Stand out as a leader in the field of accounting with an advanced accounting degree from the AACSB-accredited and internationally ranked Penn State Smeal College of Business. In just one year, emerge with the technical competence and expertise to sit confidently for the CPA Exam and enter a career in areas such as public accounting, corporate accounting, management accounting, and governmental accounting.
Start in August, complete a spring internship, end in July
Satisfy the 150-credit hour requirement for CPA Licensure
Complete our hallmark leadership training
"Our program is so much more than just a series of courses. It's an experience. It's a cohort. It's about building life-long friendships and contacts, and it's about preparing you for the start of your career."
Scott Collins, Smeal Associate Clinical Professor of Accounting and program faculty director
Offered in a face-to-face classroom setting on Penn State's University Park campus, the courses covered in the program are designed with the near-term goal of preparing you to pass the CPA Exam and the long-term goal of attaining a rewarding career as an accounting professional. Examples of coursework include:
Examines principles of the risk-based approach to the audit of financial statements with special focus on financial information systems
Assesses the relation between accounting data in financial statements and the economic fundamentals represented
Explores the core principles, procedures, and objectives that govern the reporting of information about a business
Focuses on the taxation in the U.S. economy and how to recognize major tax issues with an emphasis on economic decision-making
Undergraduates with or without an accounting background are both welcome to apply to the Penn State Smeal College of Business Master of Accounting program. You may graduate in either one year or 15 months depending on your education. Contact us today to discuss your options.
Faculty in the Smeal Department of Accounting are accomplished educators and leading researchers, ranking among the top 25 globally for academic excellence.
Director of the Master of Accounting Program and associate clinical professor with more than 15 years of accounting professional and educational experience
Former equity options trader with research interests in financing and investment decisions of small companies around credit and cash flow shocks
Assistant Professor of Information Systems with expertise in location-based services, social media, and mobile technologies
Alumnus of three of the remaining "Big 4" CPA firms with more than 30 years in the accounting profession and an extensive background in tax, manufacturing, and business
A highly published author, with nine books and numerous articles published in press, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The Washington Post
Smeal Department Chair of Accounting and widely published researcher with broad teaching interests in financial accounting and corporate finance
Associate Clinical Professor focused on developing student's practical skills to transfer from academia and into the professional world
Former private business and commercial law attorney with experience in private business brokerage focusing on business transfers and succession planning
Recipient of the 2000 Lester L. Shonto Award for Excellence in Accounting Education, CPA Exam reviewer, and 10 years of experience in financial and managerial accounting
Combine your Master of Accounting degree with a secondary master's from Smeal in areas such as business analytics, corporate finance, management, or real estate. By waiving overlapping classes, you can potentially earn two degrees and two graduate certificates in two years for a truly custom education.
With more than 90,000 Smeal graduates around the world and Penn State's largest dues-paying Alumni Association in the country, connect with accomplished peers and open doors wherever you go.