MS in Accounting Pre-Skills

Students join the Smith School with a variety of technical skills and educational and professional backgrounds. The resources below have been compiled to assist incoming students with preparing for their fall coursework during the summer months.

UMD students have unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning, an online library of instructional videos covering the latest software, creative, and business skills.  

 

Required Summer Pre-Skills Assignment for BUAC 712: Business Communication 

On the first day of BUAC 712: Business Communication, Professor Samuel Handwerger will conduct a graded assessment on student's ability to create [“communicate/sell yourself”] a profile on LinkedIn, the premier business networking platform. 

Good communication skills in the workforce are referred to as “the soft skills”. Every major accounting firm tells Smith School recruiters that of the skills they are most interested in from our students are these “soft skills”. We will find out why during this course. One could define these “soft skills” in the workplace as being able to:

  • Clearly articulate your ideas and thoughts orally so you are easily understood.
  • Clearly write the same in emails, memos, and formal business documents such as Notes to the Financial Statement.
  • Listen to others and understand what they are saying so that you can respond appropriately…asking questions when necessary.
  • Similarly, engage in casual conversation with others in order to build trusting and meaningful relationships.

Although this may all seem simple enough as you have been “communicating” much of your life already, most of your “practice” in communicating has been in the context of friends, family, and school. In the workplace, you will face new challenges.

For example, for family and friends having a LinkedIn profile and presence has not been necessary. However, networking for a job and professionally, this is a must. And while LinkedIn is probably not here in 10 years the way it is today, something similar will surely take its place. Therefore, gaining experience using such a platform is truly valuable and as you probably already know, it is a prime resource for seeking internships and employment.

To be able to score 100% for the in-class assignment on the first day of class, reference either one or both of the following links to check the efficacy of your LinkedIn profile as it currently is, and improve it where necessary: 

Bottom line – come to the first class this fall with your LinkedIn profile perfected. Feel free to research other sources of good tips to create an effective profile and adapt those to your profile as desired.

On the first day of class we will conduct an assessment of your profile for its effectiveness as the student that you are.

Additionally, take a look at your resume. If your resume is typical of most, then at the bottom you list certain “skills” that you think employers will be interested to know about. For example, you might list proficiency in Excel or Tableau, or languages.

Now look at Linkedin's skill assessments. Find one of the many skills that you claim to possess or should list on your resume and take the challenge of receiving a “skill badge” from Linkedin. For example, you might agree it is important to list having certain Excel skills or Powerpoint. Take the skill assessment to demonstrate that proficiency.

On the first day of class we will conduct an assessment of your effort to successively receive such from LinkedIn.

Please direct questions about the BUAC 712 pre-skills assignement to Professor Handwerger at shandwer@umd.edu. 

  

Required Summer Pre-Skills Assignment for BUAC 740: Data Driven Decision Making

BUAC 740: Data Driven Decision Making (or DDDM), taught by Professor Tunay Tunca, is a required course that all MS in Accounting students will complete in their first semester. This critically important course covers analytical tools and models for managerial decisions that are used extensively in managerial practice as well as in other subsequent courses in the MS in Accounting curriculum. To prepare for DDDM all students are required to complete "Spreadsheet Modeling: Introductory Section (SM)," an online course from Harvard Business Publishing. This online course focuses on fundamental skills in spreadsheet analysis that will be used in DDDM. This assignment accounts for 5% of your grade for DDDM.

Study Time Required: Go through the various units making sure to constructively use the active learning method that is the basis of this online course. The faculty instructor for DDDM will be able to monitor your progress through the various parts of this online course. Harvard Business Publishing estimates that it will take 6 hours to complete this course. Please assume this as a minimum to be safe and plan accordingly. Students are urged to register for SM and begin studying the course material as soon as possible.

Performance and Due Date: SM includes a Final Exam with only once chance. Performance in this online exam will account towards the 5% of the grade for BUAC 740. The deadline for taking the SM final exam is Sunday, August 27, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. 

Academic Integrity: Students will complete this assignment under the University of Maryland's Code of Academic Integrity. Any violation of this code, such as receiving help from another individual in taking a Test, will result in an academic integrity sanction, including the possibility of an “XF” on your transcript with the notation “failure due to academic dishonesty”.

Please direct questions about the BUAC 740 pre-skills assignement to Professor Tunca at ttunca@umd.edu. 

 

Harvard Business School Publishing Online Course Registration Information  

Course Number and Name: Spreadsheet Modeling Online Course, Excel 2013: Introductory Section

Cost: $45.00, to be paid individually by the student directly to HBSP

Payment: Individually by the student directly to HBSP. The above price is a discounted rate.

Login Information:

Technical Requirements: HBSP courses are internet-based and cannot be accessed off-line; different computers can be used for access, as long as each computer satisfies certain requirements. See the technical specifications for Online Courses on the Harvard Business Publishing Education website.

Technical Difficulty? Contact the Harvard Business School Publishing Technical Support at custserv@hbsp.harvard.edu or 800-810-8858 or see https://hbsp.harvard.edu/contact-us/

 

Optional Summer Work and Reading

Incoming students do not need to be proficient with all of these tools prior to the start of classes, however, having some prior experience could help them learn more effectively.

      

    The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business recently published its Summer Reading List 2023, as recommended by faculty.