University of Vermont

The Master of Accountancy (MAcc) degree is designed to prepare students to become successful professionals in the field of accounting, one of the strongest areas of professional job growth. The University of Vermont (UVM) program is ideal for:

• Students who studied accounting as undergraduates; and
• Those individuals with undergraduate degrees in areas other than accounting who now want to prepare for successful careers with public accounting firms or in corporate accounting.

Both types of students will earn 30 hours of graduate credit, thereby meeting the 150 credit hour requirement imposed by most states to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination.

As of July 1, 2014, Vermont and New Hampshire will join 45 other states that require 150 hours of education to either sit for the CPA exam or to become certified as a CPA. Most public accounting firms require job applicants to complete the 150 hour requirement prior to beginning their employment with the firm. The MAcc degree also provides individuals interested in becoming a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) with the educational background to successfully pass the exam and begin careers in corporate, governmental and not-for-profit accounting.

About the Program

Enrollment in the program is limited to 30 students per academic year. The program requires 30 graduate credit hours made up of:

• 18 credit hours of accounting, auditing and tax knowledge;
• 3 credit hours of CPA law; and
• 9 credit hours of graduate-level business electives.

The program emphasizes appropriate research strategies and techniques, effective business writing, and professional presentation skills. Students work closely with their academic advisor to design a course of study that best suits their future career objectives and prior coursework.

The majority of MAcc graduates work in Big-4, regional and local CPA firms, within the assurance or tax areas. Other graduates work in the accounting departments of regionally-based corporations.

Common practice is to complete the MAcc degree before sitting for the CPA or other professionally-qualifying examinations. Students are strongly encouraged to sit for the first two parts of the four-part examination in the summer directly after graduation. Alumni following this advice have had great success in passing at least one section prior to beginning their full-time employment.

Admission Requirements

To be considered by the Graduate Studies Committee, applicants to the Master of Accountancy must meet the following minimum requirements:

• 4-year Bachelor’s degree
• 2.75 (4.0 scale) overall GPA
• 500 score on the GMAT (or the GRE equivalent)

Students graduating from academic institutions in non-English speaking countries must demonstrate their abilities in English. A minimum TOEFL score of 88 is required for admission.

Average GPA and GMAT scores for applicants admitted and enrolled for fall 2012 are 3.29 and 600, respectively.

Applicants who are currently completing or have completed the accounting concentration at the University of Vermont should click here for specific application instructions.

Next steps? The Graduate College offers detailed instructions on the application process. Ready to apply? Start the application process.

Applications will be reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee on or before November 15, February 15 and March 20. Applicants desiring full consideration should submit their completed applications well in advance of these dates. Applicants submitting their materials after March 20 will be considered only on a space-available basis.

Prerequisite Courses

• Mathematics
• Macro Economics
• Micro Economics
• Business Statistics
• Principles of Financial Accounting
• Principles of Managerial Accounting
• Intermediate Accounting 1
• Intermediate Accounting 2

Students with undergraduate business degrees have likely completed most of the 8 prerequisite requirements. All applicants should complete the first six prerequisite courses prior to applying to the program.

Students who meet the prerequisite requirements can complete the MAcc program in one year. Spring admission is only permitted for students who need to complete Intermediate Accounting 1 and 2 prerequisite requirements and for other students who plan to spread their coursework over three semesters. International students will likely require two years to complete the program. The capstone course must be completed in the final spring semester of study.

Financing Your Education

Tuition and Fees: Visit Student Financial Services for the tuition and fees per semester.

Financial Assistance: Students interested in financial support should contact the MAcc Program Director as soon as possible but no later than April 1 of the year they intend to enroll.

Graduate Assistantships: Graduate Assistantships are designed to recruit outstanding students to graduate study. Duties may include grading, proctoring, data processing and literature reviews relevant to the scholarly mission of the school. A full-time assistantship provides 12 credits of tuition per semester and a small stipend and requires 20 hours of work per week.

Tuition Scholarships: This program is designed to help attract quality applicants from outside Vermont who are looking to attend Full-Time but prefer not to commit the time that is required of Graduate Assistants. The scholarship of $10,000 per annum serves to make the tuition more affordable for a non-resident applicant.

Learn more

For questions about the status of your application and deadlines, please contact:

For questions about the program, requirements and to schedule a visit, please contact:

Last modified March 22 2013 04:47 PM