Industry Snapshot
This program is designed to help you prepare for an organizational leadership position in accounting or financial management.
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 familiarity with Microsoft Excel.
- If you have not recently graduated with a bachelor’s in accounting, finance, or financial management, we highly recommend that you take the noncredit course
(0 Credits, UCSP 620) before
(3 Credits, ACCT 610) and
(3 Credits, MGMT 640). - We recommend taking
(0 Credits, UCSP 605) to help improve your writing skills.
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 familiarity with Microsoft Excel.
- If you have not recently graduated with a bachelor’s in accounting, finance, or financial management, we highly recommend that you take the noncredit course
(0 Credits, UCSP 620) before
(3 Credits, ACCT 610) and
(3 Credits, MGMT 640). - We recommend taking
(0 Credits, UCSP 605) to help improve your writing skills.
FAQs
An online master's degree in accounting and financial management is a graduate program that can help prepare you to lead an organization's financial operations. UMGC’s online master’s degree in accounting and financial management is a 36-credit program that covers topics like financial accounting, auditing, investment valuation, behavioral finance, and more. Graduates may be well-prepared for careers in a range of settings, including public accounting firms, private businesses, and government.
UMGC's online master's degree in management with a specialization in accounting and financial management is a 36-credit program with courses offered year-round. If you successfully complete six credits each fall, spring, and summer, you can expect to graduate in as little as two years. If you recently completed an undergraduate degree at UMGC that included coursework in accounting, you may be able to apply 6 credits toward your graduate degree and shorten your time to completion by one term.
UMGC is committed to keeping our tuition and fees as affordable as possible. The master's degree in management with a specialization in accounting and financial management follows the standard graduate program tuition rates, which appear at the top of this webpage. We also offer scholarships, 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 any specific area to be successful in the master's in management with a specialization in accounting and financial management at UMGC. However, we do recommend you have a recent background in finance or accounting. If you need to improve your finance or accounting skills, you should take Introduction to
(0 Credits, UCSP 620) before taking
(3 Credits, MGMT 640). We also recommend a recent background in statistics. If you need to brush up on your statistics knowledge, we recommend taking Introduction to
(0 Credits, UCSP 630) before taking
(3 Credits, MGMT 650). Finally, for those who want to improve their writing in preparation for graduate study, we offer
(0 Credits, UCSP 605).
I picked UMGC because of the flexibility that it allowed me as a mother, as a career person, and a mobile military spouse. UMGC allowed me to continue my education everywhere.
Shandel A., HEWA Beach, HI, MS in Accounting Management