Master of Science in Accounting OnlineMaster of Science in Accounting OnlineMaster of Science in Accounting Online

The future of business belongs to master’s-prepared accountants

Accounting isn’t just about balancing books. Top managers in every organization consult with accountants and rely on their insights and expertise to help make critical financial decisions.

You can join the next generation of accountants who will help lead the future of business. Whether you have your bachelor’s degree in accounting or you’re looking to start a new career in this exciting field, Maryville University’s online Master of Science in Accounting program can prepare you with advanced accounting skills, business acumen, and financial expertise to maximize your career opportunities and your organization’s success.

View our program guide for more information.

Get Curriculum Details

Access coursework 100% online, with no campus visits required

Apply with no GRE or GMAT required

Learn from an updated, redesigned curriculum focused on the CPA Evolution CPA Exam

Choose from two new specializations that correspond with CPA Evolution’s three disciplines

Graduate in as little as 10 months

Consider our bridge program if you have a non-accounting background

Why pursue your master’s in accounting online?

With an online master’s in accounting, you’ll be able to develop your command of accounting practices, setting yourself apart from other job applicants and opening the door to senior roles that may not be available to accountants without master’s degrees.

If you’re looking to become a certified public accountant, a master’s in accounting can help prepare you to take the CPA Exam. Earning your online master’s in accounting at Maryville can help you acquire the 150 credit hours of education that many states require prior to earning a CPA license. Not only that, but we’re one of the first universities in the nation to update our MS in Accounting curriculum to align with the updated CPA Exam that will take effect in 2024 — and to include two CPA-focused specialization options — so you can prepare with confidence for your future in accounting.

What can you do with a master’s in accounting?

A master’s in accounting can help you stand out in a job market where more employers every year are seeking master’s-prepared accounting hires.

Earning your master’s in accounting can put you in position to attain the most rewarding and prestigious jobs in the field, such as accounting manager, audit manager, tax manager, and finance director. With an advanced accounting degree, you’ll have the deep knowledge and valuable credential you need to build a career in any number of accounting settings and specializations.

Online master’s in accounting career paths

Many careers in accounting, including certified public accountant and chief financial officer, require advanced expertise. A master’s in accounting online can help you demonstrate your commitment to academic and professional advancement and prove the value of your abilities to go beyond entry-level positions and take on executive roles.

Our online MS in Accounting can open pathways to a wide variety of roles, including:

Find out more about career opportunities for online master’s in accounting graduates.

What is the typical master’s degree in accounting graduate salary?

An online master’s in accounting can equip you for careers with salaries such as:

Budget Analyst

Median Salary:
$78,970

Certified Public Accountant

Median Salary:
$73,560

Top Executive

Median Salary:
$107,680

Financial Advisor

Median Salary:
$89,330

Financial Analyst

Median Salary:
$83,660

Financial Manager

Median Salary:
$134,180

Salaries based on data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Accounting professionals with a master’s in the field earn

13% MORE*

than bachelor’s degree holders on average.

*National Association of Colleges and Employers, “2021 Salary Survey”

Benefits of a master’s in accounting online

When you graduate with a master’s degree in accounting, you graduate with increased earning potential. Compare $66,166, the median salary for master’s in accounting degree holders, with $58,508, the median salary for bachelor’s degree holders (NACE) — a difference of 13% in annual earnings.

For accounting professionals interested in gaining even more advantage, earning additional credentials such as CPA certification can further increase your earning potential. And the benefits of an advanced accounting education don’t end there. While financial jobs are typically some of the most stable in the job market, accounting professionals with additional expertise and experience are likely to be more secure in their roles than those who have only foundational skills.

Additional ways to specialize your master’s in accounting

A master’s in accounting online is a great way to prepare for advanced opportunities in accounting, but it’s not the end of your education. At Maryville, you have the opportunity to specialize your education based on your career goals and interests by choosing one of two tracks: Business Analysis and Reporting or Information Systems and Controls. Each track aligns with one of the three disciplines outlined in the CPA Evolution initiative set forth by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). These changes will take effect in the CPA Exam in 2024.

