Capstone projects for Master’s of Accounting programs come in every shape and form. These projects are designed to synthesize the knowledge gained throughout the degree program. They require the student to demonstrate their mastery of core course competencies. Students usually assess issues, observe operations, conduct research and arrive at recommendations for changes or improvements. Here are five potential projects for accountancy students.
Observation of Government Official
Every city and state has treasury, taxation, auditing and accountancy programs. A student could choose to observe, document and participate in the assigned office’s operations and decisions. For example, a government office in charge of employee’s pensions may implement finance strategies and asset allocations. A student could act as a consultant for the investment officer in charge of hedge fund replication tactics and pension investment portfolio management. This student’s work may include comprehensive analyses of the efficiency and effectiveness of financial decisions. Students may research and identify appropriate metrics to compare overall performance over set periods of time.
Resource: Top 10 Online Accounting Degree Programs
College Tuition Program Analysis
Students may find opportunities within their college’s financial aid office. Most states have legislation that seeks to ensure that higher education institutions maintain compliance with state and federal funding programs. Some colleges conduct audits to analyze the accuracy and effectiveness of these programs. A student could conduct research to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data that could be used to optimize the impact of tuition aid programs. This project may involve the identification and assessment of customers, which would reveal useful demographic trends, as well as account utilization rates, which would help financial aid decision makers reach and enroll better suited students.
New Brand Campaign
An accountancy student may choose to work with a business mentor who helps them analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of brand launching campaigns. This project may involve working with a local retailer to create, test and launch a new product. This project allows the student to evaluate potential growth scenarios, financial outcomes and required organizational decisions. The final result of this project would be a road map that defines and guides business leaders through the various stages of the brand’s growth and life cycle. This student may create a complex spreadsheet model to quantify labor, marketing, sales, advertising and production budgets.
Corporate Finance
Corporate finance is a broad category, so students may choose from various projects. They could work with executives of product-based companies to conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis data collection activities. This research may analyze how product supply and demand is being impacted by competitor activities or market fluctuations. A student who works with a service-based corporation may analyze the potential impacts of proposed government regulations on company profitability. They may also analyze the challenges of international finance, banking and currency fluctuations.
Product Research
A student may choose to interview end-users or customers regarding products or services. For example, they could conduct a competitive analysis of various consumer products. Their work may identify hidden competitors, alternative product benefits, pricing options and both positive and negative experiences. This customer survey could be designed, administered and analyzed online through popular platforms like SurveyMonkey. The product research project may also focus on the manufacturing side by analyzing the costs of labor, shipping, production and sales.
As a final idea, a student may choose to work with a non-profit organization to help them better achieve their goals. They might conduct research to better understand funding challenges, employee turnover or alternative philanthropy sources. College professors are an excellent source of capstone ideas for Master’s of Accounting degree programs.
