University of Missouri
The College of Business
Columbia, Missouri
Overview
The University of Missouri-Columbia is the oldest state university west of the Mississippi River. MU is one of the most comprehensive and diverse universities in the nation, with more than 275 degree programs. It is classified as a Research Extensive Institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is listed as one of the nation’s “best buys in college education” by Edward Fiske, former education editor of the New York Times. The College of Business was among the first in the nation to have accredited business programs. The College has more than 29,000 alumni, who can be found contributing their expertise to organizations in every state and in a multitude of international countries.
Of MU’s more than 27,900 students, more than 5,500 are graduate students. During 2005-06, the College of Business enrolled approximately 300 master’s candidates and 42 Ph.D. candidates. Students admitted to the College’s graduate programs are committed to and capable of academic and professional success. Programs are kept small; the average class size is 25. College of Business graduate students represent colleges and universities in many U.S. states and a host of international countries.
Employment opportunities have been excellent for recent College of Business graduates. M.Acc. and M.B.A. graduates typically accept employment with Big 4 accounting and consulting firms, with medium-size and large firms based in the Midwest, or in entrepreneurial ventures. In the last ten years, most Ph.D. graduates in business and accountancy have entered teaching/research positions at a variety of national and regional universities.
The Location and Community
Columbia, located midway between St. Louis and Kansas City, is a warm, friendly, cosmopolitan, and safe college community with a population of more than 84,000. The city’s growing economy and low unemployment rate offer job opportunities for student family members. Sidewalk restaurants, pubs and coffeehouses, and the quaint downtown shopping district are within three blocks of the campus and help make the community a pleasant place to live.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The College of Business at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) offers fully accredited programs of study leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in business administration or accountancy, Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), and Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.).
The Ph.D. programs in business administration and accountancy prepare graduates for careers as effective university researchers and teachers or for senior research positions in business or government. Business administration students may concentrate study in finance, management, or marketing. The Ph.D. programs are residential and full-time only, normally requiring four years beyond the master’s degree.
The Gordon E. Crosby, Jr., M.B.A. program is flexible and individualized, designed to prepare superior graduate students for managerial careers in corporations or public organizations or as entrepreneurs. Course work may vary from 32 to 59 semester hours, depending on previous college work. Up to 9 hours of course work outside the College may be included, and students may develop individualized specialties. Dual-degree programs exist with health administration, industrial engineering, and law.
The M.Acc. program is a flexible program for superior graduate students interested in becoming high-level accounting professionals. It is a broadly based program that allows students to develop specialized expertise in financial accounting, auditing, information systems, and taxation. Most students in the M.Acc. program matriculate as part of the integrated 150-hour program in accountancy.
Facilities & Resources
The collection of the University libraries includes 3 million volumes and more than 6 million microforms. Friendly, professional staff members are available to answer questions, help solve research problems, and support online and CD-ROM databases. Cornell Hall, a new state-of-the-art building, houses the College of Business. It features a building-wide wireless network, several three-station e-mail kiosks, a distance learning classroom with two-way video capabilities, and computer classrooms. Computer labs contain the latest versions of business software. Online databases available to graduates students include the Wharton Data Management System, including CRSP (Daily Stocks, Monthly Stocks, Mutual Funds, Monthly Bonds), Compustat (Annual Industrial, Business and Geographic, Canadian Industrial Annual and Quarterly), I/B/ES, TAQ, ISSM, Thomson Financial Mutual Funds, Eventus, and Audit Analytics. The College also subscribes to AICPA, ARN, Compact Disclosure, ERN, Government Account Research System, LIPPER, SDC Platinum, and Stock Trak.
Expenses and Aid
For the academic year 2005-06, graduate students paid in-state or out-of-state educational fees of $263.20 or $679.70 per credit hour, respectively. Other miscellaneous fees of approximately $300 per semester and a supplemental College of Business fee of $30 per credit hour are also assessed.
Financial Aid:
.A large number of assistantships are available to qualified students. Master’s assistantships involve 10 hours of work per week at a rate of $4500 per year and typically include a waiver of educational fees. Scholarships that may waive out-of-state tuition charges are also available. Scholarships, grants, and loans are available through the University of Missouri-Columbia Financial Aid Office. International students may qualify for financial support, and once enrolled at MU can apply for a Curator’s Grant-in-Aid. Assistantships for Ph.D. students involve approximately 20 hours of work per week. Doctoral funding, including assistantships and scholarships, totals $17,250 annually, waives the educational fees, and continues for up to four years.
Housing/Living Expenses:
In addition to excellent residence halls, MU offers unfurnished University apartments for student families and graduate students. Off-campus housing is also readily available. Housing costs are so reasonable that some MU students own their own homes. Estimated living expenses per year include $8000 for room and board and $3000 for books, supplies, and miscellaneous items.
How to Apply
Applicants for graduate degree programs in accountancy or business administration are required to submit a score from the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Application deadlines and requirements vary by degree program.
Who to Contact
Graduate Studies in Business
College of Business
213 Cornell Hall
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, Missouri 65211
573-882-2750
E-mail: grad@missouri.edu
The College of Business Faculty
• Vairam Arunachalam, Professor of Accountancy and PricewaterhouseCoopers/Joseph A. Silvoso Distinguished Professor; Ph.D., Illinois, 1991.
• Peter H. Bloch, Professor of Marketing; Ph.D., Texas at Austin, 1981.
