Master of Accounting at East Carolina University

The Accounting at East Carolina University is a Master program designed for students who want to build the knowledge and skills required for careers in this field. Delivered on campus at the university's main campus in Greenville , United States of America, the program is taught in English and takes 2 years to complete. Students study in a Full Time environment while preparing for future professional opportunities. The next intake starts on August 21, 2026.

About Master of Accounting

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.

Department Website
College Website
How Do I Apply
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Program Coordinator: John Reisch (334 Slay Hall; 252-328-6055; [email protected])

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 & 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.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Accounting at East Carolina University

Entry Requirements

In order to be considered for admission, international graduate applicants follow the same steps as a U.S. applicant with a few exceptions as identified in Red font. Step by step instructions are identified below:

Complete the ECU Online Graduate School Application: One application fee and one set of supporting documents should be submitted for each program of study applying to.
Pay the Application Fee: Payment will be made through the self-service portal prior to submission of the application. The payment portal accepts debit or credit card only.
Provide Foreign Transcript Evaluation:

An official course by course credential evaluation of all foreign transcripts indicating that, at minimum, the US equivalent of a bachelor’s degree has been awarded by an accredited college or university is required.

Provide Official Transcript(s) & Diploma Copy: A copy of your transcript(s) and diplomas showing a full education history issued in your native language as well as a notarized or certified copy in English must be uploaded to your application.
Provide Evidence of English Proficiency: If English is not your native language and you have not completed at least one year of education (minimum of 18 credit hours) at a United States school, you are required to take a standardized English language exam or complete the ECU Language Academy (ECULA).
- Language Exam Options: The Graduate School accepts either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Duolingo English Test or Pearson Test of English (PTE) and scores must be forwarded to the Graduate School by the testing service. The paper- or computer-based TOEFL exam is accepted by request only.
ECU Language Academy: You may choose to attend the ECU Language Academy instead of taking the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE. Also, if you do not obtain the required score on the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE, at least one session of the ECU Language Academy may be required prior to the start of your program. Successful completion of all levels of the ECU Language Academy is required for admission without TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores. More information on the ECU Language Academy, including the ECULA application, is available on the Intensive English Program website. Individual programs may have higher minimum requirements.
Provide Official Standardized Admissions Test Results: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange for an official score report to be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service (GRE or GMAT). ECU’s institutional code is 5180. ECU does not have departmental codes.
Upload Statement of Purpose: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your personal statement (why you believe you would be a good candidate for the program) to your application. You may want to use resources to help you write a personal statement in English such as this webinar.
Provide Letters of recommendation: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange to have LOR’s submitted electronically with the online application. Review your program’s application requirements to determine the number of letters, if any, that they require.
Upload Resume: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your most recent resume to your online application.
Provide Financial information: If/when you are admitted to a graduate program at ECU you will be required to provide certified evidence of financial resources adequate to cover educational costs and living expenses. Documents only need submitted if/when an offer of admission is extended.

English Requirements

PTEMin 65
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 78

Career Opportunities after Completing Master of Accounting

Graduates with this degree are successful in many fields and careers, including the following:

Accounting
Auditors
Budget Analysts
Credit Analysts
Financial Examiners
Tax Examiners, Collectors, and Revenue Agents
Business Teachers, Postsecondary
Business and Administrative Services
Finance and Insurance
Public Administration and Legal Services
Education and Training

Career Opportunities

ECU has developed resources to help you learn more about career opportunities and job market outlook. In addition, the websites below provide specific information on careers in the various majors from which students may choose:

NC Tower

This website provides graphs and tables of in-depth information on employment rates, wages and ongoing higher education enrollment of graduates from the North Carolina Community College System and from the University of North Carolina system schools. NC Tower includes data on former UNC students who are working in roughly 90% of all jobs in North Carolina. This database excludes information for graduates who are:

Self-employed;
Work for the federal government, including the military: or
Work outside of North Carolina.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

This website also provides in-depth information regarding pay, projected new jobs, required education, growth rate and on-the-job training information on various occupations.

Degree-specific internships

For information on internship information for specific majors, go to the home page of the department in which the major is located and, as available, find the link to the information on internships in that major.

Fee Information

Application Fee 75

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in a graduate program at East Carolina University!

Contact information for each program, along with their application deadlines, can be found on the Find Your Program feature.

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If you have already created an account and/or are applying to multiple programs, please use the same account. After selecting the program of choice, simply login with your credentials.
Use a personal email account (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, AOL) when setting up your ECU application account. Please refrain from creating an account using any ECU associated emails because doing so may prevent you from receiving important email communication from us.

Master of Accounting at East Carolina University

East Carolina University

United States of America, Greenville