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One of the best ways to advance an accounting or business career is to apply for admission to one of the many accounting graduate programs in North Carolina. These programs, each of which has been certified by the AACSB, are designed to give accountants the advanced skills they need to complete corporate balance sheets, report on company profits and losses, and manage whole teams of accountants who work for smaller departments, unique company projects, or individual executives. Each program offers unique insight into how generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, can be applied in a diverse number of scenarios in both large and small businesses in North Carolina’s fast-growing urban centers.
North Carolina A&T State University
School of Business and Economics
Though North Carolina A&T started out as an agricultural school, today the university is home to one of the most respected business and economics faculties anywhere in the Tar Heel State. As a result, students who enroll in the Master’s of Science in Business program will find that the accounting concentration is on par with any accounting-only master’s degree in the state. Because the program is neither an accounting degree nor an MBA, students can design their program to perfectly reflect their dual interest in business and accountancy as they wish. The faculty consists of all doctoral-level professionals, many of them with extensive industry experience in the nearby Greensboro business community.
M.S. in Business (Accounting Concentration)
Students will focus on management-related topics and apply those concepts to the accounting profession, learning the skills they need to both conduct crucial accounting work and manage those who might be assisting them with larger projects in a leadership role. A business core provides the fundamentals of corporate management, conflict resolution, and leadership, while the accounting concentration focuses centrally on managerial accounting and professional ethics. Students will be quizzed in their knowledge of GAAP and they’ll be encouraged to pursue a professional internship or full-time accounting position during their time on campus.
Accreditations: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
School of Business and Economics
Craig Hall, Room 312C
North Carolina A&T State University
1601 East Market Street
Greensboro, North Carolina 27411
Email: gagnonr@ncat.edu
Phone: (336) 285-3291
Program Website
North Carolina State University
Poole College of Management
The Poole College of Management is often considered one of the most prestigious business schools in North Carolina, right alongside the school of business at the nearby University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill. The college offers both Master of Accounting (MAC) degree and a combined Master of Accounting and Master of Business Administration. In both programs, students will enjoy classes taught by Raleigh business executives and long-time corporate accountants, many of whom bring invaluable insight into the profession, its current status, and its future direction for graduate degree candidates.
Master of Accounting (MAC)
The Master of Accounting program at NC State is heavily involved in more advanced accounting concepts than the comparable undergraduate degree. Those who pursue this degree will learn more about managerial accounting, best practices and professional ethics, and forensics within the profession that are used to identify fraud, abuse, and waste. The master’s degree is paired with extensive off-campus internship opportunities, for which students can sometimes earn credit. Graduate-level students in accounting have the opportunity to teach undergraduate courses in the subject if they wish to partner with a specific professor on campus during their candidacy.
Master of Accounting / MBA
The great thing about the combined MAC / MBA program at State is that students will graduate with both a solid understanding of advanced accounting concepts and a degree in advanced management that can help them advance even more quickly in the workplace. Because of the partnership with the Master of Accounting, MBA students typically do not need to add electives. Instead, their accounting courses satisfy the elective requirement and their combined coursework turns them into skilled managers of accounting departments, budgeting processes, and more.
Accreditations: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
North Carolina State University
Master of Accounting Program
2801 Founders Dr.
Campus Box 8113
Raleigh NC 27695
Email: mkgraham@ncsu.edu
Phone: (919) 515-4431
Program Website
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The Belk College of Business
UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business benefits from being located within the city limits of North Carolina’s largest urban area. Students who study accounting within the school’s Master of Accountancy program further benefit from the decidedly financial nature of the city and UNCC’s connections to the nearby business community. The Belk College of Business’ extensive connections allow students to enjoy some exclusive research, teaching, and internship opportunities throughout Charlotte that can deepen their understanding and qualifications for a lifetime. A full doctoral faculty ensures that all coursework is similarly beneficial over the long-term.
Master of Accountancy (MAcc)
The MAcc program at UNC Charlotte starts graduate students off with courses in professional ethics, responsibilities, and forensics. Given the city’s banking backbone and its crushing experience during the 2008 financial crisis, this seems like a logical place to start for those who will likely head off to jobs at Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and BB&T, to name a few. The program progresses into managerial accounting, budgeting, advanced management of accounting departments, and sophisticated analysis of profits, losses, and long-term fiscal planning. Students also learn how to prepare proper fiscal guidance for both a single quarter and a full fiscal year.
Accreditations: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Belk College of Business
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223
Phone: (704) 687-8622
Program Website
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
UNC Greensboro sits at the head of the “Triad” in North Carolina. This group of three cities was once a bustling furniture manufacturing hub, but has increasingly become a center of banking and insurance activity in the three decades since most furniture businesses left town. That bodes well for the accounting department and its students, who enjoy ample professional opportunities off campus. For this reason, the department combines an all-doctoral teaching faculty with on-campus job fairs, exclusive internship opportunities, and rewarding teaching assistantships that give students practical experience before they start looking for mid-level accounting positions.
M.S. in Accounting
UNCG offers a Master’s of Science in Accounting that is designed to give students a thorough background in both ethical corporate accountancy and smart management of personnel. The program therefore consists of an accounting core heavy in managerial strategies, managerial accounting, professional ethics, forensic accounting, accounting irregularities, and profit forecasting. Students can also take courses in inventory management and cost analysis, which might help them in businesses where inventory changes hands quite frequently. These courses are perhaps the best evidence of the school’s history of preparing graduates for work with nearby manufacturing businesses.
Accreditations: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
Department of Accounting and Finance
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Bryan School of Business and Economics, Office 383
PO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402
Email: msa@uncg.edu
Phone: (336) 334-5390
Program Website
Wake Forest University
School of Business
Though not Ivy League by definition, Wake Forest University has enjoyed a level of prestige similar to northeastern schools that have been around since before the Declaration of Independence. It’s often favorably compared to Duke, and for good reason: The school is home to the most seasoned faculty in accounting and other topics anywhere in the state. That means students in the Master of Accountancy program will be taught by seasoned veterans of corporate, managerial, and forensic accounting during their time on campus. With a number of excellent internship opportunities, research programs, and graduate teaching fellowships, the university adds a great deal of value to its accounting program in nontraditional ways as well.
M.S. in Accountancy
Wake Forest is one of the leading schools for business students in mid-Atlantic and southeastern states, and for this reason those who pursue a Master of Accountancy can expect their program to pair a great deal of managerial theory with accounting concepts. In addition to learning about pure managerial concepts, graduate students will learn about personnel management and strategies for greater efficiency on the job. They’ll also take courses in professional ethics, forensics, and accounting irregularities, in an attempt to keep them from running into legal and ethical obstacles that might otherwise prove quite serious. Toward the conclusion of the program, students will be encouraged to participate in research, seek a prestigious internship, or lend their talents to other on-campus pursuits, all of which bodes well for a post-graduation job search.
Accreditations: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
Wake Forest School of Business
1834 Wake Forest Road
Building 60, Farrell Hall
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Phone: (336) 758-5422
Program Website
Accounting Students Have Excellent Resources Available in North Carolina
North Carolina, in recent decades, has become a center of banking activity and corporate decision-making, and that means there’s an increased demand for skilled accountants who can handle an increasing level of responsibility. Thanks to the many accredited accounting graduate programs in North Carolina, graduates will have the skills they need to land a great job in the state, advance their career, and become a key part of the growing business community in the Tar Heel State.
