ABERDEEN, S.D. (Press Release) – This fall, the Northern State University School of Business will begin offering a Master of Science in Accounting Analytics.

The program, approved Wednesday by the South Dakota Board of Regents, will help fill a need in the regional workforce while providing graduates with cutting-edge competencies in the high-demand field of analytics as the business world becomes much more data-driven.

Northern’s Master of Accounting Analytics will differ from the traditional master’s degree in accounting because it will incorporate additional skills relating to audit and forensics. That includes fraud, valuation, risk analysis and performance measurements.

“Students who complete this new master’s degree in accounting analytics, in addition to NSU’s undergraduate degree in accounting, will be well prepared academically to sit for the CPA exam,” said NSU School of Business Dean Dr. Doug Ohmer.

Not only will the program give Northern students a competitive edge, it will also benefit the regional workforce. Area businesspeople have said data analytics is a needed workforce skill. Businesses in the future will need to enhance their analytics capabilities.

To learn more about business education at Northern, visit the NSU School of Business.