters of recommendation, work experience, and previous graduate work. One of the most important factors, and also the most difficult to predict, is the availability of openings. The total number of students in the MAcct is limited due to the program’s resource base, accreditation guidelines, and a size consistent with a quality graduate education.

When you are ready to apply for formal admission, you must collect all application materials and submit them together to Kathleen Spritzer, School of Business Administration, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812. Your application package must contain:

• Complete the On-Line Application Form (available at the Graduate School), which includes instructions in paying the $51 application fee on-line.
• Current resume and summary of work experience.
• One official transcript of all previous college coursework (including transcript of advanced degree, if any).
• Letters of recommendations by a minimum of three persons qualified to judge your academic potential (forms available from the Graduate School).
• Official scores for the GMAT examination. Scores more than five years old are accepted only if you have completed substantial graduate work at UM or have taken a graduate degree elsewhere.
• A Letter of Intent (Statement of Goals) explaining why you want a MAcct degree from The University of Montana.

Specific MAcct Admission Criteria

• Strong preference is given to candidates who have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better.
• In the accounting fundamentals courses you are required to earn a grade of C or better in each course and overall GPA of 3.0 or better.
• Strong preference is given to candidates who have an overall GMAT of 500 or more.
• The GMAT has three parts--quantitative, verbal and writing.  We require a 25% or greater percentile on the quantitative and verbal portions of the exam.  We require a 3.5, out of a possible score of 6, on the writing portion.
  NOTE:  Even if your total GMAT score is above 500, if an individual section is under the percentiles given above, you will not have met the requirements.
• International students must take the TOEFL or PTE exam also.  We require a score of at least 237 or better on the computerized version of the TOEFL or 580 or better on the written version.  The TOEFL is waived for students whose undergraduate degree is from an English-speaking school.

GMAT

The GMAT is required for admission to the MAcct Program. The Graduate Management Admission Test is a worldwide-standardized test used to measure aptitude for graduate work in business. (The LSAT is a similar test required for people applying to Law Schools across the country.) The GMAT does not measure your knowledge of business subjects. It is a measure of your basic verbal, quantitative and writing skills. You can obtain a free booklet from us or the GMAT organization. The GMAT website is www.mba.com. This booklet provides a complete description, including test dates and locations. You should take the GMAT as early as possible. The scores are valid for five years, and if you take it early, you will have time to retake it should the first attempt not be acceptable. You can retake the GMAT as many times as you wish, but we accept only the most recent test scores.

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Tips on Studying for the GMAT

The GMAT is a rather expensive test so we strongly recommend that you obtain study materials with software to help prepare for it. These study materials can be purchased at most university bookstores as well as at many other book stores. The study materials will not only help you cover the content of the exam, but they will also help you be more efficient on the computerized structure of the exam. Historically, for our applicants, the most difficult section appears to be the quantitative part. It appears that most MAcct applicants feel relatively comfortable with math and quantitative concepts and do not really study this material. Many students skim or review the quantitative study materials and spend most of their time on the verbal and writing study sections. Therefore, we also strongly recommend that you spend a good portion of your time actually studying for all three sections without giving lesser priority to any section. 

Students can locate both free study materials and materials for purchase, including interactive tutorials, at http://www.mba.com by selecting the heading "Take the GMAT" then selecting the subheading "Tools to Help You Prepare."   Also, study guides are available from most major retail book chains, or online with retailers such as Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

VARIOUS GMAT STUDY RESOURCES

Study Guides/Books
●  Kaplan GMAT with CD-ROM
●  Cracking the GMAT with Sample Tests on CD-ROM (Princeton Review Series)
●  The Official Guide for GMAT Review (ETS and GMAC)
●  GMAT Math Workout (Princeton Review Series)
●  Barron’s How to Prepare for the GMAT

Preparation Courses
●  Kaplan Test Prep www.kaptest.com
●  Princeton Review’s Online Courses for the GMAT http://www.princetonreview.com/mba/testprep/
         ○  Express Online Study Course, $99* (3 weeks)
         ○  Online Study Course, $599* (3-7 weeks depending on student’s pace)
         ○  Live Online Study Course, $899*
             (*course fees as of May 15, 2008)

Internet Material/Websites
●  www.mba.com (provides access to free Powerprep software)
●  http://education.yahoo.com/college/essentials/practice_tests/gmat/
●  www.gmac.com
●  www.gmattestquestions.com
●  www.gmatexampracticetests.com
●  www.crack-gmat.com/
●  www.gmatcat.com/
●  veritasprep.com/
●  Beatthegmat.com
●  www.gmattestquestions.com

Admissions Deadlines

Fall--Priority consideration given to applications postmarked by February 1. (Applications postmarked after Feb. 1 will be reviewed on April 15 and June 15 only).
Spring--Priority consideration given to applications postmarked by September 1. (Applications postmarked after Sept. 1 will be reviewed on November 1 only.)
Summer--Priority consideration given to applications postmarked by February 1. (Applications postmarked after Feb. 1 will be reviewed on April 15 only.)

Late deadline applications will be reviewed on a space-available basis.  If the program is full, late applicants may have to apply at the next regular deadline to be considered.