Master of Accounting Degree Programs in Virginia

Accredited accounting degree programs in Virginia are allowing many individuals to advance in the accounting field as the industry grows increasingly important. Individuals who have completed such degrees are in high demand in the business world. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, accounting positions are expected to increase nationally by 13 percent over the next ten years. This increase is expected due to an increased focus on financial information after several corporate scandals and financial crises. Credit-granting agencies are also requiring more documentation in order to lend money and this is also increasing the need for more accountants for both individuals and businesses.

In May 2014, there were 39,290 accountants and auditors in Virginia. The average income for an accountant or auditor in the state was $78,640, higher than the national average of $63,550 per year. Other positions where an accounting degree is beneficial include budget analysts, who earn an average of $84,400 per year in Virginia, and financial analysts, who earn an average of $93,290 per year in Virginia. Personal financial advisers who may also hold an accounting degree earn an average of $113,210 per year in the state.

These statistics indicate that an individual who holds a Master’s degree in accounting in Virginia could earn a higher than average salary and see a better chance for employment than those who do not hold such degrees.

College of William and Mary

Raymond H. Mason School of Business

The Raymond H. Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary offers high-quality education to both undergraduate and graduate students. The school offers a faculty with advanced research, teaching and service experience who engage students in innovative educational experiences. The school began in 1919 with studies in business administration. In 1968, the department was formed into the School of Business in order to offer both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In 2005, the school was renamed in honor of Raymond A. Mason, an alumnus of the school.

Master of Accounting

The Master of Accounting degree at the Raymond H. Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary is a full-time, two-semester program. Students are prepared for leadership positions in accounting and are not required to have an undergraduate degree in accounting to enter the program. Students who did not receive an undergraduate degree in accounting must complete a Summer Boot Camp where they fulfill prerequisite classes that include Financial Reporting and Analysis, Auditing and Internal Controls as well as Cost Accounting and Taxation. Students who have a GPA of 3.25 or higher from an accredited college or university do not have to submit GMAT scores for admission.

Related Resource: How Do I Prepare for the GMAT?

Because accounting professionals must also have a working understanding of the economics of business, students are provided a background that will allow them to present investors with financial statements that transparently reflect the financial health of a company. Students develop an understanding of what issues are important and how companies use financial data in order to grow. Courses required for the program include:

Accounting Information Technology and Data Analytics
Accounting Research
Advanced Auditing and Audit Research
Communications & Professional Development
Derivatives and Risk Management
Fixed Income Securities and Securitizations
Professional Accounting
Tax Research and Current Topics
Valuation and Financial Statement Modeling

Students may also choose one of the following elective tracks to concentrate their studies:

Accounting Research
Auditing
Information Technology
Integrated Winter Field Experience
Taxation
Valuation

Accreditations

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

College of William & Mary
Raymond A. Mason School of Business
PO Box 8795
Williamsburg VA 23197
Telephone: 757-221-4100
Email: admiss@wm.edu
Website: http://mason.wm.edu/programs/macc/index.php

George Mason University

School of Business

The George Mason University School of Business is ranked in the top ten percent of all schools of business by U.S. News & World Report and is one of only 25 percent of the business schools accredited in both business and accounting. The school provides high-impact, results-driven education that translates into tangible value. Students are provided valuable learning experiences using the latest in educational technology. Students receive innovative, hands-on education taught by world-class faculty.

MS in Accounting

The Masters in Accounting program at George Mason University’s School of Business may be taken either full-time on campus or part-time online. The program provides students with the knowledge and skills to enter the increasingly global field of accounting. Students earn the required 150-credit hours required to sit for the Certified Public Accountant examination in Virginia. The program provides education in key areas of business ethics and corporate governance. Graduates of the program report earning almost $11,000 more per year than those with only an undergraduate accounting degree and 66 percent of graduates report receiving a signing bonus when they accepted full-time employment. Courses required for the degree include:

International Finance
Online MSA Orientation Course
Advanced Financial Accounting
Advanced Managerial Accounting
Advanced Topics in Fraud
Business Analysis and Valuation
Business Valuation
Corporate Financial Reporting
Corporate Governance and Ethics
Directed Studies in Accounting
Financial Markets
Fraud and the Law
Fraud Examination
Global Accounting Environment
Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting
Identifying and Resolving Advanced Issues in Taxation
Independent Studies/Directed Readings
Information Technology Auditing
International Financial Reporting
Investment Analysis
Managerial Finance
Operations Management
Professional Accounting Colloquium I & II
Seminar in Accounting (3)
Special Topics in Accounting
Taxes and Business
Taxes and Business Strategy

