The University of North Florida is also featured in our ranking 30 Top Affordable Master’s in Accounting/Master’s of Accountancy Degree Programs.
Master’s in Accounting Degree at the University of North Florida
Since 1978, the Coggin College of Business at the University of North Florida has provided a professional Master of Accountancy (MAcc) degree that offers the opportunity for career advancement in the field of accounting as well as additional coursework necessary for students to become licensed Certified Professional Accountants (CPAs) in the state of Florida. In accounting, there are fewer than 170 institutions that have achieved accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) at various degree levels, and the MAcc program at UNF is one of them.
The curriculum leading to the MAcc degree is designed to provide the required studies necessary for those pursuing careers as accounting executives and controllers within the government and accounting field as well as for students who wish to become independent CPAs. The coursework places an emphasis on how accountants relate theory to current issues in accounting and how they communicate this information to those who use the data. Students in the MAcc program can choose to either earn a general accounting degree or opt for a concentration in taxation.
The degree is meant for students who have already earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from an AACSB-accredited institution or its equivalent. Students can complete the program in as few as three or four semesters. Those who hold a bachelor’s degree in business or a field unrelated to accounting will be required to take foundation courses in accounting before they are admitted into the MAcc program.
The 33-semester-hour MAcc program consists of comprehensive graduate studies in tax, accounting, and related business topics. Students take 11 three-hour courses, and they are not required to complete a thesis prior to graduating. The accounting track curriculum is divided into a three-semester-hour non-accounting graduate business elective, nine semester hours of finance, tax, or accounting electives, and a core of 21 semester hours of tax and accounting courses as well as nine semester hours of business-related courses. Core courses cover topics such as taxation in business, advanced financial management, making decisions with data, advanced accounting theory, auditing theory, and advanced account information systems.
A MAcc student who recognizes the importance of taxation may choose to concentrate on tax as a focus area. If this option is followed, the student will take the same core courses that are required for the general accounting track with the addition of a course in tax researching and writing. Students pursuing the tax concentration must also take three of the additional taxation courses as electives in order to earn their degree.
Students who wish to pursue the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation should know that the curriculum satisfies the coursework requirement necessary to sit for this examination under Florida’s accountancy law.
About the University of North Florida
The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public university and a member institution of the State University System of Florida. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, its 1,300-acre campus is surrounded by a natural preserve on Jacksonville’s Southside. UNF first opened in 1972 as an upper-division college for seniors and juniors, and the school did not admit freshmen until 1984. UNF is organized into five colleges which offer 29 graduate degree programs and 53 undergraduate degree programs. Among the most popular degrees are music, nutrition, nursing, coastal biology, and business. In 2006, the Social Sciences building became the first LEED-certified facility in northeast Florida, and it was the first “green” building on the University of North Florida’s campus. As of 2010, a total of five UNF buildings have received certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The school has also been consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes Magazine as one of the best colleges in the southeast and in the country.
University of North Florida Accreditation Details
The University of North Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees. In addition to earning and maintaining regional accreditation, UNF has also earned specialized accreditation for a number of its degree programs, including those in the field of business. The Master of Accountancy (MAcc) degree program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), indicating that the curriculum, mission statement, goals, teaching methods, learning outcomes, and program as a whole meet or exceed the accrediting agency’s expectations for high-quality education in the field of business.
University of North Florida Application Requirements
In order to be admitted into the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program at the University of North Florida, students must meet both university and program requirements when applying. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting from a regionally and AACSB-accredited U.S. school or its equivalent from an international university as well as a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 in all work attempted during the last 60 hours of undergraduate study. Students may be admitted directly into the MAcc program without having to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants must also submit official transcripts from all previously attended institutions as well as a current resume. To begin the process, prospective graduate students must complete an application and pay a nonrefundable application fee.
Tuition and Financial Aid
In-state students pursuing the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) degree from the University of North Florida will pay $493.68 per credit hour, or $16,291.44 for the full program, while out-of-state students will pay $1,044.42 per credit, or a total of $33,465.86, for their degree. The per-credit-hour rate includes local fees, registration fees, and other additional related fees. Graduate students are eligible for several types of financial aid, including federal loans, work-study programs, graduate assistantships, and scholarships through the Coggin College of Business. Eligibility is determined by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition, out-of-state tuition may be waived for certain part- and full-time enrolled non-Florida residents who have abilities or skills which will contribute to the school’s academic environment. The University of North Florida also recognizes former and current military members and provides a number of financial, career, student, and educational services.
