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Accounting

Earn an Accounting Degree That Will Get You Noticed by Employers

At Manchester University, earning an accounting degree means you will be the sort of tax or audit professional that 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 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 Business Administration. This 3+1 program enables students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in four years, eliminating a year of increased costs and lost earnings. In addition, because MU offers an MBA with an Accounting Track students will be full-time undergraduate students and they will retain all their undergraduate financial aid—making Manchester’s MBA much more affordable than other programs.

MU ACCOUNTING AT A GLANCE

  • Credits: 150
  • Time to Completion: 4 years
  • Tuition: Learn More
  • Learning Environment: On-Campus
  • Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission

*Our MBA 3+1 program enables students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in four years with 120 credits earned during their undergraduate studies and an additional 30 credits earned within the MBA Accounting Track Program.

150

Credits

4

Years*

Tuition

Learn More

Fall Session

August 2025

Learning Environment

On-campus

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission

*Our MBA 3+1 program enables students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in four years with 120 credits earned during their undergraduate studies and an additional 30 credits earned within the MBA Accounting Track Program.

Why Choose Manchester for an Accounting Degree?

Our accounting degree program is recognized by employers for providing an education that prepares you to do great things on day one of your career. We also boast a high CPA exam passage rate among our accounting graduates.

Our Master of Business Administration Program Accountancy Track

The MBA Program is an integrated 3+1 program. You can enroll simultaneously in both undergraduate and master’s level accounting courses, which will allow you 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.

Accounting major networking opportunities

Each September 12–15, accounting firms attend the annual Accounting Employer Mixer, which provides all MU accounting degree students with opportunities to build their professional networks and to interview for internships and full-time opportunities. Most of our students complete multiple internships.

Certified public accountant (CPA) preparation

Manchester strongly encourages its accounting students to take the state-administered exam to become a certified public accountant (CPA). 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.

Capstone courses

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.

Stock image of a CPA - not a photo of Hannah Field.

" I felt very prepared for the CPA exam. I felt very prepared for my job. We had classes that pushed us to go research, to go look up accounting topics."
Hannah Field '16, CPA
Audit Senior Associate, BKD

What Can You Do With Your Accounting Degree?

Most of our students go on to work at accounting firms with some others choosing to work in corporate accounting. A sample of firms where our accounting graduates work include:

  • 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
  • RSM U.S.

Career outlook for accounting majors

Accountants and auditors made, on average, $78,000 a year in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs in this field are expected to grow as fast as average.

An alumni sits as a CPA behind their desk.
$78,000
Average Annual Salary

Explore Classes for Accounting Majors

Our courses prepare you to work in a variety of accounting professions. Popular courses, such as ACCT 311 and 312, expand your knowledge of financial accounting. You will also begin researching the Accounting Standards Codification and start prepping for the CPA exam.

Interested in earning your MBA with our Accounting Track?
View our course requirements and see if it's right for you.

Get Started on Your Accounting Degree

Take the next step toward earning your accounting degree. We have the resources to help you get started.

Manchester University’s Non-Discrimination Admission Policy

Manchester University is committed to non-discrimination in campus life. The University does not discriminate on the basis of national origin, ancestry, race, color, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, familial status, religion, disability or veteran status in admissions or any area of campus life, including its educational programs, scholarships and loan awards, residence life programs, athletic programs, extracurricular programs, promotion and tenure policies and practice, and alumni affairs.

Manchester University is committed to carry out the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act, which provide for accessibility of University programs to the physically disabled.