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The many accounting graduate programs in Virginia rank as some of the most prestigious anywhere in the United States. As students consider how their career can benefit from graduate-level education in this field, each of these programs presents a unique opportunity to learn and grow. From business roles to academic research, teaching, and even high-tech positions, these degrees offer compelling new ways to learn about advanced accounting skills.
College of William and Mary
Mason School of Business
Widely regarded as one of the “Little Ivies” on the east coast, the College of William and Mary is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the country. The school is primarily concentrated with undergraduate offerings, but its Mason School of Business does offer a number of highly ranked graduate programs in business, accounting and marketing. Students who enroll in William and Mary’s Master of Accounting program will be put into the classroom with some of Virginia’s most experienced accountants, with the opportunity to intern at local firms, participate in supervised research on-campus, and teach undergraduate classes as part of a fellowship program. Coursework is demanding throughout the program, and the school’s prestige gives its graduates an exceedingly high job placement rate when their degree program concludes.
Master of Accounting
All students in the MAcc program will take a general core of advanced accounting coursework. This includes classes in managerial accounting, advanced and corporate tax accounting, financial auditing, internal and external audits, the ethics of accounting management, and several other classes that teach more advanced financial reporting. Students will then take a small group of classes that give their degree a special area of emphasis. William and Mary offers the ability to study auditing, taxation, valuation, and financial reporting, a bit more closely, with up to 9 credits of elective coursework in these areas. Students will also take up to 9 classes of advanced business studies, including executive leadership and financial management.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
College of William and Mary
Mason School of Business
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA
Phone: (757) 221-4100
Program Website
George Mason University
School of Business
Consistently ranked as one of the most diverse universities in the country, George Mason University is a public research institution that has long served residents of central and northern Virginia. The university’s School of Business offers quite a few programs that can help accounting students earn their graduate degree in very little time. In addition to a program of standard length, the school also offers an accelerated program that lets students cut a year off of their degree program’s completion timeframe. No matter which program they choose, George Mason students will enjoy excellent classroom and laboratory settings, rigorous coursework, internship opportunities from the beginning of the program, networking events on-campus, and affordable tuition rates that compare favorably to many other Virginia accounting programs.
M.S. in Accounting
The standard M.S. in Accounting at George Mason University is designed to last a full two years, with courses that emphasize advanced business management skills, managerial accounting, financial reporting, and ethics within a management role. Students take a common accounting core that exposes them to financial reporting, accounting and management ethics, managerial accounting, internal auditing, and forensic accounting fundamentals. Concentration areas allow students to specialize in tax accounting, corporate accounting, auditing, and valuation processes. Internships and teaching assistantships are available to admitted graduate students based on their undergraduate performance and a university application procedure.
Accelerated M.S. in Accounting
The same M.S. in Accounting offered as a standalone program can also be incorporated into an existing Bachelor’s degree program in accounting. Students who have completed between 756 and 100 undergraduate credits, with a high GPA and a history of academic excellence on campus, can apply to be admitted to this program that cuts a whole year off of the time it takes to earn the M.S. They’ll take graduate-level courses in place of undergraduate electives, all while specifying an area of concentration and working on research, teaching, or capstone requirements.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
George Mason University
School of Business
4400 University Drive, MS 1B1
Enterprise Hall
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 993-1880
Program Website
James Madison University
College of Business
Forbes consistently ranks James Madison University highly for tis business programs, with the school currently sitting at the number 22 spot on the publications’ ranking of the best public schools in the country. James Madison’s location in Harrisonburg makes it a strong draw for students from central Virginia, West Virginia, and even Pennsylvania. Once enrolled in the M.S. program in accounting, students will be considered for both research and teaching placement on campus. The program combines theory with laboratory requirements, giving graduate students experience in high-level managerial accounting and decision-making. James Madison ranks highly in terms of its job placement and perceived prestige rankings, boding well for post-graduation job searches and upward mobility for accounting students.
M.S. in Accounting
The MSA program at James Madison University serves as the bridge between an undergraduate degree in the field and proper qualification for the Certified Public Accountant examination. The program therefore comprises a minimum of 30 credits, which gives students the minimum of 150 credits needed to sit for their CPA exam. As part of the program, students study general executive leadership, managerial accounting, auditing and forensics, corporate tax accounting, and accounting ethics. They’ll also participate in laboratory classes that simulate a management environment, helping them to develop valuable work experience in advance of graduation.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
James Madison University
College of Business
800 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Phone: (540) 568-6211
Email: reedyaj@jmu.edu
Program Website
Old Dominion University
Strome College of Business
Students looking for the classic “big school” experience during their graduate coursework will find what they need at ODU. Old Dominion is one of the biggest public institutions in the commonwealth of Virginia, and treats students to a robust number of opportunities as a result. Accounting students can spend their time on campus working as graduate teaching assistants, off-campus accounting interns, research assistants, and fellowship opportunities. In the classroom, theoretical coursework is paired with accounting and managerial simulations that expose students to real-world dilemmas and ethical controversies. As a result, the M.S. in Accounting at ODU is considered one of the best for real-world management preparation.
