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| Qatar University Officials from the College of Business and Economics |
The announcement was made at a press briefing by CBE Dean Nitham Hindi, CBE Dean of Student Affairs Rajab al-Esmail, and Head Department of Accounting and Information Systems Helmi Hammami.
It is the first such graduate programme in Qatar and the college’s second advanced degree after its MBA, Hindi said.
The purpose of the program is to graduate a cadre of well-qualified professionals in the field of accounting, financial management and entrepreneurship,” he said, adding, “This is a timely program in light of the recent accounting and financial issues that impacted the world community”.
The program will offer a Capstone course in Business Consulting which Hindi explained will combine theory and practice and provide students with the opportunity to work with existing companies and engage in real issues businesses face.
Students of the program will also be offered courses such as auditing, corporate governance, business ethics, enterprise resource planning, and fraud detection and prevention.
The program consists of 30 credit hours, and will start with 20 students who are professionals from accounting backgrounds. “The first 2 years we will accept accounting graduates, following which business graduates will be eligible for admission”, Hindi said.
As with all CBE’s programs and courses, the new Master’s is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (ACCSB), from which the College gained accreditation in December 2009.
“Graduates of the Program can expect to find opportunities with top international accounting firms and industry as there is a high demand both locally, regionally and internationally”, Hammami said, adding that graduates will also be equipped with a strong background to start and run their own businesses.
Candidates for admission to the Program will hold a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from an accredited university with a GPA not less than 2.85 out of 4.00 (or exceptionally 2.65 with a GMAT score of 450); minimum 520 TOEFL score (not older than 2 years); and minimum 2 years’ work experience. They will also submit a short essay stating their objective for pursuing the degree. Short-listed candidates will be required to attend a face-to-face interview.
The College will host an Open House on Wednesday at the Qatar Chamber of Commerce to apprise prospective students, business leaders, accounting firms, and interested parties about the program.