Master of Science in Accounting
Master of Science in Accounting
Maximize Your Expertise with a UMD Smith MSA
Explore how major businesses track and report their finances. You’ll gain specialized knowledge of how to analyze and manage financial and tax data while following today’s strict accounting guidelines.
Why Get a Smith MS in Accounting Degree?
The Smith School’s STEM-designated MSA program provides you with a valuable set of accounting knowledge extending far beyond the fundamentals most learn at the undergraduate level. You’ll learn how to integrate AI, cybersecurity, data analytics and other advanced technological concepts into your work, giving you a competitive edge in today’s job market.
Get your MS Accounting tuition fully funded through the Deloitte Foundation's Accounting Scholars Program award. Learn how.
Upcoming MS in Accounting Events
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Alumni Profiles
Our MSA students pursue competitive and exciting accounting opportunities in their fields after graduating. Their experiences at UMD Smith help them to expand their network, solidify their career goals and prepare them to perform their job responsibilities a step above the rest.
“In undergrad, a lot of businesses were looking for accountants and other business-related majors. I also felt business fields provided more opportunities for me to interact with people compared to public health, which is more research based. If you’re worried about the transition from a non-business undergraduate degree to a business master’s degree, it can be done.”
Margaret Chen
MSA ’20
“Professor McKinney taught us the newest and latest technology being used in the audit industry. I use what he taught us on automating and streamlining processes in my current work.”
Ning Chi
MSA ’19
Accountant at Kaboom!
The biggest value for a master’s in accounting degree - especially if you’re going to the Big Four - is knowing that you have extra knowledge compared to an undergraduate student. The professors put it in a way where you understand how the work is done and what you’ll see in the real world.
Hector Chica
MSA ’21
Audit Associate at CohnReznick
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“One of the first projects I worked on was a financial statement analysis project. It showed me not only how to work through numbers, but also how to analyze numbers.”
Charlotte Cullen
MSA ’19
Tax Associate at KPMG
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Pursuing a degree in accounting was more investigative than I thought. One thing I thought would deter me from the program was the math aspect, but once I got there, everyone was so willing to teach me knowing that I didn’t have a background in accounting.
Adama Doukouré
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“The networking potential of this program is second to none. The contacts you meet while you’re in the program are going to serve you all through your life going forward.”
Rick Rademacher
MSA ’14
Senior Consultant at Deloitte
“Being able to interact and share experiences with students from all over the world is a rare opportunity. I've learned and expanded my knowledge of people from places I didn’t know much about.”
Christopher Rolle
MSA ’18
Senior Audit Associate at KPMG
“The investigative mindset cultivated through my criminology and criminal justice undergrad major combined with the technical knowledge of accounting helps me come into forensic accounting with this ready-set-go mindset for finding and detecting fraud.”
Eleanna Weissman
MSA ’22
Staff Auditor at EY
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MS Accounting at a Glance

Available as a Plus 1 Program
If you're a current University of Maryland freshman, sophomore or junior, you can pursue your Master of Science in Accounting degree through the Plus 1 program. You’ll save time and thousands of dollars on graduate tuition though this accelerated business master’s program.
Apply and Receive Admissions Benefits
Maryland Advantage can make it easier for applicants who have completed their undergraduate and/or graduate degree in the United States to transition into the business master’s program by helping them save money on tuition, skip graduate entrance exams and get personalized career counseling before starting their program.
Acquire Valuable Skills with STEM Designation
Our MSA students build upon their current strengths to gain an in-depth, advanced understanding of the field. You’ll think critically about accounting methods and how to use data to solve the most pressing accounting issues firms face. Concepts and tools you’ll explore include:
- Accounting analytics and valuation
- AI
- Alteryx
- Automation Anywhere
- Corporate and real estate taxation
- Cybersecurity
- Data-driven decision making
- Financial statement and data systems analysis
- IDEA
- Information security, audit and control
- Internal, external, forensic and automated auditing
- Internal, state, local and individual taxation
- Machine learning
- Microsoft SQL
- MindBridge Analytics
- Tableau
Specialized Career Tracks
Choose a specialized track to acquire the targeted skills you’ll need in your accounting career.
Learn from Expert Faculty
Your professors are industry experts and scholars who are invested in your success and will challenge you to take your skills to the next level. They are well-connected business leaders who offer guidance as you navigate through your professional journey.
Co-creator of the Gordon-Loeb Model for cybersecurity investments
Internationally known scholar and accounting author
Expert in cybersecurity and managerial accounting
Most Effective Core Professor and Allen J. Krowe teaching award recipient
Expert in financial reporting and disclosure, corporate diversification, accounting information in the macroeconomy and financial markets
Allen J. Krowe teaching award recipient
Former CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Expert in corporate financial reporting and intangible investment accounting

Faculty Director, QUEST
bardossy@umd.edu

Director and Co-founder of the AI Initiative for Capital Market Research
scao824@umd.edu

Clinical Professor
jcrocker@umd.edu

Adjunct Faculty
ddenniso@umd.edu

Adjunct Professor of Accounting
sferris4@umd.edu

EY Alumni Professor of Managerial Accounting and Information Assurance
lagordon@umd.edu

Lecturer
shandwer@umd.edu

Assistant Dean of Doctoral Programs
rhann@umd.edu

Adjunct Faculty
dharnish@umd.edu

Area Chair, Accounting and Information Assurance
mkimbrou@umd.edu

Associate Clinical Professor
adamlee@umd.edu

Associate Area Chair
jmckinne@umd.edu

Lecturer
pmcname1@umd.edu

Associate Clinical Professor
jmilton@umd.edu

Adjunct Faculty
lmostow@umd.edu

Associate Professor
nseybert@umd.edu
Where Your Degree Can Take You
A UMD Smith MSA degree prepares you for a stable accounting career in a variety of settings, including Big Four accounting firms, the federal government and even nonprofit organizations. Whether you already have an undergraduate background in accounting or another subject area, this program is ideal for those interested in problem-solving, applying an investigative mindset to challenges and addressing discrepancies in business finances.
Sources: UMD Smith Office of Career Services, 2022; Institute of Internal Auditors; Becker/ Accounting Today
*Data for 2022 graduates who reported their salaries to UMD Smith's Office of Career Services. Please note these figures do not meet the 75 percent MBACSEA reporting threshold.
100% of our domestic and international MS Accounting graduates secure job placement within six months of graduation.
Picture Yourself in These Job Roles

“Because of the location and the people I’ve met here, I discovered what my career goal was. That was the most rewarding benefit I got from the program.”
Chen Zhang
MS Accounting ’14
Tax Senior at Ernst & Young
Businesses who have Hired our MS Accounting Graduates
- BDO
- CohnReznick
- Deloitte
- EY
- FBI
- Grant Thornton
- IRS
- KPMG
- Maryland Attorney General
- Morgan Stanley
- PWC
- RSM

Boost Your Professional Skills
UMD Smith’s Office of Career Services (OCS) can help you bridge the gap between being a student and an employed professional. You’ll have one-on-one access to a career coach who will provide you with personalized tips on how to articulate your strengths when interacting with your future employer.

Connect With Your Classmates
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to make connections at Smith and engage in exciting social activities through the Smith Masters Student Association. You can join an accounting-related club or others that provide you with general connections and skills.

Contact Us
Business Master's Office
2303 Van Munching Hall
College Park, Maryland 20742-1815
Phone: 301-405-2559
E-mail: SmithMasters@umd.edu
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
Financial Assistance Available
90% of incoming MS Accounting students receive some type of financial assistance.