A Flexible Program
Build Digital Accounting Fluency
Become an expert with tools such as Tableau, Alteryx, and Excel while strengthening the communication and analytical thinking skills accountants use to advise organizations.
Take Courses Online, on Campus, or Both
Choose the location that works best for you. Plus, we offer full-time or part-time study to support future accountants no matter their responsibilities.
Start Your CPA Journey
Take CPA exam prep courses for credit, plus support from faculty and peers as you study.
Network With Industry-Connected Faculty
Learn from invested faculty and build relationships through Nashville-area business connections.
Request Information
Learn more about the MTSU Master of Accountancy by filling out this form and downloading a program brochure. You can also call us at 629-263-5486 to talk with one of our enrollment specialists.
Apply Now
Next Start Date:
January 19, 2027
Priority Application Deadline:
January 5, 2027
Fast Facts
- Earn your degree on your own schedule: Complete your degree in one year, full-time, or two years, part-time.
- Build future-focused accounting skills: Our curriculum emphasizes the latest digital accounting skills and the critical thinking to handle what comes next.
- Make meaningful connections: Network with our industry-connected faculty, a dedicated alumni network, local TN accounting firms, and your driven peers.
- Prepare for the CPA exam: Study a curriculum aligned to the CPA exam and take optional CPA prep courses for credit.
Build Advanced Accounting and Business Skills
The MTSU Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.) is a complete accounting degree that prepares students to be true accounting professionals.
Our program immerses students in advanced accounting techniques while equipping them with practical experience using industry-standard tools such as Tableau, Alteryx, and Excel.
Beyond learning specific toolsets, students in the accounting master’s program also expand on the broader skills that empower them to excel as key business partners and advisors. They sharpen their analytical thinking, enhance their communication skills, and deepen their understanding of the ethics and rules underpinning their decisions. These are the qualities that uniquely position our graduates for advancement and prepare them for enduring career success.
Customize Your Curriculum
The Master of Accountancy is made up of 30 total credit hours, split equally between core courses that build advanced skills, electives that target specialized expertise, and a capstone project to apply everything you’ve learned. Students can also earn credit through CPA exam prep or specializations in Tax Accounting or Assurance.
Develop Skills for Complex Accounting Work
By the time you graduate, you will be ready to:
- Apply professional accounting standards to complex financial reporting situations
- Use accounting analytics tools to solve business problems
- Evaluate risk, internal controls, and ethical issues in corporate governance
- Manage tax research and planning for individuals and business entities
- Prepare for CPA licensure with coursework aligned to all four exam sections
See how the curriculum fits your goals.
Find the Flexibility You Need
This accounting master’s degree is designed with flexibility in mind, with many options to shape the coursework and the degree experience to personal goals.
Students can customize their experience in these ways:
- Modality: Choose to take courses online, on-campus or both.
- Part-time or full-time study: Complete your degree in 1-3 years
- Course schedule: Work on asynchronous tasks at your own pace or attend synchronous classes during the day, late afternoon, or evening.
- Specializations: Gain career-ready knowledge with a tax specialization or an assurance specialization
- CPA Prep: Opt to take CPA review for degree credit
Receive Personalized Guidance and Support
We take pride in our student-focused approach. The Department of Accounting works one-on-one with each student to create a custom degree plan. Our faculty and staff go out of their way to help students succeed academically and professionally.
Whether you’re new to the field or an experienced accountant seeking to elevate your expertise with advanced skills, our program is designed to cater to your unique needs, equipping you with necessary prerequisites, and transforming your past accomplishments into valuable accounting skills.
We prepare our M.Acc. students for that next promotion or career change, showing them how they can differentiate themselves and seize new opportunities. That is really our focus, and that’s why we emphasize areas like building an analytic mindset, technological agility, communication skills, and ethical decision-making.
Andrea Kelton
Professor of Accounting
Get Ready for the CPA Exam With Dedicated Prep
Our M.Acc. degree gives students the knowledge and credit hours for the CPA exam, or other certifications such as CMA, CIA, or CISA. You’ll also have the option to take for-credit CPA review courses.
Get Recognized and Recruited by Nashville Employers
MTSU’s excellent reputation among employers means that many MTSU accounting grads are actively recruited in Nashville and across Tennessee. We connect you directly to those employers through our highly connected faculty, an annual Meet the Firms networking and recruitment event, and our alumni network of over 18,000 MTSU grads.
AACSB-Accredited Business School
What Can You Do With a Master’s In Accounting?
Organizations of every size need professionals who can manage and analyze financial information in order to solve problems and make strategic decisions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, accountant and auditors roles are expected to grow 5% through 2034, which is faster than the average for all roles, adding to the 1.5 million accountants currently working in the United States.
