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Washington contains top business schools and accredited graduate schools as well as the headquarters of multiple Fortune 500 companies including Amazon, Nordstrom and Starbucks. The state’s many profitable businesses and industries need accounting managers and leaders and depend on its colleges and universities to educate those leaders. Business schools accredited by the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) offer students a top quality education. AACSB-accredited programs meet the highest standards in business education. If you’re an accounting major researching potential grad schools, consider these five accredited accounting graduate programs in Washington.
Gonzaga University
School of Business Administration
Established in 1887, Gonzaga University occupies a 131-acre campus in Spokane, Washington. The university enrolls over 7,600 students and offers 75 fields of study plus 25 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees through its seven schools and colleges, and it offers a faith-based liberal arts education based on Jesuit and Catholic principles. The mission of Gonzaga’s School of Business Administration is to help its graduates become ethical managers and leaders in a changing international business environment. U.S. News and World Report ranks the university 4th among regional universities in the West.
Master of Accountancy (MAcc)
The Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program at Gonzaga University prepares its graduates for success in the accounting profession. Gonzaga has a rolling admissions policy for this, and students can select part-time or full-time study. The MAcc degree requires 20 elective credits plus 11 core credits. Gonzaga’s five core credit courses provide students with fundamental technical accounting skills along with effective and ethical managerial skills. In addition, MAcc students choose either a Taxation Concentration or a Financial Accounting and Reporting Concentration. Along with their core courses, students complete six additional courses in their concentration plus four credits of electives. Elective choices in the Financial Accounting and Reporting concentration include the Justice for Fraud Victims Project, a course that allows students to work with law enforcement agencies in conducting forensic accounting examinations. U.S. News and World Report ranks Gonzaga’s MAcc program 14th in the nation.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Contact
Gonzaga University
502 E Boone Ave. AD Box 9
Spokane, WA 99258-0009
(509) 313-7044
mba@gonzaga.edu
Program Website
Combined Master of Accountancy/Juris Doctor
Gonzaga’s Graduate School and School of Law offer a combined Master of Accountancy/Juris Doctor degree for students interested in careers in estate or tax accounting. This dual degree program requires 111 credits. Normally the JD program requires 90 credits, and the MAcc program requires 31 credits. Dual program students can waive a maximum of nine credits total, but they can only waive a maximum of six credits from either program. The combined program takes three to four years on average to complete, and students must apply and be accepted to both the School of Law and the School of Business. Students must complete the requirements for both the JD and the MAcc by June to qualify to sit for the July bar examination and by December to qualify to sit for the February bar exam.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Contact
Gonzaga University
502 E Boone Ave. AD Box 9
Spokane, WA 99258-0009
(509) 313-7044
mba@gonzaga.edu
Program Website
University of Washington
Michael G. Foster School of Business
Founded in 1860, the University of Washington (UW) occupies a 713-acre main campus in downtown Seattle plus satellite campuses in Bothwell and Tacoma. It enrolls over 49,000 students and offers over 116 undergraduate and 300 graduate degrees through its 16 colleges and schools. UW’s Foster School of Business emphasizes strategic thinking and leadership in its programs and prepares graduates for leadership roles in the global business economy. U.S. News and World Report ranks the school’s accounting department 11th in the nation and 7th in the nation among public universities.
Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc)
UW’s Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc) degree program prepares students for successful accounting careers and provides the educational requirements for taking the CPA examination in Washington. Designed for students with undergraduate accounting degrees, the program emphasizes ethics, creative thinking and communication skills. Students can complete the program in three quarters of full-time study and must select either the Auditing and Assurance track or the Taxation track. UW’s MPAcc Auditing and Assurance track prepares students for careers in auditing and public accounting. It requires ten classes and helps students develop knowledge and skills in risk management, teamwork and problem solving. UW’s MPAcc Taxation track prepares graduates for high-level taxation careers requiring in-depth knowledge of the tax code. Students in this track must complete 15 classes. They receive training in both personal and corporate taxation and learn how to use tax law for tax planning and compliance.
Accreditations
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Contact
Michael G. Foster School of Business
University of Washington
460 Paccar Hall
Box 353226
Seattle, WA 98195-3226
(206) 616-4964
mpacc@uw.edu
Program Website
Washington State University
Carson College of Business
Established in 1890, Washington State University (WSU) maintains a main campus in Pullman along with satellite campuses in Spokane, Vancouver and the Tri-Cities. It also has an Internet-based Global Campus which offers online degrees. WSU enrolls over 27.000 students per year and offers over 200 majors including 90 undergraduate, 47 doctoral and 66 master’s programs through its ten colleges. The Carson College of Business at WSU prepares its graduates to be global business leaders. U.S. News and World Report ranks the college’s online graduate business programs 7th in the country.
Masters of Accounting
The Masters of Accounting (MAcc) degree program offered by WSU’s Carson College of Business provides students with the additional credit hours needed to be eligible to sit for Washington’s CPA exam and prepares its graduates for accounting careers in financial institutions, the government, nonprofit organizations and industry. Students can apply for fall, spring or summer semesters, and they can complete the program in one year of full-time study.. The program curriculum emphasizes research, theory and communication skills. Students must complete 32 credits for the degree including six credits of core courses in research and business law, 12 elective credits in accounting and taxation, 12 general elective credits and a two-credit final examination. WSU’s MAcc program focuses on operative business planning, effective business management and emerging technology to provide students with the tools they need to achieve real-world professional success.
Accreditation
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Contact
College of Business
PO Box 644710
Todd Hall 121
Pullman, WA 99164-4710
509-335-7617
mba@wsu.edu
Program Website
The field of accounting is growing. If you want to make yourself more competitive and take your accounting career to the next level, a master’s degree will deepen your understanding of the field and prepare you for executive and administrative roles. Since AACSB accreditation indicates a program meets high educational standards, you should choose a master’s program at a school with AACSB accreditation. If you live in the evergreen state or plan to visit there, check out these top-ranked accounting graduate programs in Washington to gain the knowledge and skills you need for your professional advancement.