In addition, many accounting professionals pursue additional credentials, including advanced certifications such as CPA, Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), and Certified Management Accountant (CMA). Earning a certification in a specialized area is a smart way to increase your marketability and advance your career as an accounting and finance professional.

Why choose Maryville for your master’s in accounting online?

At Maryville University, we provide flexible, CPA-focused accounting education designed to prepare you for current and future trends in the field — and the upcoming changes in the CPA Exam. Informed by modern accounting practices and complex business strategies, our 100% online master’s in accounting program offers paths for bachelor’s-prepared accounting professionals and career changers alike to pursue advanced skills and attain professional roles with greater authority, responsibility, and salary potential.

Prepare with CPA experts

Most master’s in accounting degrees can help you qualify to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination. But Maryville University goes a step further. Ours is one of only a few master’s in accounting online programs that incorporate the official Becker exam preparation courses into our curriculum. What does that mean to you? Upon completing our program, you can possess the knowledge and required credit hours to pass the exam.

We’re leaders in future-focused accounting education, which is why we were among the first universities to revamp our curriculum to focus on the upcoming changes to the CPA Exam informed by the newest trends, techniques, laws, and regulations in the field.

No accounting background?
No problem.

At Maryville University, we aim to make the accounting profession accessible to as many people as possible. That’s why our master’s in accounting online offers a bridge program for non-accounting professionals interested in making the switch to this growing field. With additional courses in accounting, finance, economics, business law, and statistics, professionals from different industries can develop the skills they need to pursue new roles in accounting and ensure they have the educational qualifications, knowledge, and confidence to sit for the CPA exam.

Why Maryville?

We’re distinguished by our dedication to your success

Higher Learning Commission logo
Forbes America's Top Colleges 2019 logo

What does being an ACBSP-accredited program mean?

Maryville’s online Master of Science in Accounting program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). One of the most reputable and sought-after accreditations for business programs in the United States, ACBSP recognizes institutions and programs that focus on teaching excellence, student learning outcomes, and continuous improvement.

Insights from our faculty

We’ve asked Jaime Peters, assistant dean and assistant professor of finance, for her thoughts on the master’s in accounting program. Here are her responses:

  • Earning a degree in accounting is just the beginning of the journey. As business practices and technology change, so will the skills you need. That is why our master’s in accounting is designed not only to teach you accounting rules but also to spark a love of learning and the ability to ask what’s next and why.

  • We are always excited to bring current business trends into our accounting classrooms. For example, students have the opportunity to research and debate cannabis tax laws, identify the red flags of earnings manipulation, use real datasets to create powerful visualizations that inform business decisions, and plan for the impact that new technologies, such as blockchain and robotic process automation (RPA), will have on the accountant’s changing role.

  • Our curriculum is always evolving. In response to the upcoming change in the CPA exam (effective January 1, 2024), we will be deepening our curriculum in data analytics and expanding it to include more financial planning — a service many tax accountants need to perform. The CPA exam is evolving to adapt to the skills and knowledge accountants need in an increasingly technology-driven and rules-based environment.

  • Accounting has become more complex, reflecting the globalization of business in general. As a result, employers seek accountants who understand not only how a transaction is recorded but also the reasoning behind the method. Employers require the extrapolation and adaptation of current methods in accounting.

Online master’s in accounting curriculum

At Maryville University, we deliver an online accounting master’s degree designed to prepare you for industry demands, certifications, and changes — such as the updates outlined by the AICPA’s CPA Evolution initiative. With industry-relevant coursework and an online bridge program designed for non-accounting professionals, our online master’s degree in accounting program can help you develop your business foundational knowledge alongside strategic accounting and financial skills.

Bridge into it.