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

George Mason University
School of Business
4400 University Drive
Fairfax VA 22030
Telephone: 703-993-1000
Website: http://business.gmu.edu/masters-in-accounting/?_ga=1.158287609.272830816.1449074635

James Madison University

College of Business

The College of Business at James Madison University prepares students for positions that require engaged, principled business professionals and leaders. The college is recognized as a leader in developing collaborative business partners with an understanding of the increasingly global marketplace. Students are provided academic excellence that stimulates their intellectual curiosity and provides them with the tools they need to grow in their chosen profession. The college has a strong sense of community and are engaged in learning both inside and outside the classroom.

School of Accounting Master’s Program

Offered through the School of Accounting at the College of Business at James Madison University, the Master of Science in Accounting program provides students with the knowledge they need to enter the field of accounting. Students may enter the program even if they do not have an undergraduate degree in accounting. The program meets the 150-credit hour requirement for students to sit for the Virginia CPA examination. Students are provided a strong education that prepares them for success by strengthening their technical expertise and enhancing their understanding of professional responsibility in the business world.

Students must have the following prerequisites to enter the program:

Auditing
Business Law
Business Statistics
Cost Accounting
Federal Income Tax Accounting
Intermediate Accounting I & II
Introductory Finance
Micro or Macro Economics
Organizational Behavior or Principles of Management

Accreditations

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

Amanda Reedy
School of Accounting
James Madison University
Zane Showker Hall 333
MSC 203
Harrisonburg VA 22807
Telephone: 540-568-3250
Email: reedya@jmu.edu
Website: https://www.jmu.edu/grad/programs/business.shtml

Old Dominion University

Strome College of Business

The Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University was named in honor of Mark and Tammy Strome. Mark, a 1978 graduate of Old Dominion University is the chief investment officer for the Strome Group and Strome Investment Management. Through the Strome Family Foundation, the couple donated $11 million in support of a new, multi-pronged program to encourage entrepreneurs in 2014. Founded in 1930, the college is undergoing a transformation with a focus on entrepreneurship that the school hopes will empower students to turn their passion into an enterprise. The college has been ranked 32nd among the best business schools for veterans by Military Times magazine.

Master of Science – Accounting

The Master of Science in Accounting at the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University provides students with the 150-credit hours necessary to sit for the Virginia CPA examination. The curriculum addresses major changes in the accounting profession over the past few years and provides a broader view of accounting than found in an undergraduate degree program. Students must have the following prerequisites before entering the program:

Intermediate Accounting I & II
Managerial Accounting
Principles of Financial Accounting
Principles of Managerial Accounting
Taxation

Students with a GPA of 3.2 or higher may be exempt from providing GMAT scores. The program is 30-credit hours and courses that must be completed for the degree include:

Financial Auditing
Financial Statement Analysis
International and Advanced Accounting
Professional Ethics and Legal Issues in Accounting
Strategic Cost Management
Tax Research

Students must also complete 12 elective courses at the graduate level.

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

Accounting
Strome College of Business
Old Dominion University
2157 Constant Hall
Norfolk VA 23529
Telephone: 757-883-7108
Email: tzemken@odu.edu
Website: http://catalog.odu.edu/graduate/stromecollegeofbusiness/accounting/

University of Virginia

McIntire School of Commerce

The McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia began in 1920 when the college began offering an economics program. In 1921, Paul Goodloe McIntire provided a $200,000 donation to establish the McIntire School of Commerce, which operated as a separate entity from the College of Arts and Sciences at the university. In 1952, the school was designated as a professional school that was administered separately from the university and was located in Monroe Hall. In 2005, a migration that was entitled “Back to the Lawn,” relocated the school to Rouss Hall, which had been expanded to fit the needs of the school. Eventually, Robertson Hall, which adjoined Rouss Hall, was also renovated, creating an academic complex to house the entire McIntire School of Commerce, a project that was completed in 2007.

