Many North Carolina businesses that operate in industries like health care, information technology, and financial services demand accountants who have the right mix of analytical and interpersonal skills that are often acquired through accredited accounting degree programs in North Carolina. It is no surprise that the state known for so many firsts like the Wright brothers’ first flight, the first English colony on Roanoke island and the nation’s first state university at Chapel Hill would produce quality business and accounting degree programs. Here are some public and private universities in North Carolina that offer advanced degree programs designed to launch accounting careers in a variety of sectors.
Appalachian State University
John A. Walker College of Business
The Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University (ASU) offers degree programs in a variety of business disciplines that equip students to be competent, global business leaders who add value to their chosen professions. The Walker College of Business which offers undergraduate and graduate level business degrees was recently recognized as one of the nation’s “Best Value Colleges” by Forbes. Some of the reasons for this distinctive designation are the special programs, services and other opportunities available to enrolled students. These opportunities include an honors program that emphasizes the school’s commitment to excellence with small class sizes and challenging coursework. The school’s center for entrepreneurship also helps Walker College of Business students and alumni to develop their own small businesses.
Master of Science in Accounting
ASU’s Master of Science in Accounting (M.S.A.) is a comprehensive program that prepares students for professional accounting careers like certified public accountants (C.P.A.) and auditors. The degree program allows students to pursue a general format of study or a concentration in taxation. Since many of the students enrolled in the M.S.A. program have aspirations of gaining professional designations and employment in high-profile accounting firms, the 30 semester credit hour program features advanced courses in managerial accounting, accounting information systems and tax planning. The program is highly competitive, and admitted students must have a solid foundation in business and accounting to begin core graduate level coursework. Incoming students with a non-business, undergraduate degree from an accredited university must take prerequisite courses like cost accounting, economics and finance before starting the program.
Accreditation
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)- International
- The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
ASU Box 32013
Room 3130 Peacock Hall
Boone, NC 28608
Phone: (828) 262-6206
Email: pollardwb@appstate.edu
Website: http://accounting.appstate.edu/ms-accounting
DeVry University
Keller Graduate School of Management
DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management was one of the first business schools to offer flexible, online programs that were primarily for working professionals. Today’s offerings include advanced degree programs in a variety of business disciplines that are offered in traditional classroom and online formats. Keller Graduate School students are still mostly working professionals who want to gain marketable skills as well as degree and certificate credentials. Other features of the Keller educational experience include faculty who are accomplished business people and industry focused curricula updates.
Master of Accounting & Financial Management
Keller’s Master of Accounting & Financial Management (M.A.F.M.) degree program includes the study of two of the most popular and highly demanded business disciplines. In fact, labor statistics show that accounting and finance are two areas that traditionally show the most employment growth out of nearly all business related labor categories. According to the Keller school, students enrolled in the M.A.F.M. degree program are not required to have an undergraduate degree in accounting or finance; the program is comprehensive enough to cover the foundational concepts as well as more advanced topics needed to jump-start careers. The results oriented M.A.F.M. program is practical and career focused as demonstrated by its distinct concentration options for those who want to become a C.P.A., certified fraud examiner or a financial manager.
Accreditations
- The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC/NCA)
Contact
Charleston Row
2015 Ayrsley Town Blvd., Suite 109
Charlotte, North Carolina 28273
Phone: (866) 923-3879
Website: http://www.keller.edu/graduate-degree-programs/masters-degree-programs/masters-accounting-and-financial-management.html
East Carolina University
College of Business, Graduate Programs
The East Carolina University (ECU) College of Business Graduate Programs is known for its quality business programs at affordable prices. The ECU staff responsible for program development responded to the demand for skilled professionals in some of today’s fastest growing industries. As a result, their program line up includes a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), M.S.A., a dual degree Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)/M.B.A and some graduate level certificate programs.
Master of Science in Accounting
ECU’s M.S.A. is unique in that it does not require students to have a business or accounting undergraduate background for enrollment. University program advisors and staff work with each student to create a customized learning experience that considers students’ academic backgrounds, interests and career goals. Depending upon one’s previous academic background, the M.S.A. program consists of 30 to 45 semester credit hours of an appropriate mix of accounting, finance and business courses. Students without an undergraduate business background often require up to 45 semester credit hours of coursework. Students with a non-accounting, business undergraduate degree usually take up to 39 semester credit hours of coursework, and those with accounting backgrounds or work experience can complete their degree with as few as 30 semester credit hours. Some of these courses include principles of accounting, intermediate financial accounting, auditing and advanced cost accounting.
