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Education/Certification Info - Graduate

Frequently Asked Questions
About becoming a CPA in Massachusetts

Why a Graduate Degree?
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has gathered data that demonstrates that individuals who hold a graduate degree:
  • have a substantially higher rate of success on the CPA exam than individuals without an advanced degree
  • receive starting salaries that are 10 to 20 percent higher than the starting salaries of those with only a bachelor's degree
  • often experience faster promotion rates than those not having a graduate degree
And most importantly, recruiters are now looking to hire graduates who are better educated and more committed, and who can advance rapidly to higher level ranks. Earning a graduate degree from a highly respected program is a strong indicator of your prospects for success.

A Benefit for Members of the MSCPA:
Accelerated MBA and MST Programs at Suffolk University. A customized and accelerated MBA and MST program that's nationally-accredited, tailored for MSCPA members that hold the CPA designation.

Masters Programs Offered in Massachusetts:
  • Assumption College
    This new track is designed specifically to prepare holder’s of a bachelor degree in business to obtain the knowledge necessary to prepare to sit for the CPA exam. Students complete at least ten courses/30 credits beyond the bachelor degree, thereby meeting the 150-hour requirement in Massachusetts (252CMR), and cover required and recommended courses to sit for the exam.

  • Boston College
    The BC MSA Program accommodates a wide range of students, from accounting graduates looking for an additional 30 credit hours of accounting studies to liberal arts graduates seeking enhanced career prospects in the accounting and business worlds. Whatever your background, the Program's unique cross-disciplinary approach will strengthen the technical, analytical and interpersonal skills sought by employers and will give you the tools needed to be a leader in an increasingly complex and competitive business environment.

  • Bentley College
    Master of Science (MS) programs at the McCallum Graduate School of Business combine the best elements of business specialist and business generalist. Students develop in-depth knowledge of the theory and tools critical to each discipline, while also exploring how their specialty relates to other functional areas within the organization. Masters of Science programs are available in: Accountancy, Accounting Information Systems, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning, Global Financial Analysis, Human Factors in Information Design, Information Age Marketing, Information Technology, and Taxation.

  • Bridgewater State College
    Known for quality and affordability, the Accounting Program offers a 150-hour compliant MSM-Accounting Masters degree designed to prepare accountants for today's career challenges. This highly focused, ten course masters program will prepare graduates with technical accounting skills, upper-level MIS/computer skills and cross-functional managerial problem solving abilities (several prerequisite courses will be required for applicants who do not already possess an undergraduate accounting degree.)

  • Northeastern University
    A new Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) Program begins in Summer of 2003. The MSA degree is designed for individuals with an undergraduate accounting degree looking for professional advancement opportunities if already trained in the field of accounting, for those interested in meeting the new 150 semester hour rule to pursue the CPA examination, or for those looking to acquire a functional specialization in accounting. Northeastern also offers an advanced accounting certificate for those with some accounting courses and 80 quarter credit hours of undergraduate study.

  • Suffolk University
    Several Masters Programs are offered to accounting students including a Master of Science in Accounting (MSA), a Master of Science in Taxation (MST), and a Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting (GDPA). Suffolk University also offers the following Joint Degree Programs: MBA/MSA, MBA/MST, MBA/GDPA, and MST/GDPA.

  • Online Degree or Certificate Programs from the University of Massachusetts
    Earn your accredited online degree or certificate from one of the nation's top-ranked universities, the University of Massachusetts. UMassOnline allows you to attend the same high-quality programs and learn from the same world-class faculty as students at the University of Massachusetts' Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell campuses.

  • The University of Massachusetts Boston College of Management
    The Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) degree program is designed as an affordable and accessible program for practicing and prospective accountants, auditors and analysts seeking a curriculum that will prime them for success at both the regional and global levels.

  • Western New England College
    The Masters of Science in Accounting Degree provides students with the opportunity to partially fulfill the requirements for the CPA exam in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and to develop the controlling, planning and analytical skills that characterize a successful career in accounting.



PhD Programs in Massachusetts
  • Earn a PhD in Accountancy or Business at Bentley College
    Bentley offers two new programs that feature a fresh approach to doctoral study. The programs, in Accountancy and Business, are centered squarely on your career interests and plans, and given the demands of an increasingly technological global economy, have a thematic focus on business, technology and society.

  • Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at Boston University
    Boston University offers a doctoral program that seeks to educate future management researchers and teachers who generate new knowledge to advance understanding in the fields of Accounting, Information Systems, Marketing, Operations & Technology Management, Organizational Behavior, and Strategy and Policy.



Other Programs Offered in New England
  • Boston University
    The BU Certificate in Advanced Accountancy (CAA) is not a Masters program. The Certificate is awarded upon completion of 16 credits of upper level accounting electives, and can be completed in one summer. Most students taking these courses have recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, have already completed all business requirements and have at least 134 total credits.
    Read more about BU's CAA program. (PDF File)

  • University of Connecticut
    UCONN offers a unique on-line MSA program that can be completed either full-time in eight months or part-time in 16 months. We have created a dynamic online community that supports and nurtures information literacy and student-centered learning. This online community allows you, the student, to readily access other students and faculty members and to fit learning into your personal and professional schedules because most of the activities engaged in throughout our curriculum (e.g. assignments, discussion boards, quizzes) are asynchronous.