Prepare for Leadership Roles in Accounting
Strong accounting is the backbone of any business. With the online MBA's accounting concentration, you'll focus on the managerial aspects of accounting to support informed decision-making. Students will learn to analyze business issues and form practical responses to these issues, and prepare themselves for exciting, in-demand careers upon graduation.
- Graduate in one year
- Transfer in past graduate credits
- Study fully online in an asynchronous format
- Prepare for CPA exam
Take Your Career to the Next Level with Accounting
The online MBA accounting concentration teaches students to assess the impact of global influences on business decisions. By learning to formulate ethical approaches to business decisions and understand how to apply these within a business context, students with a master's degree in accounting will earn the skills necessary to become leaders in their business careers.
Accountants and Auditors
Salary: $77,2501
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records.1 These professionals are responsible for a variety of tasks, including preparing budgets, enforcing payment terms, preparing and sending invoices, and more.
Curriculum Requirements
The University of Saint Mary online MBA accounting concentration requires a total of 33 graduate-level credit hours, which include eight core courses and the following concentration courses:
MGT 785 Forensic Accounting
The objectives of this course are to provide students a basic understanding of Forensic (Investigative) Accounting and the skills required to effectively perform a forensic financial audit/investigation. Litigation support, gathering evidence, financial statement analysis, fraud investigations, business valuations, and the assessment of economic damages are the key topics and activities studied and practiced. Professional standards of conduct and responsibilities when performing and reporting the results of financial investigations are also examined.
MGT 786 International Accounting
Accounting standards for the preparation and reporting of financial information among the major nations of the world are studied in a comparative format. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are examined, along with the ongoing convergence of these two sets of standards. Skills needed in the analysis and proper accounting for foreign currency transactions and the translation/consolidation of foreign financial statements are studied and practiced. Basic International Taxation and International Transfer Pricing procedures applicable to multinational corporations are also studied and practiced.
MGT 789 Data Analytics for Decision-Making
Evidence‐based accounting and financial decision‐making utilizing data analytics is the focus of this course. Students will study and apply both traditional and big data analytics models to formulate decision alternatives and provide guidance for optimum decision‐making. Data security methodologies, including preventive techniques against cyber‐attacks, will also be studied.
Triple Advantage Accountancy Program
In addition to the above accounting concentration courses, and completion of Managerial Economics, Managerial Accounting, and Managerial Finance, you may take the following courses and qualify to sit for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) Examination — provided you have accumulated 150 total semester hours of college (undergraduate or graduate) coursework. Thirty of these hours must be in Accounting Theory and Practice, and 11 must be in Communications.
- MGT 787 — CPA Exam Review – Part I - Exam sections: Regulation (REG) and Auditing and Attestation (AUD)
- MGT 788 — CPA Exam Review – Part II - Exam sections: Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) and Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)
After qualifying to sit for the CPA Exam, students may then continue their program of study and earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a concentration in accounting.
Start Your Journey
Discover the possibilities for career advancement in the field of accounting with the University of Saint Mary online MBA accounting concentration. Call 877-307-4915 or request more information.
1Accountants and Auditors: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)