M.S. in Accounting
Old Dominion is one of the few schools that offers both a traditional M.S. in Accounting program for those with a four-year degree, and an accelerated program for current undergraduate students who have performed will in their intermediate accounting coursework. No matter how students gain admission to this competitive program, they’ll take classes that teach global accounting, cost accounting, professional ethics in both accounting and management, business tax strategies and decision-making, and advanced auditing. Students will take a capstone course that leads to either a comprehensive final or a master’s thesis, depending on how or whether they wish to continue their education after the program ends.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
Old Dominion University
Strome College of Business
2157 Constant Hall
Norfolk, VA 23529
Phone: (757) 683-7108
Email: yxu@odu.edu
Program Website
University of Virginia
McIntire School of Commerce
Though the University of Virginia is often considered the flagship public institution of Virginia, the school is often considered one of the nation’s most prestigious academic institutions of any kind. The school is consistently regarded as a “Public Ivy,” and offers top-ten programs in accounting, business, and dozens of other fields, available to students with a long track record of achievement. As a result of this reputation, UVA enjoys a reputation for high job placement rates for its graduates. While enrolled in the program, accounting students will combine classroom theory with supervised research and teaching opportunities, giving them an idea of the practical, theoretical, and academic sides of this profession.
M.S. in Accounting
The University of Virginia’s program in accounting focuses extensively on collaboration and, to that end, virtually all of its classes come with a group presentation component, a business simulation, or computer scenarios that encourage students to make decisions as they would in a professional setting. Students can choose from concentrations in advanced tax policy or financial reporting, with an added emphasis in consulting and commerce for those who choose the financial reporting concentration. All students will take up to 9 credits in advanced business management during their time in the M.S. program as well, and may be asked to teach undergraduate courses, perform graduate-level research, or engage in other fellowship and assistantship opportunities.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
University of Virginia
McIntire School of Commerce
P.O. Box 400173
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Phone: (434) 243-4992
Email: ecandelier@virginia.edu
Program Website
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Business
Virginia Commonwealth University is recognized as a strong, “up-and-coming” university, and has consistently improved its performance in nationwide rankings over the last two decades. VCU competes for students based on overall value, accessibility within the Richmond metropolitan area, and quality of classroom experiences. The school gives accounting students the opportunity to choose between a capstone course and a final thesis, which can help guide them toward either a career in the field or one in academia. Labs on-campus simulate the business world, presenting students with common problems and quandaries that they solve with the help of both their professors and the rigorous courses they’re required to take during this two-year program of study.
Master of Accountancy
The Master of Accountancy program at Virginia Commonwealth University is separated into two distinct tracks based on what students studied in their undergraduate program. the first track, and perhaps the most popular, is the MAcc track for those who already have completed their B.S. in Accounting. In this track, students need to take only another 10 classes in order to earn their Master of Science degree in accounting and to become eligible for Virginia’s CPA examination. Those who studied a non-accounting field, like business or marketing, need to take the same 10 credits in accounting. they must supplement those credits with coursework in basic accounting, basic business management and more. Each student’s transcript will be evaluated, and their required foundation courses in the MAcc program will be adjusted as needed to ensure their full competence in the program once they begin taking graduate-level coursework.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Business
Snead Hall
301 W. Main Street
Room 3102
Richmond, VA 23284
Phone: (804) 828-4622
Email: gouldmana@vcu.edu
Program Website
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Pamplin College of Business
Known more for its high-tech career preparation than its business programs, Virginia Tech manages to combine information systems and accounting into a single degree program that makes graduates far more marketable than the competition. Through this program, students will learn about high-level managerial accounting, the benefits of information systems in the accounting profession, and how information systems can be leveraged when managing a large, corporate accounting department. Throughout their time at Virginia Tech, students will be exposed to next-generation business and accounting software that will prepare them for the next phase of the “digital transition” in corporate America.
Master of Accounting and Information Systems (MACIS)
The MAcc program at Virginia Tech is one of the most unique in the country, with a dual focus on good financial reporting and sound use of information systems when documenting and publishing a company’s finances. In this program, students will take 5 high-level accounting classes, 2 advanced business management courses, and three classes that introduce them to information systems as part of the accounting field. They’ll learn software implementation and use, the ethics of technology in the accounting profession, and the most common procedures for accounting IS documentation, reporting, distribution, security, and productivity.
Ph.D. in Business: Accounting and Information Systems
The Ph.D. in Business, with a focus on accounting and information systems, builds on the knowledge obtained during the MAcc program with a similar emphasis. In this program students will primarily focus on advanced implementation, use, and security, of information systems in the accounting profession. They’ll participate in extensive research as they work toward crafting a doctoral thesis, and they’ll teach both graduate and undergraduate students at Virginia Tech who are pursuing their own degrees in either accounting or information systems.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Contact
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Pamplin College of Business
Suite 3007, Virginia Tech
880 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: (540) 231-6591
Email: acis@vt.edu
Program Website
Great Graduate Options Exist Throughout Virginia for Accounting Students
Few states compare to Virginia in terms of the sheer number of accounting programs available. Furthermore, the state stands out as offering some of the most prestigious graduate degrees in this field available anywhere in the country. Those who are looking for accounting graduate programs in Virginia have some great options that span from innovative to more traditional, academic to practical, which can be a real advantage in today’s economy.
