Experiential learning has become a bit of a buzzword in higher education. Here at MSU Denver in our Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc) program we take it seriously! So much so that our MPAcc students have an experiential learning elective degree requirement. One option to fulfill this is our ACCM 5901 Risk Assurance & Advisory Engagements course, in which graduate students perform internal audits of various areas of the University each spring and fall term.
“My experience in the Fall ‘24 Risk Assurance and Advisory course has been incredibly transformative, offering far more than just theoretical knowledge. This was an opportunity to develop real-world analytical skills through a comprehensive audit project that we saw through from beginning-to-end and the experience proved to be invaluable.” – Robert Piña, current MPAcc student
The Fall 2024 term had 5 MPAcc students that took on two separate projects: Cybersecurity / Data Governance and Student Identity Governance. As we all know, cybersecurity is a hot topic in all of our lives – protecting our privacy and our personal data. This is a hot topic for the University as well! You may have seen in a recent Early Bird article, University inboxes received over 250,000 malicious emails in mid-November. 
The students on the Cybersecurity project enjoyed working with Mike Hart, MSU Denver’s chief information security officer, on issues such a these phishing attacks. A ton of work is already being done by our IT Security Team here at MSU Denver, and I look forward to having future Risk Assurance and Advisory Engagements students follow the progress of specific recommendations identified by this semester’s graduate students.
For the second project, Student Identity Governance, the engagement team analyzed how many student accounts are active at the University and if all of those accounts were valid. As the University offers a lot of resources to students, we want to make sure they are being utilized efficiently and effectively by all. 
The results of the engagements were presented to University Senior Leaders, including President Davidson, and several members of MSU Denver’s Board of Trustees on December 11, 2024. All five students and their professor were given a Challenge Coin by the President for their hard work and dedication to the University.
“What made this experience particularly enriching was its deeply collaborative nature. Working closely with my peers not only enhanced our findings, but also cultivated the essential teamwork skills that lie at the heart of effective internal audit practice. This course was perfect at readying us to enter the workforce with our eyes peeled for risks everywhere we go!” – Robert Piña, current MPAcc student
For information related to the ACCM 5901 Risk Assurance and Advisory Engagements course, reach out to our Director of Internal Audit Education, Jo Erven ([email protected]). We would love to have you join as a student internal auditor in a future semester. It is great, real work experience for your resume during your time at MSU Denver!