Industry Snapshot
This program is designed to help prepare you for an organizational leadership position in accounting.
1.4M+
Accountants & Auditors
There are more than 1.4 million accounting & auditing professionals in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | "Occupational Outlook Handbook: Accountants and Auditors" | 2020
Additional Program Information
- State-Specific Details
- Program Admission Requirements
- Experience Recommended for Success
This program is designed to help prepare students to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam and/or obtain initial licensure as a Certified Public Accountant in Maryland. To sit for the CPA Exam in Maryland, a candidate is required to have successfully completed 120 credits toward an accounting degree. Many other states, however, require candidates to successfully complete 150 credits prior to sitting for the CPA Exam.
To obtain initial licensure as a CPA in Maryland and most other states, a candidate is required to have successfully completed 150 credits. Maryland has additional requirements to obtain initial licensure as a CPA, not all of which can be fulfilled through education. Learn more about Maryland's requirements for initial licensure. Students seeking licensure in another state are advised to contact the appropriate licensing board in their state.
Learn more about professional licensure and how to contact your state's licensing board.
Before enrolling in any graduate accounting course, you must do one of the following:
- Complete 15 credits of undergraduate accounting coursework, with a grade of C or better in each course. Upon submission of an official transcript, you may be accepted into the degree program with fewer than the required 15 credits of undergraduate accounting coursework, but you must complete that coursework before enrolling in your first graduate accounting course.
- Earn a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license as determined by a State Board of Accountancy. Upon submission of documentation and verification of your having earned a CPA license, you may enroll in a graduate accounting course.
You are expected to have a recent background in finance or accounting, as well as statistics. You are also expected to be familiar with Microsoft Excel. Strong writing skills are encouraged in this program.
This program is designed to help prepare students to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam and/or obtain initial licensure as a Certified Public Accountant in Maryland. To sit for the CPA Exam in Maryland, a candidate is required to have successfully completed 120 credits toward an accounting degree. Many other states, however, require candidates to successfully complete 150 credits prior to sitting for the CPA Exam.
To obtain initial licensure as a CPA in Maryland and most other states, a candidate is required to have successfully completed 150 credits. Maryland has additional requirements to obtain initial licensure as a CPA, not all of which can be fulfilled through education. Learn more about Maryland's requirements for initial licensure. Students seeking licensure in another state are advised to contact the appropriate licensing board in their state.
Learn more about professional licensure and how to contact your state's licensing board.
Before enrolling in any graduate accounting course, you must do one of the following:
- Complete 15 credits of undergraduate accounting coursework, with a grade of C or better in each course. Upon submission of an official transcript, you may be accepted into the degree program with fewer than the required 15 credits of undergraduate accounting coursework, but you must complete that coursework before enrolling in your first graduate accounting course.
- Earn a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license as determined by a State Board of Accountancy. Upon submission of documentation and verification of your having earned a CPA license, you may enroll in a graduate accounting course.
You are expected to have a recent background in finance or accounting, as well as statistics. You are also expected to be familiar with Microsoft Excel. Strong writing skills are encouraged in this program.
FAQs
An online master’s degree in management with an accounting specialization can give you the skills to be a comptroller, managing partner, or senior accountant. UMGC’s online master’s degree in management with an accounting specialization is a 36-credit program that will teach you how to communicate financial information with decision-makers. You will also gain advanced knowledge in accounting.
UMGC's online master’s degree in management with an accounting specialization is a 36-credit program with courses offered year-round. You can expect to finish the program in two years or less, depending on how many credits you complete each term and the number of credits you may be able to transfer. Plus, if you completed your undergraduate degree at UMGC with coursework in accounting, you may be able to take advantage of an accelerated pathway that could reduce your coursework for this program by up to 6 credits, saving you time and money.
UMGC is committed to keeping our tuition and fees as affordable as possible. The online master’s in IT with a specialization in informatics follows the standard graduate program tuition rates, which appear at the top of this webpage. We also offer scholarships for eligible students, an interest-free monthly payment plan, and no-cost digital materials in place of most textbooks to help make your education more affordable.
You don't need to have majored in a specific area to be successful in the online master’s degree in management with an accounting specialization program at UMGC. However, before enrolling in any graduate accounting course at UMGC, you must meet the requirements listed under "Program Admission Requirements" above on this page. In addition, you are expected to have a recent background in finance or accounting as well as statistics and to be familiar with Microsoft Excel.
You don't need any certifications to start the online master’s degree in management with an accounting specialization program at UMGC. However, this program can help prepare you for several certifications listed above under "Industry Certification Exams."
