We’ve designed the MS in Accounting to enhance your career opportunities, satisfy the 150 credit-hour requirement for the CPA exam, and provide an affordable, flexible, world-class education in the process. Our Professional Track is for those that already have an undergraduate degree in accounting and would like to enhance their expertise.
If you have already earned your undergraduate degree in accounting, the Isenberg MS in Accounting Professional Track will provide you with skills and expertise that will advance your accounting knowledge and enhance your career opportunities within the field of accounting. You will gain expertise in financial valuation and explore ethical standards, and can choose from three focus areas of specialized knowledge in Forensic Accounting, Taxation and Data Analytics. The Professional Track will enable you to fulfill the educational requirements to become CPA-licensed in Massachusetts and get a head start in the competitive job market.
The 30-credit Professional Track equips you for all aspects of accounting and auditing. Core courses include Ethics & Professional Responsibilities, Data Analytics, Financial Statement Analysis, Advanced Audit, and Taxes and Business Decisions. Add a focus to your degree by fulfilling your elective credits with courses in taxation, forensic accounting and data analytics. Full-time students can complete the program in less than a year, while part-time students can take up to four years to complete the program.
The quality of our department is reflected in the excellent record of student placement, the success of our graduates, and the strong support of our alumni. We are a primary recruiting school for the most distinguished employers in public accounting, including the Big 4 public accounting firms and many outstanding regional and local firms. In conjunction with the Office of Career Success, we are very active in helping our students prepare for and find their ideal career in accounting.
We built this program for maximum flexibility. Students can choose to take all their classes online, or take some classes on the UMass Amherst campus. Online classes are offered fall, spring and summer. On-campus classes are offered in the fall and spring semesters in Amherst. Whatever option you choose, you can complete the program in as little as two semesters.
Isenberg provides a comprehensive career development program that aligns with our high quality accounting curriculum. Your MSA Career Coach is available for individualized sessions and can help develop your career and professional development (CPD) plan. Students also have access to IConnect, an online professional development platform offered by Isenberg’s Office of Career Success.
Undergraduate students at UMass Amherst and other colleges in the Five College Consortium can pursue a 4+1 option, completing their undergraduate degree and their master's degree in 5 years. Isenberg's Master of Finance, Master of Science in Accounting, and Master of Science in Business Analytics all offer this option.
For UMass Amherst students, the 4+1 option can also be accelerated, allowing students to complete both their undergraduate and master's degrees in fewer than 5 years.
Interested students should apply to a master's degree program in their junior year or early in their senior year.
AACSB represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Isenberg is part of the one percent of the worlds' 13,000 business programs that have earned this recognition. AACSB-accredited schools produce highlight skilled graduates valued by employers over graduates from non-accredited schools. Isenberg is proud to have this distinction.
All Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) are accountants, but not all accountants are CPAs. While both deal with the financial business of individuals, companies, and other organizations—such as preparing and examining financial records and reports—CPAs are certified professionals who can do more and take their careers further. The MS in Accounting program meets all requirements for education in Massachusetts for the CPA license.
UMass Amherst accepts students from all 50 states into online programs and classes. The University of Massachusetts Amherst operates distance education classes and programs for out-of-state students under the terms and provisions of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). California does not participate in the Agreement but allows all public institutions to offer distance education to its residents.
Fill out the form to start the conversation and one of our program specialists will follow up with you directly. You'll also receive a link to download our MS in Accounting brochure and program information emails.
Follow our step-by-step process to complete your online application.