Program Opportunities
- Major in Accounting (Bachelor of Science)
- Master of Accountancy
Overview
At Manchester University, earning an accounting degree means you will be the sort of tax or audit professional accounting firms value and every business needs. Leading U.S. accounting firms return to MU year after year to recruit for interns and full-time employees. A recruiter for a leading certified public accountant (CPA) firm stated that Manchester “is legendary for producing professionals who do extremely well. The reputation that Manchester has earned is well-deserved and makes it a go-to place for talent.”
A bachelor’s degree in accounting from Manchester, in other words, opens a world of entry-level opportunities, whether in major corporations or small businesses. And now Manchester is enhancing those opportunities, and the value of a student’s accounting education, by offering a Master’s of Accountancy (MACCT) – a 3+1 program that enables students to enroll in undergraduate and master’s level courses at the same time. This allows students to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years instead of five, eliminating a year of increased costs and lost earnings. In addition, because MACCT students will be full-time undergraduate students, they will retain all their undergraduate financial aid – making Manchester’s MACCT much more affordable than other programs.
* Median pay reflects the average income for all U.S. professionals working in this field. Entry-level salaries are typically lower.
Program Highlights
- The Master of Accountancy program (MAACT) is an integrated 3+1 program. Students will enroll simultaneously in both undergraduate and master’s level courses, which will allow students to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years instead of the traditional five. Highlights include a mandatory internship and courses in data analytics, accounting research and advanced business information systems.
- Each September, 12-15 accounting firms attend the annual Accounting Employer Mixer that provides all MU accounting students with opportunities to build their professional networks and to interview students for internships and full-time opportunities.
- Here’s a sample of the firms with Manchester graduates as employees: Baden Gage & Schroeder; Crowe; Culp CPA Group; Dauby O’Connor & Zaleski; Dulin, Ward & DeWald; Ernst & Young; Forvis; Greenwalt CPAs; Hamil Lehman & England; Katz, Sapper & Miller; Kruggel Lawton; Lambert & Lanoue; PricewaterhouseCoopers; and RSM U.S.
- Manchester strongly encourages its accounting students to take the state-administered exam to become a Certified Public Accountant. This is a rigorous, four-part exam that requires hours of preparation, but Manchester students who follow the preparation protocol set up by the College of Business do extremely well on this exam. (See CPA exam results here.)
- In the capstone course Case Studies in Business, required of all majors in the College, students organize and operate a business for a semester and then donate their earnings to a nonprofit of their choosing. Manchester business students have donated more than $125,510 and over 10,306 hours of service to various nonprofit organizations.
Successful Graduates
- Cami Holford ’19 and Lauren Rodts ’19, good friends who could always be found studying together, can now be found working together. Both joined RSM U.S. as audit associates in Indianapolis.
- Jack Kay ’19 played football at Manchester and following graduation joined Bactrian Accounting in Williamsport, IN.
- Keiton Hall B.S., MACCT ’20, a basketball standout and president of the College of Business Club, joined RSM U.S. in Atlanta, GA as an audit associate. Keiton passed all four parts of the CPA exam on his first attempt.
- Sierra Lehman ’20 joined Baden Gage & Schroeder in Fort Wayne, IN following graduation, and she passed all four parts of the CPA exam on the first attempt.
- Bailey Conder B.S., MACCT ’21 served as the treasurer of the College of Business Club. After graduation she joined Ernst & Young’s Indianapolis office as a staff accountant.
- Isaac Miller B.S., MACCT ’21 excelled in his studies and on the tennis court, and he was a leader in the College of Business Club’s Community Outreach Committee. He received the L.D. Ikenberry award—the highest award in the Gilbert College of Business which is presented to the most outstanding graduate, and passed all four parts of the CPA exam on his first attempt and earned a top-ten score in the state of Indiana. He is a staff accountant with Crowe in Fort Wayne.
- Phillip Clesceri B.S., MACCT ‘22 was a track & field athlete at MU.He received the L.D. Ikenberry award—the highest award in the Gilbert College of Business which is presented to the most outstanding graduate, and he is preparing to sit for the CPA exam.He is a tax associate at RSM, U.S. in Cincinnati.
- Darcie Patton B.S., MACCT ’22 and Taylor Wollen B.S., MACCT ’22 were co-recipients of the prestigious Arthur L. Gilbert Outstanding Accounting Major award.Darcie accepted a position with Hamil, Lehman & England in Fort Wayne, IN, and Taylor will be working as an auditor for Crowe in Elkhart, IN.Both are preparing for the CPA exam.