Accreditations
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International
- The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
3203 Bate Building
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
Phone: (252) 328-6970
Email; gradbus@ecu.edu
Website: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-bus/grad/msa.cfm
Gardner-Webb University
Graduate School of Business
Gardner-Webb University’s Graduate School of Business offers advanced and doctoral degree programs that are taught from a faith based perspective. Some of the degree programs offered by the school include an M.B.A., a Master of Accountancy (MAcc), an International M.B.A. and a Master of Wealth and Trust Management. The liberal arts oriented programs feature flexibly scheduled curricula formats that are designed for working professionals who want to gain valuable skills for career advancement. The administrators of the Gardner-Webb graduate programs place as much emphasis on promoting students’ professional contributions to their respective industries as they do in supporting students’ contributions to their communities.
Master of Accountancy
The Gardner-Webb University MAcc program helps prepare students to meet the certification requirements for public accountants and for the regular challenges faced by modern accountants working in a global economy. The MAcc program consists of at least 30 semester credit hours of courses on topics like managerial accounting, accounting for non-profit organizations and auditing. Because many accounting positions within industry focus on taxation, the Gardner-Webb MAcc program offers a tax emphasis option that allows students to customize their accounting degree. Technological advancements have made business operations more efficient, but they have also contributed to the ease with which white-collar crimes are committed. As an answer to the industry demand for accountants with auditing and investigative skills, Gardner-Webb offers a forensic accounting emphasis option. During the program, students practice applying accounting knowledge, technical skills and faith based ethics to realistic business challenges.
Accreditation
- The Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
110 S. Main Street
P.O. Box 997
Boiling Springs, N.C. 28017
Phone: (877) 498-4723
Email: gradschool@gardner-webb.edu
Website: http://gardner-webb.edu/academics/academic-publications/graduate-catalog/the-graduate-school-of-business/master-of-accountancy-macc/index
Master of Business Administration, Accounting Emphasis
One of the main ways that people gain competitive advantages for job promotions is earning an advanced degree. Business professionals who want to hone their management and general accounting skills choose Gardner-Webb’s M.B.A with an emphasis in accounting. Participating in a business degree program gives students opportunities to learn a broad range of skills that apply to knowledge areas like organizational behavior, information systems, finance and economics. The M.B.A. with an emphasis in accounting allows students to build on the foundational business theories and concepts with advanced accounting knowledge. Gardner-Webb’s M.B.A. with an accounting emphasis is a 36 semester credit hour program that allows students to choose six hours of accounting electives that reflect their personal and professional interests. Some of the accounting elective topics include fraud examination, federal income tax and international accounting.
Accreditation
- The Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
110 S. Main Street
PO Box 7303
Boiling Springs NC 28017
Phone: (877) 498-4723
Email: fpolicastro@gardner-webb.edu
Website: http://gardner-webb.edu/online-learning/graduate-degrees/master-of-business-administration-online/index
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Charles M. Snipes School of Business
The Snipes School of Business at Lenoir-Rhyne University (LRU) has a comprehensive mix of undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as some certificate programs. Their undergraduate programs feature some traditional majors like finance, marketing and management as well as some newer options like international economics, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. Graduate students enroll in an M.B.A. program that can be customized through special emphasis electives. Students enrolled in one of the business school programs can take advantage of special initiatives such as the honors program, internships and the global business study abroad trip.
The Master of Business Administration, Accounting Concentration
Students enroll in LRU’s M.B.A. with an Accounting concentration to improve their general knowledge of business disciplines and gain specific expertise in accounting that will enhance their job prospects. These students are usually business professionals who want to move into managerial and leadership roles within a company, and they realize earning an advanced degree is one path that can lead to professional success. The LRU M.B.A. focuses on the development of the leadership and analytical skills needed for ethical problem solving and decision-making within a global market place environment. Some of the course topics that students can expect to take when participating in LRU’s M.B.A. with a concentration in Accounting are advanced auditing, finance and managerial accounting. LRU M.B.A. students also benefit from the program’s flexible schedule options that allow them to attend weekend or evening classes at either of the school’s two campuses; online classes are also available so that students can participate in the program at their own pace.
