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Accounting Department

Isenberg's Accounting Department attracts highly qualified and motivated students to our nationally accredited undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs.

Message from the Accounting Department

M. David Piercey

John F. Kennedy Endowed Professor and Accounting Department Chair

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Isenberg-educated accountants help businesses make informed, data-driven financial decisions. Our graduates are valued advisors who diagnose the health of a business, shielding it from competitive traps and unlocking new growth opportunities.

Our faculty have exceptional ties to industry giving our students a strong head start as future auditors -- where most accounting graduates begin their careers. Our faculty rank #1 in the world for Ph.D.-level research on decision making by auditors. And they excel in the classroom with an unwavering commitment to teaching.

Isenberg accounting students join a community of nearly 10,000 Isenberg graduates in the accounting profession. They have a commanding presence in Greater Boston and New England, where Isenberg grads excel at Big 4 and other public accounting firms. And our students gain added leverage from the entire Isenberg community of 43,000 graduates in 82 countries.

During their time at Isenberg, students experience exceptional exposure to real-world accounting challenges, including multiple internships, some through our Semester in the Profession Program, where they spend a semester at public accounting firms in Greater Boston. Students also gain experience as tax advisors to members of the local community through our annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Our curriculum allows students to transition seamlessly to our innovative Master of Science in Accounting program, where they conveniently gain the required 150-hour accreditation for CPA status. Our MSA students choose their own mix of online and on-campus courses.

State-of-the-art analytical training, industry connections, and curricular flexibility—our AACSB-accredited programs deliver all three in support of our paramount goal—prepare our students and our graduates to be leaders in the professional world.

Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting

The Program

Accounting is truly the language of business. From financial reporting to strategic planning, to tax reporting and regulatory compliance, one common thread that underlies all business decision is the use of accounting information.

For on-campus students seeking a BBA in Accounting the major offers courses designed to customize an academic program to meet your goals, interests and needs.

Learn more about the on-campus BBA Accounting Program

Online Degree Completion Option

For students with at least 27 transferable credits, Isenberg offers an online degree completion program. This flexible learning environment is ideal for the non-traditional student, including working professionals, parents and community members, and offers the same rigor and quality as the on-campus curriculum, culminating in a BBA in Accounting.

No campus visits are required; students can complete the entire degree online from anywhere in the world.

Learn more about the online BBA in Accounting program

An Accounting Future

Student’s considering graduate study in law, business and public policy are well prepared with undergraduate degree in Accounting. Accounting graduates have among the highest employment rates and some of the highest starting salaries of any major.

Private & Public Sector careers with companies such as: PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, ERNST & YOUNG, DELOITTE, KPMG, GRANT THORNTON, AETNA, GENERAL ELECTRIC, IBM, PRATT & WHITNEY, RAYTHEON, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.

Master of Science in Accounting

Isenberg’s MSA program put our students ahead of the pack—providing the skills they need on an accelerated timeline.

The Program

Our separately AACSB-accredited program is efficient, flexible and affordable, allowing students to quickly launch careers in accounting. You will fulfill the educational requirements for CPA certification in Massachusetts and most other states, and eliminate the one-year experience requirement for CPA certification in Massachusetts.

There are two options to complete your degree. Our classic hybrid program allows you to take up to 18 credits online before completing one intensive 12-week in-residence summer session. Our full online option allows you to complete all 30 credits from anywhere in the world, at any time of day.

Degree Requirements

MSA students gain both breadth and depth of knowledge in accounting and business. You’ll learn skills that will advance your accounting knowledge and enhance your essential business skills.

The MS in Accounting requires 30 credits and courses are available in-residence (Summer term only) and online. Students generally complete the program in 8 months to 2 years. The coursework in this program of study helps students gain a range of knowledge in accounting and business, including understanding tax implications, using technology to gain a competitive advantage, and business writing.

An Accounting Future

Our MSA helps prepare you to take the CPA exam by offering a curriculum designed specifically by and for accountants. As a graduate with an MSA, you may also take a management position in accounting, auditing or budgeting, open your own accounting business, or go on to earn an MBA or doctorate degree. Specifically, you might be a chief financial officer, controller, internal auditor, or government auditor, or work in accounting information technology.

Learn more about the MS in Accounting program

PhD in Accounting

The PhD program in accounting rigorously trains students to engage in scholarly academic research and university-level teaching. Students are trained to think critically and creatively about real-world accounting problems, and tackle those problems with interesting and scientifically sound research.

Elaine (Ying) Wang

Associate Professor

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Research

Isenberg’s PhD in Accounting is an intensely focused and highly supportive full-time, residential program that prepares students for careers in academia. Students will broaden their understanding of accounting research and conduct independent research based on their interests.

Isenberg has a strong focus on research. Faculty members are working on a wide variety of research projects, investigating such topics as:

Audit quality and office growth
Readability’s influence on investors’ judgments
Social mismatches between auditors and clients
Effects of guidance frequency on management
Consequences of lowering disclosure thresholds

Degree Timeline

The program is generally completed within 4-5 years. Students take 48 credits of coursework, which includes research methodology, statistics, major and minor area courses at the graduate level, and electives. They complete a qualifying and comprehensive exam, a research project, and teach at Isenberg for at least three semesters. Students will finally research, write and defend a dissertation.

YEAR 1: Coursework, including foundation courses; Qualifying exam
YEAR 2: Coursework, including major and minor area courses; Directed research project
YEAR 3: Comprehensive exam; Directed research project; Dissertation proposal
YEAR 4: Dissertation

Learn more about the PhD Accounting program

Our Faculty

Isenberg faculty includes award-winning research scholars, industry experts and outstanding professors. We recruit our faculty members from all over the world, and their caliber elevates an Isenberg education.