Don’t have a bachelor’s in accounting? No worries. Our newly updated 69-75 credit bridge program will help prepare you with courses that cover financial and managerial accounting, business law, statistics, micro- and macroeconomics, financial reporting, auditing, and more.

Dive into the core of accounting.

Already have an undergraduate accounting degree? You may be able to move straight into our core accounting courses, where you’ll focus on tax planning, strategic accounting, data analytics, financial statement analysis, financial reporting, and accounting research and communications.

Benefit from Becker CPA-informed courses.

Our master’s in accounting online integrates Becker CPA exam preparation courses directly into the curriculum with a focus on advanced auditing and advanced financial accounting and reporting — making your CPA preparation convenient and more affordable. In fact, you can save up to $600 by completing Becker CPA preparation for-credit courses through the MS in Accounting online program at Maryville.

You can learn more on our curriculum page.

Professional licensure and certification regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Students are encouraged to visit the relevant governing body for the state in which they intend to practice to verify specific licensure (and/ clinical hours) requirements which includes ensuring the program of interest meets the licensure requirements prior to enrolling. Students may visit our Professional Licensure Information page for more information and also reach out to our team of enrollment advisors for guidance.

Frequently asked questions

  • Completing your master’s in accounting online can help you grow your accounting career and salary potential in settings from business and finance to insurance, government, and more. Popular careers for Maryville online Master of Science in Accounting graduates include:

    • Budget analyst
    • Certified public accountant
    • Top executive
    • Financial advisor
    • Financial analyst
    • Financial manager

    Find out more about MS in Accounting careers.

  • The median salary for professionals holding a Master of Science in Accounting from a U.S. higher education institution was about $71,000 as of October 2021, according to PayScale.com.

  • Maryville University partners with Becker Professional Education, a recognized leader in CPA exam preparation, to bring you advanced course content that is designed to keep you on the cutting edge of this fast-changing industry. Prepare for the four-part CPA exam with Becker-informed courses in financial accounting and reporting, auditing, accounting regulation, and more. See our online master’s in accounting curriculum page for details.

  • Students who have earned their bachelor’s degree may complete our 30-credit online master’s in accounting program in as little as 10 months. Students without bachelor’s degrees who take our 60-credit online bridge program typically complete their programs within two years.

  • For aspiring MS in Accounting graduates without a professional accounting background, Maryville offers a convenient bridge program that bolsters our core accounting and Becker CPA-informed courses with 39-45 additional credits of foundational coursework in financial and managerial accounting, business law, statistics, micro- and macroeconomics, financial reporting, auditing, and more. At 69-75 credits total, our bridge program is a great way for career changers to enter the field with a graduate degree in accounting.

  • The field of accounting is always changing, and so is the CPA Exam. The next major change will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, with the CPA Evolution initiative. This update is focused on changing the test’s infrastructure and delivery, but it also includes significant changes to the content and materials covered.

    Here are some of the broad changes, according to the AICPA:

    • Updating how research and critical thinking skills are assessed
    • Removing the essay portion (the “Written Communication Task”)
    • Replacing adaptive testing with a linear model for the multiple-choice section
    • Introducing the notion of the “core + discipline licensure model”
    • Infrastructure updates, such as replacing the Excel spreadsheet with a JavaScript-based alternative

  • The “core + discipline licensure model” refers to one of many changes to the CPA Exam going into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. Under this model, CPA licensure candidates all take the same three “core” tests (Accounting, Auditing and Attestation, and Taxation). Then, each candidate selects one of three “discipline” areas in which to display a stronger, deeper understanding of a key subject. The three disciplines are:

    • Business Analytics and Reporting (BAR)
    • Information Systems and Controls (ISC)
    • Tax Compliance and Planning (TCP)

    Note that Maryville University’s online Master of Science in Accounting features two specializations corresponding to the CPA Exam’s three disciplines.

Apply to the online Master of Science in Accounting program at Maryville University.

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