Master of Accountancy graduates are uniquely positioned to lead in the accounting profession, with extensive technical and analytical skills as well as the graduate credits to qualify for the CPA designation.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Master of Accountancy provides students with an advanced knowledge of accounting principles, practices, and applications. The curriculum typically includes coursework in areas such as auditing, taxation, financial reporting, business law, and management accounting.
Comprehensive programs like MTSU’s Master of Accountancy not only hone technical accounting skills but also feature coursework that cultivates strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, stakeholder communication skills, and client relationship management.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop advanced skills in accounting technologies, financial reporting, auditing, and taxation.
- Learn to manage and analyze information in order to solve problems and make strategic decisions.
- Enhance communication skills to create clear, concise reports and articulate ideas effectively.
- Prepare to confidently share insights in professional settings.
Explore MTSU’s specialization options in tax accounting and assurance for the Master of Accountancy.
We recommend a M.Acc. degree if you are pursuing a professional accounting career. A specialized master’s program offers focused training that far exceeds the accounting instruction in a general M.B.A. curriculum, which is often limited to a few courses or a specialty track. This targeted knowledge can boost your appeal to employers that specifically want accounting expertise, especially for roles that require an understanding of complex financial techniques or sophisticated tools.
If you want to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), the M.Acc. provides a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the knowledge tested by the CPA exam. The M.Acc. degree also often satisfies the additional educational requirements for CPA certification, making it a more direct path to this credential than an M.B.A. Some programs like MTSU’s M.Acc. even offer course credit for CPA exam prep.
Both options are available—it is up to the student to choose how many courses they would like to take each semester. Some students take as few as 3 credit hours (about one course) per semester, while others take up to 12 credit hours (about four courses) per semester.
Full-time students can complete the program in as little as one year. Part-time students usually take two to three years to complete the program.
MTSU offers a GMAT Waiver. You do not need to submit a GMAT score if you hold an undergraduate accounting degree from an AACSB-accredited institution and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
If you don’t qualify for the waiver, you may still be considered for admission by meeting GPA requirements or submitting a GMAT score as part of a composite evaluation.
GRE: The GRE is not required for this program.
If you’re unsure whether you qualify for a waiver, we encourage you to connect with an enrollment specialist to review your background.
For applicants with an undergraduate degree in accounting:
Your undergraduate accounting degree must be from a regionally accredited institution. In addition, the GMAT may be waived if you meet the following:
- GMAT Waiver: You are not required to submit a GMAT score if you hold an accounting degree from an AACSB-accredited institution and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
If you do not qualify for the waiver, you must meet one of the following:
- An overall undergraduate GPA of 3.00, plus your accounting degree must be from an AACSB-accredited school.
- A composite score of at least 950 based on cumulative GPA, calculated as: cumulative GPA x 200 + GMAT. A minimum GMAT of 400 is required.
- A composite score of at least 1,000 based on upper division GPA, calculated as: upper division GPA x 200 + GMAT. A minimum GMAT of 400 is required.
For applicants with an undergraduate degree in other fields:
Your degree must be from an accredited institution AND you must meet one of the following:
- A composite score of at least 950 based on cumulative GPA, calculated as: cumulative GPA x 200 + GMAT. A minimum GMAT of 400 is required.
- A composite score of at least 1,000 based on upper division GPA, calculated as: upper division GPA x 200 + GMAT. A minimum GMAT of 400 is required.
View the admissions page for more information.
The program includes an optional series of four courses (1 credit hour per course), each of which aligns with a section of the CPA exam. We use Becker CPA Review as the provider for the review content.
In Tennessee, there are now two pathways to CPA eligibility. You can qualify to sit for the exam with either:
- 120 credit hours (a bachelor’s degree) plus two years of relevant work experience, or
- 150 credit hours (such as completing a master’s degree) plus one year of relevant work experience
Completing the M.Acc. helps you meet the 150-hour pathway, allowing you to reduce the required work experience to one year while deepening your accounting knowledge.
In addition to the study resources and educational hours, you will have the ongoing support of our faculty, staff, and your classmates, many of whom will also be studying for the test. They will motivate you and keep you accountable as you prepare.
The first-time pass rate for MTSU M.Acc. students are among the highest for universities in the Middle Tennessee area. In 2019, the pass rate for this group was 66.5 percent, compared to 52.8 percent overall.
Graduates with a master’s in accountancy have strong employment opportunities due to the constant demand for accounting expertise in nearly all sectors.
Here are some possible career paths:
- Public accounting
- Industry
- Auditing
- Tax planning
- Consulting
- Accounting information systems
- Education
- Banking/Investments
- Entertainment
- Sports
- Technology
- Nonprofit organizations
- Criminal investigation
M.Acc. alumni are highly sought after by Big Four accounting firms, multinational corporations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and more. The degree can also serve as a stepping stone to a doctorate for those interested in academic or research roles.
Browse our full list of FAQs, including questions about applying to the program, the M.Acc. experience, and career outcomes.
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