• Allen C. Bluedorn, Professor and Chair of Management and Emma S. Hibbs Distinguished Professor; Ph.D., Iowa, 1976.
• Paul Brockman, Associate Professor of Finance and State Farm Risk Management Fellow; Ph.D., Louisiana State, 1994.
• Todd H. Chiles, Assistant Professor of Management; Ph.D., Oregon, 1996.
• Suraj Commuri, Assistant Professor of Marketing; Ph.D., Nebraska, 2001.
• Thomas W. Dougherty, Professor of Management and Emma S. Hibbs/Harry Gunnison Brown Chair of Business and Economics; Ph.D., Houston, 1981.
• Kenneth R. Evans, Professor of Marketing, Pinkney C. Walker Professor of Teaching Excellence, Associate Dean, and Director of Graduate Studies in Business; Ph.D., Colorado, 1980.
• Stephen P. Ferris, Professor of Finance; James Harvey Rogers Chair of Money, Credit, and Banking; and Director of the Financial Research Institute; Ph.D., Pittsburgh, 1984.
• Jere R. Francis, Curators’ Professor and KPMG Distinguished Research Professor; Ph.D., University of New England (Australia), 1982.
• Charles R. Franz, Associate Professor of Management; Ph.D., Nebraska, 1979.
• Lori S. Franz, Professor of Management and Interim Provost; Ph.D., Nebraska, 1980.
• Dan W. French, Professor and Chair of Finance; Ph.D., Louisiana Tech, 1979.
• Srinath Gopalakrishna, Associate Professor of Marketing; Ph.D., Purdue, 1988.
• Daniel W. Greening, Associate Professor of Management; Ph.D., Penn State, 1991.
• Qing Hao, Assistant Professor of Finance; Ph.D., Florida, 2005.
• Mark B. Houston, Associate Professor of Marketing and David and Judy O’Neal MBA Professor; Ph.D., Arizona State, 1995.
• Thomas P. Howard, Joseph A. Silvoso Director of the School of Accountancy; Ph.D., Arizona State, 1978.
• John S. Howe, Missouri Bankers Chair Professor of Finance and Chartered Financial Analyst; Ph.D., Purdue, 1981.
• Arthur G. Jago, Professor of Management and Frances Ridge Gay MBA Professor; Ph.D., Yale, 1977.
• Inder K. Khurana, Professor of Accountancy and Deloitte Professor; Ph.D., Arizona State, 1989.
• Murali K. Mantrala, Sam M. Walton Professor of Marketing; Ph.D., Northwestern, 1987.
• Elaine G. Mauldin, Associate Professor of Accountancy and BKD Faculty Fellow; Ph.D., Nebraska, 1997.
• Douglas D. Moesel, Associate Professor of Management; Ph.D., Texas A&M, 1996.
• Sandra Mortal, Assistant Professor of Finance; Ph.D., Georgia, 2003.
• William J. Moser, Assistant Professor of Accountancy; Ph.D., Arizona, 2005.
• Loren A. Nikolai, Ernst & Young Distinguished Professor of Accountancy and Director of the Masters of Accountancy Program; Ph.D., Minnesota, 1973.
• Raynolde Pereira, Assistant Professor of Accountancy; Ph.D., Arizona, 2001.
• Jenice J. Prather-Kinsey, Associate Professor of Accountancy; Ph.D., Alabama, 1985.
• Walter A. Puckett, Assistant Professor of Finance; Ph.D., Georgia, 2004.
• S. Ratneshwar, Bailey K. Howard World Book Chair of Marketing and Department Chair; Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1987.
• Marsha L. Richins, Professor of Marketing and Myron Watkins Distinguished Professor; Ph.D., Texas at Austin, 1979.
• Christopher Robert, Assistant Professor of Management; Ph.D., Illinois, 1998.
• Lisa K. Scheer, Associate Professor of Marketing and Emma S. Hibbs Distinguished Professor; Ph.D., Northwestern, 1990.
• Kenneth W. Shaw, Associate Professor of Accountancy; Ph.D., Wisconsin, 1995.
• Antonie Stam, Professor of Management and Legget and Platt Distinguished Professor of Information Systems; Ph.D., Kansas, 1986.
• Christopher S. Tuggle, Assistant Professor of Management; Ph.D., Texas A&M, 2005.
• Daniel B. Turban, Professor of Management and Stephen Furbacher Professor in Organizational Change; Ph.D., Houston, 1989.
• Bruce J. Walker, Lansford Professor of Leadership and Dean of College of Business; Ph.D., Colorado, 1971.
• James A. Wall Jr., Curator’s Professor of Management; Ph.D., North Carolina, 1972.
• David A. West, Professor of Finance and CTMT Scholar; Ph.D., Arkansas, 1961.
• Patrick R. Wheeler, Assistant Professor of Accountancy; Ph.D., Georgia State, 1999.
• H. Douglas Witte, Assistant Professor of Finance; Ph.D., Arizona, 1999.
• Xuemin Yan, Assistant Professor of Finance; Ph.D., Iowa, 2001.
• May H. Zhang, Assistant Professor of Accountancy; Ph.D., Texas at Austin, 2005.
• Youlong Zhuang, Assistant Professor of Management; Ph.D., Kentucky, 2000.
• Shaoming Zou, Associate Professor of Marketing; Ph.D., Michigan State, 1994.