Accreditation
- The Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
625 7th Avenue NE
Hickory, N.C. 28601
Phone: (800) 277-5721
Website: http://mba.lr.edu/
North Carolina Agriculture and Technology State University
School of Business and Economics
North Carolina Agriculture and Technology (A&T) State University’s business school provides students with interdisciplinary programs that emphasize the development of quantitative, critical thinking and technical knowledge for problem solving and competent decision-making. The school has some unique undergraduate and graduate degree programs like a Master’s in Teaching Business Education and a Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management. Students benefit from small to medium class sizes and modern facilities like the school’s well equipped computer laboratories. The Financial Trading Room with its real-time stock, currency and news gives students a realistic environment while they learn finance theories, principles and concepts.
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Accounting Concentration
Students who have undergraduate degrees in areas other than business find that North Carolina A&T’s M.B.A. ideally allows them to take foundational business courses and then focus their study on a business discipline that promotes their career goals. After taking some core finance, information systems and management courses, students enrolled in the M.B.A. with an Accounting Concentration can expect to take advanced income tax, managerial and cost accounting courses. Some specialty accounting courses offered are government and non-profit accounting, advanced auditing and international accounting. The lectures, case studies and experiential learning activities introduce students to contemporary research methods, computer-based analysis methods and industry standard techniques and principles. Students who participate in North Carolina A&T’s M.B.A. with an Accounting Concentration often aspire to careers as C.P.A.s, forensic accountants or auditors, and these positions are available in businesses operating across all industries
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International
- The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
1601 East Market Street
Greensboro, North Carolina 27411
Phone: (336) 285-3291
Email: gagnonr@ncat.edu
Website: http://www.ncat.edu/academics/schools-colleges1/sbe/msm/accounting.html
North Carolina State University
Jenkins Graduate School of Management
The Jenkins Graduate School of Management at North Carolina State University (NCSU) provides business programs that focus on introducing students to the latest global business issues as well as the theoretical and technological tools used to address them. The school’s program offerings are diverse with a mix of traditional and modern business management disciplines. The traditional programs include advanced degrees in business administration, accounting and economics. The contemporary business disciplines like supply chain management, global innovation management and global luxury management reflect trends in demand from the global market place.
Master of Accounting
The faculty supporting the Jenkins Master of Accounting (MAC) program are accomplished accountants who have extensive real world experience to share with their students. Their contributions to the students’ learning experiences is a well known factor that differentiates the school’s MAC programs from other accredited accounting degree programs in North Carolina. The Jenkins MAC program helps students to develop a number of quantitative, analytical and soft skills that enable them to enter desirable leadership positions as accountants and business managers. Students enrolled in the Jenkins MAC program can choose among three concentration areas including enterprise risk management, tax strategy and information technology. Students also have options to customize their school schedule. For example, students who are able to participate in the MAC program full-time usually graduate in a one year while part-time students typically need two years to complete the program. NC State’s Master of Accountancy program is ranked number eight in the “30 Top Affordable Master’s in Accounting / Master of Accountancy Degree Programs” by our editors.
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – International
- The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
Campus Box 8113
2801 Founders Drive
Raleigh, NC 27695-8113
Phone: (919) 515-4431
Email: krawczyk@ncsu.edu
Website: http://poole.ncsu.edu/mac/
Master of Business Administration/Master of Accounting Dual Degree
Students who are seeking an extra competitive advantage in the job market often choose a dual degree like the MBA and MAC combination. The Jenkins School of Management offers the comprehensive advanced accounting degree program along with the prestigious MBA credential for those who want to efficiently gain the business management and accounting skills needed for today’s corporate leadership roles. Unlike many dual degree programs that consist of abbreviated coursework taught within hurried time lines, the Jenkins dual degree program is a comprehensive program that consists of 24 semester credit hours of core MBA classes and 12 hours of electives. These courses are taken after completing the MAC program, and students must have at least two years of work experience before they can graduate with the two degrees.
Accreditation
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – International
- The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
Campus Box 8114
2801 Founders Drive
Raleigh, N.C 27695-8114
Phone: (919) 515-5584
Email: mba@ncsu.edu
Website: http://poole.ncsu.edu/mba/dual-degrees/mac-mba/
With the incorporation of new standards and additional regulatory oversight measures at the national and international levels, the challenging career field of accounting has become even more arduous. That is why savvy business professionals choose rigorous educational offerings like the accredited accounting degree programs in North Carolina.
