One-Year Master of Accounting Program

Learn more about the One-Year Master of Accounting Program. Gain information about admissions and academics.

One-Year Master of Accounting Program Handout

Program for College Graduates Provides Entry to Careers as a CPA

The STEM-designated one-year Master of Accounting (MAcc) program at the Penn State Smeal College of Business is designed for high-potential college graduates motivated to become CPAs.

Becoming a CPA opens doors to opportunities not only in accounting firms but also across the business landscape. The Smeal MAcc program prepares students to enter careers in public accounting, corporate accounting, management accounting, and governmental accounting, as well as corporate finance, financial analysis, and law enforcement.

Offers of admission are conditional on satisfactory completion of remaining undergraduate coursework and obtaining a bachelor’s degree before entering the program.

For information about completing prerequisite coursework, please visit macc.smeal.psu.edu/programdetails/curriculum or contact us to learn how you can graduate with a Smeal Master of Accounting degree in as few as 12 months by enrolling in Smeal's Accounting Foundations online graduate certificate program.”

Program Description

Enrolled students will begin their degree in the fall semester following completion of their bachelor’s degree and required preparatory coursework. Students will graduate by the following August and will have satisfied the 150-credit hour requirement to sit for the CPA Exam.

Here's what makes our program unique:

  • Complete the STEM-designated degree in one year or less.
  • Learn from world-class professors who will prepare you with the quantitative, analytical, and artificial intelligence skills required for the modern accounting professional.
  • Access our dedicated graduate career services team at the College, department, and program level to develop a personal career strategy and connect with top hiring organizations, including the Big Four.
  • Customize your education by stacking your MAcc degree with a second one-year master's degree from Smeal. By waiving overlapping classes, you could potentially earn two degrees in two years.

Admissions Process

Enrollment in the program is competitive. The Accounting department at Smeal bases its acceptance decisions on undergraduate record with particular emphasis on courses that are indicators of aptitude for a rigorous accounting program and essays which are submitted in the application. For more details or to apply, visit macc.smeal.psu.edu/apply.

The MAcc program has multiple application deadlines throughout the year. Applications are reviewed and decisions are made on a rolling basis. Offers of admission are valid for 60 days and require payment of a nonrefundable deposit.

Required Prerequisites

The following Penn State courses (or their equivalents at another institution) are prerequisites for the Penn State Smeal MAcc program:

ACCTG 211: Intro to Financial and Managerial Accounting

ACCTG 403w: Auditing

ACCTG 404: Managerial Accounting

ACCTG 405: Principles of Taxation

ACCTG 471: Intermediate Financial Accounting I

ACCTG 472: Intermediate Financial Accounting II

MIS 301: Business Analytics

Required Courses (21 Credits)

ACCTG 495: Internship (3 Credits)

BA 817: Communication Skills for Management (3 Credits)

ACCTG 432: Accounting Information Systems (3 Credits)

ACCTG 804: Data Analytics in the Accounting Profession (3 Credits)

ACCTG 873: Topics in Financial Reporting (3 Credits)

ACCTG 805: Applied Accounting and Financial Analytics (3 Credits)

ACCTG 881: Financial Statement Analysis (3 Credits)

Elective Courses (Select 12 credits)

BAN 830: Descriptive Analytics for Business (3 Credits)

BAN 550: Prescriptive Analytics for Business (3 Credits)

BAN 831: Business Data Visualization for Decision Making (3 Credits)

BAN 840: Predictive Analytics for Business (3 Credits)

MKTG 811: Driving Business Success with Marketing Analytics (3 Credits)

REST 575: Quantitative Analysis for Real Estate Decisions (3 Credits)

Contact Information

Smeal College of Business
The Pennsylvania State University
220 Business Building
University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-863-0474
Email: macc@smeal.psu.edu
On the Web: https://macc.smeal.psu.edu

Key Department Contacts

Department Chair

Scott Collins, Clinical Professor of Accounting
Email: sgc132@psu.edu