The mission of the Department of Accounting at Virginia Commonwealth University is to prepare students for careers in accounting, to interpret and expand accounting knowledge, and to render service to the professional and academic communities. The department does so by (1) providing a learning environment in which students are encouraged to interact with others through identifying and solving accounting and business problems; (2) investigating, developing, and sharing knowledge which has the potential for significant influence on accounting, business, and education; and (3) interacting with the accounting profession, the business community, and the community at large.

The Department of Accounting boasts full accreditation by AACSB-The International Association for Management Education. Many of the Accounting Department professors have the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation. The fifteen member staff of full-time professors enthusiastically brings their practical work experience into the classroom. The pass rate of our students on the CPA examination has ranked us as one of the top two public institutions in the state of Virginia for the past three consecutive years.

We have an exciting interactive curriculum and a wealth of support from the business community. The support of the business community is evidenced by our student job placement upon graduation and membership on the Controllers Executive Roundtable. Placement of students completing accounting degrees is approximately 98% to 100%. Placement efforts are supported by the "Big 4" firms, regional firms, government and industry sectors.

The Controllers Executive Roundtable, established in 1999, provides a means for enhancing the professional development of controllers of major private and public companies, wile cultivating a regional network of controllers facing common challenges and having distinctive professional interests as a group. In addition, the Roundtable also serves as a means of establishing closer relationship between Virginia Commonwealth University and senior executives dealing with accounting / financial issues. Additionally, the Controllers Executive Roundtable awards two scholarships each year to two well-deserving, outstanding accounting majors.

500 and 600 level courses are offered in the evening either one evening per week from 7-9:40pm or twice a week from 5:30-6:45pm.  All business courses are held in Snead Hall.    The flexibility of our program allows student to enroll full-time or part-time per semester depending on their preference.

Students entering the Master of Accountancy program will generally follow one of these three curriculum paths:

Integrated Accounting 150-Hour Professional Program with early application
Students have the opportunity to earn both the Bachelor of Science and Master of Accountancy degrees upon completion of the required 150 credit hours of study. Students complete an integrated program of 120 hours of undergraduate credits and 30 hours of graduate credits.

Students declare their major at the end of the sophomore year. They enter the 150-Hour program at the beginning of the junior year and earn both degrees upon completion of the two combined programs. The 30-hour graduate credit requirement consists of ten courses, five of which may be electives outside of accounting. This program offering gives students the flexibility to design a broad program to support and enhance their individual career objectives. Electives can be chosen from several areas, including finance, information systems, management, international business or marketing.

- Students in this program will receive BOTH their Bachelors and their Masters degrees at the END of the full 150 hour program.  Under the current CPA regulations,  students in this program will therefore not be eligible to take the CPA exam prior to graduation. 

- The cost of tuition is higher for Masters Degree students when compared to Undergraduates students.   Students should take this into account when applying for this early application program.

- Students should NOT apply for this program if they are in their senior year.   This is an early application program, meaning students should apply during their Junior year (while taking ACCT 304).  Interested Seniors should apply to the traditional Masters of Accountancy program instead. 

- The average length of time to completion, for a full time student, is typically five and a half years. Highly motivated students may be able to complete it in five years.

To view the complete curriculum for this program, please visit the  Graduate Bulletin
To view course descriptions and prerequisites, please visit the VCU Courses database.

Program for students who hold a bachelors degree in accounting
Students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree in the field of accounting from an accredited institution may be admitted directly to the Master of Accountancy program having had the majority, if not all, of their prerequisites met. The graduate degree requires completion of 10 graduate courses. There are four 600-level required accounting courses and six 600-level courses selected from the three tracks of interest. 

To view the complete curriculum for this program, please visit the Graduate Bulletin
To view course descriptions and prerequisites, please visit the VCU Courses database.

Program for students who hold a bachelor's degree in an area other then accounting
Students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree in a field of study other than accounting from an accredited institution may be admitted directly to the Master of Accountancy program.  These students will need to complete any unfinished or unapproved required prerequisites upon entry to the Master of Accountancy graduate program. The graduate degree requires completion of 10 graduate courses. There are four 600-level required accounting courses and six 600-level courses selected from the three tracks of interest.

To view the complete curriculum for this program, please visit the Graduate Bulletin
To view course descriptions and prerequisites, please visit the VCU Courses database.