Today, the school is one of the best business schools in the country, offering world-class programs at the undergraduate and graduate level with almost 600 students in attendance.

M.S. in Accounting

The Master of Science in Accounting at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia is a full-time nine-month program located at the Charleston campus. The program is 30-credit hours and provides students with the skills they need to excel in the field of accounting. Students are provided a curriculum that focuses on real-world scenarios using ethics that are necessary to succeed in the accounting world. Prerequisites to enter the program include:

Audit
Intermediate Accounting I & II
Introduction to Financial Accounting
Introduction to Managerial Accounting

Students may choose to concentrate their studies in Financial Reporting and Management or Tax Consulting. Classroom discussions and case studies provide students with a complex, multidimensional business overview that prepare students for what they will face in the real world.

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

Graduate Programs Office
McIntire School of Commerce
PO Box 400173
Charlottesville VA 22904
Telephone: 877-349-2630
Email: msaccounting@virginia.edu
Website: https://www.commerce.virginia.edu/ms-accounting

Virginia Commonwealth University

School of Business

The School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University is a close-knit community despite being part of a large university. The location of the university makes it possible for students to gain real-world experience through partnerships with local, regional and national companies. The school consistently ranks highly among business schools. It was also the first school in the country to be accredited by the Computing Commission of ABET and more than 500 alumni are chairmen, president or CEO of a company. In addition, the school offers more than 80 scholarships, more than any other university as a whole.

Master of Accountancy

The Master of Accountancy at the School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University is offered in tow curriculum paths. The first is for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting while the second is for students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Students who hold a bachelor’s degree in something other than accounting are encouraged to complete the undergraduate certificate in accounting as this fulfills accounting prerequisites. Students may complete the prerequisites while enrolled in the program, but graduation may be delayed. Students must complete the following courses:

Advanced Auditing
Advance Topics in Accounting Information Systems
Corporate Taxation
Forensic Accounting
International Accounting
Partnership Taxation
Tax Administration
Tax Research and Planning
Taxation of Property Transactions

In addition, students must choose four of the following courses to complete the program:

Business Process Engineering
Entrepreneurship
Information Systems for Business Intelligence
Information Systems for Managers
Information Systems Management
Organizational Leadership and Project Team Management

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

Graduate Studies in Business
Snead Hall
301 West Main Street
Room B3102
Richmond VA 23284-4000
Telephone: 804-828-4822
Email: gouldmana@wcu.edu
Website: http://business.vcu.edu/graduate-studies/master-of-accountancy/

Virginia Tech University

Pamplin College of Business

Virginia Tech issued the first business administration degree in 1925 and the first master’s degree in 1931, but the school of business was not established until 1961. In 1986, the school was named for Robert B. Pamplin, a graduate of the university in 1933, who later became CEO of Georgia-Pacific Corporation. The renaming of the school was to recognize a $20 million gift to the college from Pamplin and his son, Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., who also attended the university. Today, the college accounts for 20 percent of all business degrees awarded at Virginia institutes of higher learning. The college is ranked in the nation’s top 50 undergraduate business schools by U.S. News & World Report and among the top 100 MBA programs by Financial Times.

Master of Accounting and Information Systems

The Master of Accounting and Information Systems degree offered through the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech is open to students regardless of their undergraduate degree. Students who do not have an undergraduate degree in accounting must complete the following prerequisites:

Business Law
Business Policy
Business Statistics
Calculus and Matrices
Fundamentals of Management Science
Principles of Finance
Principles of Financial Accounting
Principles of Macro- and Microeconomics
Principles of Management
Principles of Management Accounting
Principles of Marketing

Students without an undergraduate degree in accounting can complete the program in approximately two years, while student with an undergraduate degree in accounting can complete the program in as little as 12 to 18 months. The program requires completion of 30-credit hours and students may specialize their studies in the following concentrations:

Audit
Financial Services
Information Systems
Tax

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact

Graduate Admissions
Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown
155 Otey Street
Graduate School
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg VA 24061
Telephone: 540-231-8636
Email: grads@vt.edu
Website: http://www.acis.pamplin.vt.edu/pos/mastprograms.htm

As requirements for transparent financial reporting increase, the need for individuals who have successfully completed master of accounting degree programs in Virginia will increase as well.