About

Do you have your sights set on an accounting career? Are you interested in all aspects of a career in accounting and related fields?

The master of science in accounting (MSA) program at East Carolina University prepares you for an accounting career and for successful completion of the CPA exam. Students gain in-depth knowledge of auditing, taxation, financial accounting, cost accounting, and accounting systems, plus an overview of management in profit and nonprofit organizations. The MSA program integrates the content of the certified public accountant, certified internal auditor, and certified management accountant professional examinations.

Our MSA program is designed for both business and non-business undergraduates. It is completely self-contained, requiring no prerequisite business experience or course work for admission. We customize the program to fit each student based on past academic experience and future career goals. The program is very flexible; you can take between one to five classes each semester.

ECU Advantage

One unique aspect of ECU's MSA program is that students sit for the CPA exam in the last semester of the program. This gives our students a competitive advantage when applying for jobs after graduation. The pass rates for ECU MSAs has well exceeded the national averages for all four parts of the CPA exam with several top 25 national performances.

In addition, ECU's College of Business has been AACSB accredited since 1967. AACSB is the premier accrediting body for schools and colleges of business internationally.

As an ECU student, you can research your future career in Steppingblocks. Explore real-world stats about your major, your interests, and your dream job title with data-powered career exploration tools designed for doers like you.

What You Will Study

Program Coordinator: John Reisch (334 Slay Hall; 252-328-6055; reischj@ecu.edu)

The Accounting, MSA is a flexible program that includes advanced study in accounting and business administration. In addition to a variety of classes in financial accounting, auditing, and taxation, students can also choose electives in other disciplines, including data analytics. The Accounting, MSA prepares students for professional certification as a certified public accountant (CPA). Most students in the program sit for the CPA exam during their final semester. Students are actively recruited by public accounting firms (including the Big 4), governmental agencies, and private industry.

The degree requires between a minimum of 30 s.h. as follows: 

1. Core - 21 s.h.
  • ACCT 6611 - Auditing
  • ACCT 6641 - Advanced and Governmental Accounting
  • ACCT 6701 - Regulation
  • ACCT 6891 - Federal Income Taxation
  • ACCT 6901 - Advanced Federal Taxation
  • ACCT 6951 - Auditing Seminar
  • ACCT 6981 - The Professional Accounting Environment
2. Electives - 9 s.h.
  • ACCT electives numbered 6300 or higher
  • BUSI 6003 - Internship in Business
  • FINA 6604 - Financial Management II
  • FINA 6624 - Investment Management
  • FINA 6814 - Management of Financial Risk
  • FINA 6824 - Portfolio Theory, Construction and Management
  • FINA 6854 - Real Estate Investments and Analysis
  • FINA 6874 - Topics in Finance
  • FINA 6876 - International Financial Management
  • MIS 6873 - Data Management
  • MIS 6903 - Business Intelligence and Data Analytics
  • MIS 6913 - Statistics for Business Analytics
  • MIS 6933 - Data Mining
  • OMGT 6613 - Management Science
  • Any elective approved by the chair of the Department of Accounting
  • ACCT electives numbered 6300 or higher
    • Notes:

    Students without an undergraduate degree in accounting from an AACSB accredited institution need to complete 9 s.h in three undergraduate accounting courses (or their equivalent) prior to enrolling in the MSA program:

    These courses are offered online and face-to-face at ECU.

    In some circumstances, students are not able to enroll in undergraduate courses at ECU (such as when a student is already enrolled in another graduate program or the MSA applicant is an international student) and therefore may complete the following 9 s.h. to gain the requisite knowledge instead of the aforementioned undergraduate accounting courses:

    These two courses cannot count towards the MSA minimum degree requirement of 30 s.h. Prospective students are encouraged to contact the MSA program coordinator to discuss whether any of these courses are applicable to them.     

    • ACCT 3551 - Intermediate Accounting I
    • ACCT 3561 - Intermediate Accounting II
    • ACCT 3851 - Accounting Information Systems.
    • ACCT 6621 - Intermediate Financial Accounting Theory (6 s.h.)
    • ACCT 6631 - Advanced Cost and Systems (3 s.h).
    For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.
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