Leventhal and Marshall partner for master’s degree


Sabrina Albrecht | Daily Trojan

The Marshall School of Business and Leventhal School of Accounting will be coming together to partner with KPMG LLP, a U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, as part of a new, nine-university large task force. The partnership will result in a new Master’s program: Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics.

The ground-breaking program allows students to be educated both in and out of the classroom, and there will be a larger focus than ever on technology, according to Leventhal Dean William W. Holder.

“[Students will be able to] access [KPMG’s] tech, software and algorithms,” Holder said.

The advanced technology will allow USC accountants to be more robustly educated and knowledgeable in their field before even entering the workforce, according to Holder.

Not only will pupils get a chance to study under USC’s top accounting professors, but they will also be under consideration for competitive spots working at KPMG, according to Marshall News. Additionally, 15 students will receive full scholarships to the program through KPMG, and Leventhal will recruit students with internships at mid-tier and Big 4 accounting firms for the program.

The joint venture between Leventhal and Marshall’s Data Sciences and Operations Department means that students will be able to access the resources of both schools, as well as opportunities to collaborate with graduate students in USC’s Masters of Accounting and Masters of Business Administration programs. Any student in the Master’s accounting program holding an internship with a top firm can take part in the new Master’s program.

The program is reaching USC and six other schools just one year after its launch, with the incoming class of 2018 already selected due to the aggressive recruiting nature of top-4 accounting firms. The program launched in 2017 at The Ohio State University and Villanova.

“When I learned that USC and KPMG were offering a cutting-edge program that would not only teach me skills that would help me in my career, but also allow me to get a master’s degree, it seemed to be the best of both worlds,” said Loyola Marymount University senior Daryn Kuhlman in an interview with USC Marshall News. She is one of the 15 fully funded KPMG students already accepted for the inaugural class.

USC’s ever-expanding world of opportunities is about to draw in the brightest young minds in accounting, and the school is excited to produce the world’s next wave of well-rounded, highly educated master’s students, according to Holder.

“We want to be on the cutting edge and will be able to attract better and bett students over time,” Holder said.